Here is this week’s news quiz.
Month: March 2023
1. Should Uganda be sanctioned over its anti-LGBTQ+ bill?
2. What is the best way to hold those who committed war crimes in the Tigray War accountable?
3. Is the expulusion of Rahul Gandhi from the Indian Parliament a devastating blow to the Indian National Congress Party?
4. How can Brazil save the Yanomami group?
5. Will there be a major war in the Pacific in the next decade?
6. Twenty years after the U.S. invasion, is Iraq better off?
7. Does Iran’s economic future run through Central Asia?
8. What can the EU do to help Kosovo and Serbia normalize relations?
9. Does Israel need a written constitution?
10. Is the U.S.-Canada asylum agreement a win for Trudeau’s government?
1. Will the U.S.-Canada asylum agreement significantly reduce migrant flows into each nation?
2. Should Congress pass the Parents Bill of Rights Act?
3. Would a TikTok ban be unconstitutional?
4. Should parental consent be required for minors to use social media?
5. Is current federal monetary policy and fiscal policy in conflict with each other?
6. What should the U.S. do if Russia puts tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?
7. How should U.S. schools handle chronically violent students?
8. Is the U.S. prepared for a war in the Pacific?
9. What impact will the repeal of Michigan’s “right-to-work” law have on the state economy?
10. Is firing squad a constitutionally permissible form of capital punishment?
New standings for the 2022-2023 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released! These results reflect the results of February’s tournaments, including the Stanford Invitational, the Harvard National Forensics Tournament, the California Invitational, and the Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic. You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The next National Points Race event takes place late next month when the University of Kentucky hosts its annual Tournament of Champions (TOC). Unlike last year, the UK TOC is a third tier event that will be 100 points in the National Points Race.
Here is this week’s news quiz. Good luck!
1. How can GOP presidential rivals exploit Donald Trump’s legal woes to their advantage?
2. Should U.S. policymakers encourage Ukraine to take back Crimea?
3. Why has the U.S. failed to create peace in the Middle East?
4. Was the Silicon Valley Bank bailout warranted?
5. Should the U.S. restaurant industry adopt a surge pricing model?
6. Will President Biden’s recent pivot to the middle on various social issues spark a progressive primary challenge?
7. Should social media companies be held liable for damages to the mental health of younger users?
8. Is the U.S. economy becoming less capitalistic?
9. Should the FDIC insure all deposits regardless of size?
10. Will the Dominion lawsuit lead to the end of Fox News?
1. Did Macron err by unilaterally imposing French pension reform?
2. Are the chances of a war between Greece and Turkey rising?
3. Is El Salvador taking the wrong approach to reduce its violent crime rate?
4. What impact are rising U.S. interest rates having on the global economy?
5. Have there been enough international efforts to prevent an arms race in space?
6. Has Rishi Sunak changed the fortunes of Britain’s Conservative Party?
7. Can the EU’s recent accord with Serbia and Kosovo stabilize the Balkans?
8. Should Western intervention in the Syrian Civil War cease?
9. How effective will be AUKUS alliance be in checking China’s ambitions in the Pacific?
10. Who is the current frontrunner in Mexico’s presidential election?
Here is this week’s news quiz. Good luck!
1. Does NATO need Turkey?
2. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, what’s next?
3. Could a global carbon price system defeat climate change?
4. Is crime becoming Latin America’s biggest concern?
5. What is the significance of the Iran-Saudi Arabia accord for the Middle Eastern region?
6. Is China better positioned to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute than the United States?
7. What is the biggest challenge facing Mercosur?
8. Will the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank imperil the global financial system?
9. Does the defeat of Georgia’s “foreign-agent bill” strengthen or weaken the country’s bid to join the European Union?
10. Is Gabriel Boric’s presidency falling short of expectations?
1. Does the U.S. need China?
2. Who should lead Senate Republicans after Mitch McConnell?
3. Should Congress pass President Biden’s budget?
4. Is it time for the U.S. to join the International Criminal Court?
5. Should the parents of the Newport News school shooter be criminally charged?
6. Will the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank force the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates?
7. Should movie theaters embrace premium pricing?
8. Would a Kari Lake Senate bid ruin GOP hopes of regaining that seat in 2024?
9. Should President Biden approve the Willow Project?
10. What does China’s brokering of the Saudi Arabia-Iran accord illustrate about America’s diplomatic position in the Middle East?
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
The regular season of the National Points Race wrapped up in Apple Valley, Minnesota two weeks ago when Eastview High School played host to the Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic, a fifth tier event to represent the Midwest.
38 competitors entered International Extemp, which was won by Agrim Joshi of Shakopee High School (MN). Joshi took three of the five first place ranks in the final round, defeating Anatasia Koch of Eagan High School (MN) by five ranks. Koch took the other two available first place ranks in the round.
Medihin Daniel of Eagan and Rahu Balaji of Woodbury High School (MN) tied for third place but Daniel beat Balaji on a judges’ preference tiebreaker.
Louise Nguyen of Lakeville North High School (MN) was fifth and Raja Chinnakotla of Edina High School (MN) was sixth.
United States Extemp was much closer. Elisabeth Nielsen of Eastview High School (MN) won the championship against 30 other competitors, winning the final round in a judges’ preference tiebreaker over Srinath Hariharan of Woodbury High School.
Ava Roots of Stillwater Area High School (MN) placed third, two ranks behind Nielsen and Hariharan. She was four ranks clear of fourth place finisher Abiha Kashif of Eagan High School.
Izzy Parker of Woodbury High School finished fifth, one rank behind Kashif, and Darren Tanubrata of Eden Prairie High School (MN) was sixth.
All finalists will receive National Points Race points, with Joshi and Nielsen earning 40 points for their respective wins.
The finalists also earn a bid leg to the 2023 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University. The tournament was not a qualifier for the UK TOC in April.
Here are the results of the 2023 Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic (Click here for tab sheet):
1. How can the U.S. best deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?
2. Will Marianna Williamson constitute a major primary challenge to President Biden?
3. If he is indicted, do Donald Trump’s re-election aspirations vanish?
4. Have America’s big cities become ungovernable?
5. Should Fox News’ White House press credentials be revoked?
6. Is the U.S. on the verge of another Great Awakening?
7. Should it be illegal for senior executive branch officials to engage in stock trading?
8. What is the best way to save Social Security for future generations?
9. Are proposed anti-drag show laws unconstitutional?
10. Should the U.S. continue working with Kurdish fighters in Syria?
1. Should Britain exit the Brexit?
2. Will growing protests against judicial reforms topple Netanyahu’s government?
3. Is Pakistan’s government doing enough to solve the country’s economic crises?
4. Should India remain part of the BRICS group?
5. Are the world’s problems best solved by regional organizations than multiregional ones?
6. Will Elly Eschlein steer Italy’s Democratic Party further to the left?
7. Should the World Bank focus more on climate change or poverty eradication?
8. Will AMLO’s electoral reforms pass?
9. Should Indonesia become more of a power player in Southeast Asian affairs?
10. Is demographic decline a major threat to Russian national security?