Extemp Central

Note that these will be the last questions for the next two weeks due to the winter holiday. Questions will resume on Monday, January 6.

1. Is a “hands off” approach to the situation in Syria the best course of action for the United States?
2. Will president-elect Trump’s foreign policy make Latin America a bigger priority?
3. If you were the writer of president-elect Trump’s inaugural address, what points would you emphasize?
4. Is the Black Lives Matter movement getting weaker?
5. Should President Biden give Dr. Anthony Fauci a pre-emptive pardon?
6. Would the defeat of Peter Hegseth’s nomination embolden opposition to other Trump appointees?
7. Should the Social Security Fairness Act be passed?
8. Are the drone sightings in New Jersey a national security threat?
9. Should Ron DeSantis appoint Lara Trump to the U.S. Senate?
10. Why is the U.S. fertility rate in decline?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 16-22, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 16, 2024

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

Note that these will be the last questions for the next two weeks due to the winter holiday. Questions will resume on Monday, January 6.

1. Can Bayrou succeed where Bernier failed?
2. How will Assad’s fall impact the Middle East’s geopolitical situation?
3. Should Xi Jinping attend Donald Trump’s inauguration?
4. Is the Russian economy Vladimir Putin’s biggest weakness?
5. How powerful is Hezbollah in Latin America?
6. To what extent should nuclear armed nations integrate AI into their forces?
7. Can Papin fix Nissan?
8. Is South Korea’s political uncertainty hurting its economic prospects?
9. How will Georgescu perform in a re-running of the first round of Romania’s presidential election?
10. Has Arce failed to effectively handle Bolivia’s economic crisis?

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of December 9-15, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 11, 2024

In Quiz

Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!

2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin: Field of 16 is Announced!

By Logan Scisco

On December 10, 2024

In MBA Coverage, National Circuit News

The participant list for this year’s Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin was revealed this afternoon by tournament director Adam Johnson. It is one of the stronger fields in recent memory, featuring two reigning national champions, last year’s National Points Race winner, and nine of the top ten competitors in this year’s National Points Race standings.

Congratulations to the following 16 extempers who will speak it out in the first major tournament of the season during the first weekend in January:

*Anthony Babu (Concord-Carlisle High School, Massachusetts)
*Brandon Cheng (Flintridge Preparatory School, California)
*Arya Goyal (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Waleed Haider (Hendrickson High School, Texas)
*Aparna Iyer (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Daphne Kalir-Starr (The College Preparatory School, California)
*Kate Liu (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Kajal Parmar (Cary Academy, North Carolina)
*Charlotte Reitman (NSU University School, Florida)
*Rowan Seipp (A&M Consolidated High School, Texas)
*Tea Shouldice (Half Hollow Hills East High School, New York)
*Sahana Srikanth (Mason High School, Ohio)
*Ellie Sohn (Flintridge Preparatory School, California)
*Evelyn Tsoi (Arcadia High School, California)
*Al Zaidi (Holy Trinity Episcopal School, Florida)
*Robert Zhang (Elkins High School, Texas)

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 9-15, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 9, 2024

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

Is Assad’s fall a major victory for Turkey?
Should Yoon Suk Yeol resign after his brief martial law order?
Can Fatah and Hamas cooperate enough to create a stable Palestinian government?
What will the next Irish government look like?
Should El Salvador lift its ban on gold mining?
Is France’s budget deadlock a threat to the fiscal health of the EU?
Will Netanyahu ever be tried by the ICC?
Does Romania’s decision to re-run the nation’s presidential election enhance or hurt democracy?
Will all EU member states ratify a new trade deal with Mercosur?
Is Canada’s carbon tax living on borrowed time?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 9-15, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 9, 2024

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

To what degree will the Trump administration follow Project 2025?
Should there be reforms to the presidential pardon power?
Would it be a political mistake for Trump to fire Christopher Wray?
Is Bluesky a real threat to X?
Will the incoming Congress be more productive than the last?
How can Democrats best engineer a “blue wave” in 2026?
Will Senate Republicans abolish the filibuster?
What is the role that America should play in combating illegal narcotics in Latin America?
Is Assad’s fall a victory for U.S. foreign policy?
Will the assassination of Brian Thompson prompt significant national discussions about the state of the American healthcare industry?

2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race: New Standings Reflect Glenbrooks!

By Logan Scisco

On December 5, 2024

In National Points Race

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted to reflect the results of the Florida Blue Key. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

There is a new leader in the National Points Race as Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) grabbed the top spot after a third place finish at Glenbrooks.

This weekend features the first triple header in National Points Race history. The University of Texas-Austin’s Longhorn Classic, the Princeton Classic, and the George Mason University Patriot Games will close the first semester, offering points to extempers from different regions of the country. The Longhorn Classic will be a third tier event, the Princeton Classic will be a fourth tier event, and the Patriot Games will be a fifth tier event. The outcome of these tournaments has the potential to significantly shake up this year’s standings and will be the last chance for extempers to impress for bids to the 2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin.

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of December 2-8, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 4, 2024

In Quiz

The news quiz is back with 15 questions! Good luck!

2024 Glenbrooks: Liu Outduels Seipp for First National Points Race Tournament Win

By Logan Scisco

On December 3, 2024

In National Circuit Results

This year’s Glenbrooks, the first third tier event in the National Points Race, drew a large field of 103 competitors. It was the second-largest gathering of extempers this season for a National Points Race event.

