Category: Topic Area Analysis Page 1 of 2

On June 1, 2015

2015 NSDA Extemp Topic Area Analysis Book by Logan Scisco

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To access the 2015 NSDA Extemp topic area analysis by Logan Scisco, please click on the link below. The link is a .pdf document.

2015 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

On May 7, 2015

2015 NCFL Topic Area Analysis by Lily Nellans

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As part of a yearly tradition at Extemp Central, we have put together a topic area analysis for those extempers heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for this year’s National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament. This analysis covers the major issues in each of the nine topic areas, provides some strategy tips for handling each one, and then provides a set of practice questions for extempers and coaches as they seek to prepare for the tournament.

This year’s topic area analysis was written by Lily Nellans, the 2012 NCFL National Champion. In addition to her NCFL championship, Nellans is the all-time leader in major championship victories, having won the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin and the Extemp TOC three times.

To access the topic area analysis, please click on the link below. The link is a .pdf document.

2014 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

On May 8, 2014

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by Gabriel Ferrante

Gabriel Ferrante was a competitor for the Iona Preparatory School in New York. He was last year’s Catholic National Champion. In addition, he was an extemp finalist at Yale, Bronx, Villiger, and a champion at the Columbia invitational. He was a competitor at the Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin and New York Sate Champion in 2013. He is attending the University of Pennsylvania and studying Chemistry and Philosophy. Gabriel wrote this topic area analysis for competitors attending this year’s National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in Chicago, Illinois. It provides tips on navigating the tournament, answering questions in each topic area, and provides a few practice questions for each topic area that extempers can use to prepare for the tournament.

2011 CFL Grand Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

On May 25, 2011

by Logan Scisco

Over the last few years, Extemp Central has done a breakdown of the topic areas for the Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament. Since there is usually some overlap of topics, this year’s brief will be much more condense and I will attempt to summarize the topic areas in five to seven sentences or less. This is meant to shed some insight into what challenges extempers might face at the CFL tournament this weekend. Extempers should click on the Ex Files tab above and look at the 2008 and 2009 analysis to get an idea of what issues extempers face at CFL and to also better understand how the tournament works. Extempers should also consult Mirza Germovic’s breakdown of the tournament, which was posted late last week.

Extempers should note that there are nine topic areas, but there are only eight rounds at the tournament. The topic areas are drawn randomly before each round. This means that one of the topic areas listed below WILL NOT be used. Also, the tournament seems to be pushing a more domestic centered approach to the event this year. As a final quick piece of advice, the worst topic areas always seems to find its way into semi-finals or finals, so be prepared to face them there.

2011 TFA State International Extemp Topic Area Analysis

On March 7, 2011

by Logan Scisco

The following topic area analysis is for extempers who will be competing next week at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament at Flower Mound High School. Like our CFL and NFL topic area analysis in the past, this will attempt to provide some guidance for extempers as they prepare for the tournament. This topic area analysis will provide a brief description of the round in question and list some major issues that extempers will have to talk about in that round. For extempers who will not be competing at TFA and have their state tournaments later in the year, this topic area analysis can still help you since many states are using the same topic areas and categories that TFA is utilizing. As with all topic area analysis, this merely represents the opinions of the writer and in no way reflects what will actually happen at TFA State. Extemp Central is not affiliated with TFA and has not written the questions that extempers will compete with next week.

2011 TFA State United States Extemp Topic Area Analysis

On March 7, 2011

by Logan Scisco

The following topic area analysis is for extempers who will be competing next week at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament at Flower Mound High School. Like our CFL and NFL topic area analysis in the past, this will attempt to provide some guidance for extempers as they prepare for the tournament. This topic area analysis will provide a brief description of the round in question and list some major issues that extempers will have to talk about in that round. For extempers who will not be competing at TFA and have their state tournaments later in the year, this topic area analysis can still help you since many states are using the same topic areas and categories that TFA is utilizing. As with all topic area analysis, this merely represents the opinions of the writer and in no way reflects what will actually happen at TFA State. Extemp Central is not affiliated with TFA and has not written the questions that extempers will compete with next week.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 4

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #10: The Middle East
Topic Area #11: Russia and Former USSR Satellite States
Topic Area #12: US Foreign Policy: The Foreign Perspective
Topic Area #13: The World Economy

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 3

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #7: India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia
Topic Area #8: The International Community: The Transition from 2000 to 2010
Topic Area #9: International Organizations & Global Challenges

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 2

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #4: China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Koreas
Topic Area #5: Energy and the Environment
Topic Area #6: Europe

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 1

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #1: Africa
Topic Area #2: Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean
Topic Area #3: Central and South America

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, A Guide

by Logan Scisco

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

This is the third time that Extemp Central has broken down the topic areas in International extemp for NFL. Last year, IX runner-up Omar Qureshi broke down the IX topic areas and extempers would be wise to consult this topic area analysis as well as Omar’s thoughts, which can be found in last year’s NFL edition of The Ex Files.

If you are in the International extemp field for NFL you will be facing some of the toughest competition in the nation. Although anyone who makes the NFL national tournament is a talented speaker and has earned their way into the field, International extemp tends to have a better field than United States extemp. In looking at the National Points Race, most of the top ten are in International extemp at this year’s tournament so if you have chosen to do International extemp you will be in the midst of very elite competition and will be competing against extempers who have proven themselves at previous national circuit events during the year.

As with the CFL topic area analysis, this topic area analysis is meant to provide some insight into the thirteen topic areas that International extempers will encounter at the national tournament. According to some reports, a new batch of question writers will be putting together this year’s topics, which will hopefully eliminate the ridiculous questions seen in last year’s final round such as “Yes we can. Or can we?” Since I am putting together the USX and IX topic area analysis this year and because thirteen topic areas cover a lot of ground, this year’s topic area analysis will have a brief paragraph summary explaining each topic area and then there will be bulleted points detailing issues that extempers might confront in each topic area. Keep in mind, this topic brief is not sanctioned by the National Forensic League and I am not on any panels to write questions for the tournament. My analysis of these topic areas is through my years of experience competing at the tournament and judging rounds and merely predicts what you will encounter in the prep room in Kansas City. Unlike previous years this topic brief will not contain practice questions. This is because of the timing of the release of this topic area analysis and other constraints upon the writer. Instead, this week there will be thirteen questions for USX and IX, one for each topic area. Extempers can also look back at previous week’s questions on the site to help prepare them for the tournament. I apologize for any inconvenience that might cause.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 4

On June 7, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis, U.S. Extemp

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the final installment of our four-part series, we explore four of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #10: National Security and Homeland Security
Topic Area #11: The Obama Administration
Topic Area #12: State and Local Politics: Major Elections, Budgets, Welfare, and Immigration Issues
Topic Area #13: U.S. Policies, Programs, and Regulatory Policy

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 3

On June 7, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis, U.S. Extemp

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the third of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #7: Education
Topic Area #8: Energy & the Environment
Topic Area #9: Health Care Reform

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 2