Category: Weekly Questions Page 11 of 83

On June 4, 2023

Note: These will be the last extemp questions of the 2022-2023 season. New questions will be released during the first week of August. A CFL recap and new National Points Race standings will be released later this week when AP examination scoring ends. Thank you for using Extemp Central this season!

1. Who is best positioned to win Spain’s snap election?
2. Are investigations of Russian interference in Poland politically motivated?
3. Will the Balasore train disaster provide the momentum needed for India to modernize its infrastructure?
4. Is Lula’s embrace of Maduro bad policy?
5. Will Sudan’s civil war carry into 2024?
6. How would the successful launch of a spy satellite by North Korea impact East Asian security?
7. Should economic recovery or national security be the priority of Bola Tinubu’s government?
8. Will El Salvador’s wide-scale gang crackdown make the country less safe in the long run?
9. Is it in Ukraine’s best interest to launch drone strikes on Russian cities?
10. Will Erdogan’s victory make Turkey’s economic prospects worse?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 29-June 4, 2023

On May 28, 2023

1. Will South Africa’s economic situation continue to worsen the longer the ANC holds onto power?
2. Who will be Iran’s next Supreme Leader?
3. Has Greece fully recovered from its debt crisis?
4. What reforms does Great Britain need to make to the NHS?
5. How can AMLO ensure that Delfina Gómez succeeds him next year?
6. What should Australia do in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?
7. Is the European Union too big or not big enough?
8. What is most needed to revive the Middle East peace process?
9. How can China solve its youth unemployment problem?
10. What if Ukraine loses?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 22-28, 2023

On May 21, 2023

1. How will Russian capture of Bakhmut affect the Russo-Ukrainian War?
2. Could greater reliance on AI by government agencies make the risk of nuclear war higher?
3. Will Erdogan win another term?
4. Why are Ecuadorian politics so dysfunctional?
5. Will the Chinese yuan become the global reserve currency over the next two decades?
6. Are Mexico’s drug gangs growing stronger?
7. Is “debt trap” diplomacy a fair characterization of China’s actions in Africa?
8. Will growing sectarian tensions in India hinder its geopolitical dreams?
9. Should Iran continue to fund proxy forces throughout the Middle East?
10. Is ASEAN responding effectively to Myanmar’s civil war?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 15-21, 2023

On May 14, 2023

1. Can Russia win a war of attrition in Ukraine?
2. Could a regional agreement on Iran’s nuclear program be an effective substitute for action by the P5+1?
3. Should significant sanctions remain on Syria for the forseeable future?
4. Will the drive for green energy deal another blow to global free trade efforts?
5. Why have Chilean leftists lost political momentum?
6. Will Mexican voters give AMLO’s party a supermajority in 2024?
7. Would new leadership reinvigorate the cause of Palestinian statehood?
8. Will Pakistan be able to hold general elections later this year?
9. Is it unwise for South Africa to distance itself from the United States?
10. Will the Middle East’s drive for nuclear power enhance China’s influence in the region?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 26-October 2, 2022

On September 26, 2022

1. What should the Biden administration do if the Supreme Court overturns affirmative action this term?
2. How big of a threat is the New York lawsuit to the Trump empire?
3. What aid should the U.S. provide to Puerto Rico?
4. Are the chances of a “soft landing” to tame inflation gone?
5. What should the U.S. response be if Russian forces use nuclear weapons in Ukraine?
6. Are California’s green energy dreams out of step with the state’s existing infrastructure?
7. Is the Supreme Court trending against capital punishment?
8. Are pollsters accurately predicting how the 2022 midterms will go?
9. Does the Biden administration have an effective Middle East strategy?
10. How should the U.S. Census Bureau handle growing evidence of miscounts from 2020

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 26-October 2, 2022

On September 26, 2022

1. Should the world take Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons over Ukraine at face value?
2. Does the ICC have enough teeth to deter human rights abuses?
3. Is it time for countries to abolish COVID-19-related travel restrictions?
4. Has the Palestinian Authority lost its credibility with the Palestinian people?
5. Should King Charles III become more politically involved?
6. How big of a threat are recent protests to Iran’s Islamic Republic?
7. If Vladimir Putin was overthrown, who should lead Russia?
8. Can the Philippines simultaneously strengthen ties with the U.S. and China?
9. What should India do with its G-20 presidency?
10. Should Egypt form a closer relationship with Sudan?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 19-25, 2022