Texas maintained its lock on the Glenbrooks title as #9 Kate Liu of Plano West Senior High School earned a two-rank victory over Rowan Seipp of A&M Consolidated High School (TX). Liu and Seipp took all of the first place ranks from the five judges with Liu winning three and Seipp taking two. This distanced both of them from the rest of the final round, finishing at least ten ranks ahead of everyone else.

Texas had a dominating showing generally as Alexandre Morel of Plano West, last year’s Extemp TOC winner, finished fifth and Lindsey Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) took sixth. The state had four additional participants in the semi-finals and quarter-finals, bested only by California, which had one finalist, three semi-finalists, and two quarter-finalists.

The biggest story for the National Points Race was that there will be a new leader when rankings come out later this week. #2 Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) notched his third National Points Race final round appearance, which was good enough to overtake #1 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX), who was in the field but did not survive the brutal break to quarter-finals after preliminaries.

17 Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) reached her first National Points Race final round of the year, placing two ranks behind Zaidi and taking fourth place.

Other notable finishes included semi-final performances by #4 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) and #8 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA). #16 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) made it to quarter-finals before being eliminated.

All of the extempers who broke at the tournament will receive National Points Race points. Liu will receive 100 points for her first National Points Race tournament title.

Here are the results of the 2024 Glenbrooks (Click here for tab sheet):

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 2-8, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 2, 2024

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

Will a Trump presidency significantly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy?
Is remote work slowly dying?
Are Trump’s cabinet picks too extreme?
Is it a mistake for the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to use U.S. missiles to strike Russian territory?
Who should Ron DeSantis appoint to Marco Rubio’s Senate seat?
Would a major downsizing of the federal government produce bad economic outcomes?
Does the President have the constitutional authority to fire the Chairman of the Federal Reserve?
Should Trump look to Javier Milei or economic inspiration?
Is American liberalism in crisis?
Should Democrats look to go farther left for a presidential candidate in 2028?
Can Trump use tariffs to extract concessions from America’s trade partners?
Should American labor unions welcome the selection of Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor Secretary?
Will President Biden pardon his son before leaving office?
Should the U.S. deploy special forces to deal with Mexican drug cartels?
Does Donald Trump have a mandate?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 2-8, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On December 2, 2024

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

Is a “win-win” settlement possible to end the Russo-Ukrainian War?
Why has Italy’s Five Star Movement declined?
Are Macron’s concerns about an EU-Mercosur free trade agreement justified?
To what extent should Russia’s nuclear threats be taken seriously?
Should Germany relax its debt brake?
Will other countries follow Australia’s social media ban for minors?
When should Milei relax foreign currency controls?
Are the BRICS a bigger challenge for the EU than the United States?
What does the Aleppo offensive mean for the stalled Syrian Civil War?
Are Israeli operations in Lebanon weakening Hezbollah’s domestic political position?
Does COP29’s climate financing agreement go far enough?
Should Marine Le Pen be banned from French politics?
Will the hosting of the World Cup improve Saudi Arabia’s human rights record?
Is more security needed for the world’s undersea Internet cables?
How should Georgescu’s first round win in the Romanian presidential election be interpreted?

Site News: No Questions/Quiz for Thanksgiving Week; Follow Us on Blue Sky!

By Logan Scisco

On November 24, 2024

In Site News

Readers,

Note that we will not be posting questions or a news quiz this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Questions and quizzes will resume the following week and, due to the two week break, there will be 15 questions released for International Extemp and 15 for U.S. Extemp. The news quiz will also feature 15 questions.

If there is time, next week may see a quick update with the Glenbrooks results, a tournament that is ongoing. We have posted quarter-finalist names on our X and Blue Sky accounts, so check those out.

Remember that if you have X you can follow us @extemp. Similarly, we are now on Blue Sky. Give us a follow @extemp.bsky.social!

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of November 18-24, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On November 20, 2024

In Quiz

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 18-24, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On November 18, 2024

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

Is mandatory conscription weakening the ability of Myanmar’s junta to fight insurgents?
Will North Korea’s entry into the Russo-Ukrainian War tip the scale in Russia’s favor?
When the next German general election takes place, which political party is in the best shape to win them?
Will the sacking of Garry Conille worsen Haiti’s security situation?
Who will win the Irish general election?
Is South Africa doing enough to combat illicit mining activities?
What policies does Sri Lanka need to implement to improve economic growth?
Should India extradite Sheikh Hasina?
Are the costs of a global energy transition overstated?
Is Israel’s operation in Lebanon going too far?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of November 18-24, 2024

By Logan Scisco

On November 18, 2024

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

Will Donald Trump’s second term as president be less chaotic than the first?
Who will be the next Supreme Court justice to retire?
Were economic or cultural issues more influential in determining the outcome of the 2024 presidential election?
Will Lee Zeldin be an effective administrator of the EPA?
Should the Department of Education be abolished?
Will the U.S. Senate confirm all of Trump’s cabinet appointees?
What does Trump’s selection of Robert Kennedy, Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services mean for America’s pharmaceutical industry?
Is Donald Trump making a mistake by not giving Nikki Haley a cabinet position?
What role, if any, should AI play in the use of nuclear weapons?
Should there be greater federal regulation of social media content?