1. Is a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas still possible?
2. Can Angola broker peace between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda?
3. Is Yoon Suk Yeol’s vision of Korean unification one that the West should embrace?
4. Why has Africa become the world’s new battleground against Islamic extremism?
5. Is the Taliban’s hold over Afghanistan growing weaker?
6. Should the EU decouple from China?
7. Is Peru’s Congress amassing too much power?
8. Will the attempted enlistment of Haredim troops bring down Netanyahu’s government?
9. Should Mexican legislators pass AMLO’s judicial overhaul?
10. Is Botswana doing enough to address its drought?
Month: August 2024
1. How will Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s decision to drop out and endorse Donald Trump have on the 2024 presidential election?
2. What does OpenAI need to do to become profitable?
3. Are there enough protections to prevent non-Americans from voting in national elections?
4. Will the GOP win control of the Senate?
5. Why has the U.S. failed to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas?
6. Will the Federal Reserve cut interest rates at its September meeting?
7. Should public K-12 education be expanded to K-16?
8. How important will the debate between vice presidential candidates be?
9. Are existing climate initiatives too regressive?
10. How much should the Harris campaign use her gender to appeal to voters?
Next month the 2024-2025 national circuit season will begin online when the University of Kentucky hosts its annual National Speech and Debate Season Opener. And that means the return of the Extemp Central National Points Race, which is entering its tenth year.
The Extemp Central National Points Race is a season-long competition that seeks to identify the top extempers across a select group of prestigious national circuit events. Extemp Central recognizes that in some years the top extemper in the nation may not win the National Points Race due to the inability of some competitors to travel extensively. Still, seven national champions are among the nine previous National Points Race winners.
1. Is protectionism bad for the U.S. economy?
2. Should there be more regulations on private equity firms?
3. Has Trump lost his mojo?
4. Should Vice President Harris pursue a Sun Belt strategy or a Rust Belt strategy?
5. Does the Montana or Ohio Senate race have a better chance of going red?
6. Would a Harris administration impose stricter gun measures?
7. Does Donald Trump need a major shakeup of his campaign staff?
8. Would a greater disengagement from European affairs by the U.S. make nuclear proliferation worse?
9. Are colleges restrictions on protest activity before this school year a violation of free speech principles?
10. Would price controls be an effective tool against inflation?
1. Is a good offense the best defense for Ukraine in its fight with Russia?
2. Should Macron work with the Popular Front or fight against it?
3. Has Sudan become the next Syria?
4. Who should be Japan’s next prime minister?
5. How can the WHO best contain mpox?
6. What steps can India’s government take to reduce violence against women?
7. Should Great Britain and France increase the size of their nuclear arsenals?
8. What economic reforms does Ethiopia need?
9. Should Israel pre-emptively strike Iran?
10. Is Lula failing in his effort to help Brazil’s indigenous populations?
1. How much of a setback for Russia is Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk?
2. Will recent riots force the British government to increase social media regulations?
3. Is the Chinese economy stuck?
4. Should European multinational institutions expel Hungary?
5. Is Kenya’s police mission in Haiti working?
6. Why was Sheikh Hasina forced out?
7. How will Iran respond to Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh?
8. Is Japan engaging in unfair currency practices?
9. Has COVID become endemic?
10. Should South Africa reorient its foreign policy to be more friendly to the West?
1. Was Walz a good pick?
2. Is there still a substantial number of undecided voters for the 2024 presidential election?
3. Will the U.S. economy go into recession in 2025?
4. How will the Google anti-trust ruling affect the tech sector?
5. Should the Trump tax cuts become permanent?
6. Was the recent stock market decline a blip or a sign of things to come?
7. Is Governor Gavin Newsom taking the wrong approach to clearing homeless encampments?
8. Are expectations about AI inflated?
9. Is a vote for Harris a vote for a second Biden term?
10. Should there be more regulations on sports betting to prevent use by underage users?
Here are the first extemp questions of the 2024-2025 season! We will be rolling out some additional content this month as it can be completed. Remember that news quizzes will resume Labor Day week (September 4).
1. Should Trump ditch Vance?
2. Will protests be a major problem at the Democratic National Convention?
3. Has the Federal Reserve waited too long to reduce interest rates?
4. Should the Arizona school voucher experiment discourage other states from trying it?
5. Will there be a presidential debate between Trump and Harris?
6. How should President Biden spend the remaining months of his presidency?
7. If the 2024 presidential election is centered on culture wars does that benefit Trump or Harris most?
8. Will white collar employment be devastated by the rise of AI?
9. Should the U.S. continue to do prisoner swaps with Russia?
10. How should the U.S. respond to the stolen election in Venezuela?
Here are the first extemp questions of the 2024-2025 season! We will be rolling out some additional content this month as it can be completed. Remember that news quizzes will resume Labor Day week (September 4).
1. Does the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh make it easier or more difficult to wind down the ongoing Israel-Hamas war?
2. Who would China prefer to win the U.S. presidential election?
3. What should democratic activists in Venezuela do now?
4. Is ISIS rising again?
5. Would it be unwise for Israel to go to war with Hezbollah?
6. How should the British Conservative Party rebuild?
7. Have the Paris Olympics been a success?
8. How can Somalia best counter al-Shabab?
9. Will European nations have to pay for more of their own defense in the next decade?
10. How can the Yemeni Civil War be ended?