On September 19, 2022

1. Should Chinese directly aid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine?
2. Will new Israeli elections produce another political logjam?
3. Should the EU expel Hungary?
4. What steps should the WHO take to better combat monkeypox in Africa?
5. Will William Ruto be able to satisfy his campaign promises to Kenya’s poor?
6. Is a global recession next year inevitable?
7. How can the Nigerian government better tackle oil theft?
8. Is Venezuela’s parallel government still worthy of international support?
9. Are term limits necessary a necessary democratic safeguard?
10. Can Pierre Poilievre lead Canada’s Conservative Party back to power?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 19-25, 2022

On September 19, 2022

1. Should U.S. employers relax COVID-19 vaccination mandates?
2. Have American schools done enough to combat pandemic learning loss?
3. Will Lisa Murkowski return to the U.S. Senate next year?
4. Has the Biden administration finally found its footing?
5. Will the 2020s be the decade where American labor regained its strength?
6. Should the U.S. adopt a digital dollar?
7. How should the Biden administration respond to Republican efforts to bus migrants to sanctuary cities?
8. Will Lindsey Graham’s abortion proposal make it more difficult for the GOP to win control of the Senate?
9. Has the January 6 committee lived up to expectations?
10. Is nitrogen hypoxia a constitutionally permissible form of capital punishment?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 12-18, 2022

On September 12, 2022

1. How will Michigan’s abortion ballot question affect the state’s gubernatorial election?
2. Can America expect an increasing wave of teacher strikes before the end of the 2022-2023 school year?
3. What does California need to do to fix its energy grid?
4. Will the Juul Labs settlement help to curb the vaping epidemic among America’s youth?
5. Should the U.S. continue to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism?
6. Will President Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative make inflation worse?
7. Has the U.S. effectively fought terrorism since the 9/11 attacks?
8. How can the GOP win the Arizona Senate race?
9. Does the U.S. need to improve its organ transplant system?
10. Will ethics complaints hinder South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s national ambitions?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 12-18, 2022

On September 12, 2022

1. How can King Charles III maintain the respect of the English monarchy after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II?
2. Should Vladimir Putin stop all energy supplies to Europe?
3. What does Liz Truss need to do to help the Conservative Party win the next British general election?
4. Are Israel and Iran locked in a “shadow war”?
5. Is it too late for Bolsonaro to salvage his re-election campaign?
6. Will recent flooding create more instability for Pakistan’s government?
7. How significant is Russia’s retreat from the Kharkiv region?
8. Does the EU have a role to play in reducing tensions between Greece and Turkey?
9. What does Volker Türk need to do to enhance the credibility of the UN’s human rights work?
10. Are jihadist activities across Africa getting stronger?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 5-11, 2022

On September 5, 2022

1. How can Western Europe become energy independent?
2. Is artificial intelligence a threat to global democracy?
3. Will China’s real estate woes push the country into a severe economic recession?
4. Should the UN attempt to facilitate greater cooperation on nuclear power advancements?
5. Who will win Sweden’s elections?
6. What can end Peru’s political dysfunction?
7. Is the international community doing enough to support Afghan women?
8. Will rising authoritarianism in the Americas make hemispheric migration worse?
9. Is Emmerson Mnangagwa becoming another Robert Mugabe?
10. How will Itamar Ben-Gvir shape Israel’s upcoming election?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 5-11, 2022

On September 5, 2022

1. What is needed to quell the political polarization that roils America?
2. Do delays in the Artemis 1 mission illustrate the need for a shakeup at NASA?
3. Should more states adopt ranked choice voting?
4. If the GOP fails to win control of either chamber of Congress, what shakeups should the party make for 2024?
5. How can the U.S. deter other nations from taking Americans hostage?
6. Should more states adopt California’s electric car mandate?
7. How can the U.S. federal government encourage more Americans to get COVID boosters this fall?
8. What is the cause of Mississippi’s water disaster?
9. Are MAGA forces a threat to the American republic?
10. Is the Federal Reserve making progress in its fight against inflation?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 29-September 4, 2022

On August 29, 2022

1. Will a bigger Internal Revenue Service significantly reduce tax avoidance in America?
2. What structural reforms should be made to the federal student loan program?
3. How will California’s gas car ban affect the U.S. automotive industry?
4. Will President Biden’s student loan forgiveness enhance Democratic fortunes in the 2022 midterms?
5. What does a “housing recession” mean for the U.S. economy?
6. Is Dr. Oz running the worst midterm election campaign?
7. What should U.S. states do with their budget surpluses?
8. Will Democrats abolish the filibuster if they win an outright Senate majority this fall?
9. How high will interest rates go?
10. What will be Dr. Anthony Fauci’s legacy?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 28-September 4, 2022

On August 29, 2022