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?
With the 2023-2024 season in the books, Extemp Central will be doing some summer maintenance before it kicks off the next season with new question on Monday, August 5. New news quizzes will begin appearing on Monday, September 1.
As part of our summer updates we will be curating our state champion lists for the past season. If you know of state championship results in your state, please send them to [email protected] so those champions can be recorded. We will also be doing some calendar updates for the 2024-2025 season so if you have dates for the tournament we have on our existing calendar, send them our way!
Due to the migration of the website here from speechgeek.com/extemp we will also be going through our archives and redirecting posts to the categories they belong in for better navigation.
In August, we will reveal some information about next year’s National Points Race (which will include new tournaments) and provide pre-season rankings.
Enjoy the off-season!
Final standings for the 2023-2024 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.
In the closest National Points Race in nine years, Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) won the National Points Race by 39 points over Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ). Cheng was powered to the championship by one win in six National Points Race final round appearances. He is the first Californian to win the National Points Race since the 2009-2010 season when Jacob Baker of Bellarmine College Preparatory won the title.
California had a strong year nationally as three of its extempers finished in the top 10, the most of any state.
Texas and the Southwest have had a lock on top finishes and championships at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament over the last decade. This year’s national tournament saw the Northeast, a region that dominated national circuit contests 25 years ago, reassert itself as two extempers from the area, Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) and Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills High School East (NY), won the International and United States Extemp national championships.
Babu, a sophomore, was dominant in International Extemp, winning his national championship by 33 ranks. Babu also won the final round over runner-up #17 Rohit Vakkalagadda of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) by 10 ranks. He is the first sophomore to win an NSDA national extemp championship since Kevin Troy of Eagan High School (MN) won United States Extemp in 2003. And he is the first Massachusetts extemper to win an NSDA championship in extemp since Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) won International Extemp in 2016.
Vakkalagadda was making a return trip to the NSDA final round, the only extemper this year to do so. He improved on last year’s third place finish thanks to a strong final round performance that moved him out of fifth place.
The other big story in International Extemp concerned the National Points Race. #2 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) made his sixth National Points Race final round this season. Needing at least a third place finish to win the title after #1 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) was eliminated in the quarter-finals of U.S. Extemp, Cheng did so on the number, beating fourth place finisher Daniel Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX) by seven ranks.
It took a cumulative total of 71 or fewer ranks to clear into the International Extemp final round. The cut off was tight as six semi-finalists were within six ranks of that total. Ava Aslinia of Blue Valley High School (KS) would have been in the final round but withdrew from the competition. As a result, Aslinia was credited with a seventh place finish by the NSDA. Mina Bhargava of Edina High School (MN) and #4 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) tied for eighth place, with Bhargava winning a tiebreaker. Burris was the only extemper in this year’s National Points Race to earn points at all four post-season tournaments. Other ranked extempers fell in semi-finals and included #24 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC), who finished tenth; #25 Claire Han of Munster High School (IN), who finished eleventh; and #9 Lishore Kumar of Tomball Memorial High School (TX), who finished twelfth.
United States Extemp was much closer. Shouldice, a junior, entered the final round in fifth place – and cleared into finals by a mere three ranks – but won the final round by 20 ranks – 17 of which counted toward her cumulative total – and became the first New York extemper to win the United States Extemp National Championship at NSDA. Brayson Holmes of Clark High School (NV) was the runner-up, finishing five ranks behind Shouldice. Saathvik Kannan of Columbia-Hickman High School (MO), who took eleventh last year, was a further six ranks back in third place. Shouldice is the first New York extemper to win an NSDA extemp national championship since Dan Hemel of Scarsdale High School won International Extemp in 2003.
#12 Evelyn Tsoi of Arcadia High School (CA) entered the final round in first place. However, she finished last in the final round, dropping her cumulative score and causing her to end the tournament in fifth place, behind Isabella Razdan of Lincoln East High School (NE), who made finals after a fourteenth place finish last year, and ahead of Ella Witalec of the Laurel School (OH).
Ali Malik of Monta Vista High School (CA) was the seventh place finisher, missing the final round by one rank. A total of 69 or fewer cumulative ranks were need to get into the U.S. Extemp final and three other semi-finalists were within six ranks of that total. Other notable finishers in the semi-finals included #13 Katherine Lee of Plano West Senior High School (TX), who placed eleventh, and #16 Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory, who finished fourteenth.
In a departure from previous years, no one who was in the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament final round was in an NSDA extemp final round.
This year’s final and semi-final fields were dominated by non-senior extempers. Four finalists in International Extemp and three United States Extemp finalists are not graduating. That includes both national champions. 6 semi-finalists in International Extemp and 3 semi-finalist in United States Extemp are not graduating as well. These individuals are noted in blue on the results listing as they are automatically qualified in their respective category for next year’s national tournament.
Extemp Central congratulates all of the finishers. A final update for this year’s National Points Race will be posted later in the week.
Here are the results of the 2024 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):
After 12 rounds of competition only six competitors remain in United States Extemp and International Extemp at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.
United States Extemp will take place at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday, with International Extemp following at 3:45 p.m. CT. Final rounds for each event can be viewed via livestream provided by the NSDA at this link.
National Points Race leader Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) was eliminated in the quarter-finals of U.S. Extemp. This means that if Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) were to finish in the top 3 of International Extemp on Friday or finish fourth and win the final round, he would win this year’s National Points Race.
Extemp Central congratulates the following extempers for reaching finals in their respective category! An extemper’s National Points Race rank is indicated by their name, if applicable.
United States Extemp
*Brayson Holmes (Clark High School, Nevada)
*Saathvik Kannan (Columbia-Hickman High School, Missouri)
*Isabella Razdan (Lincoln East High School, Nebraska)
*Tea Shouldice (Half Hollow Hills High School East, New York)
*(12) Evelyn Tsoi (Arcadia High School, California)
*Ella Witalec (The Laurel School, Ohio)
International Extemp
*Anthony Babu (Concord-Carlisle High School, Massachusetts)
*(2) Brandon Cheng (Flintridge Preparatory School, California)
*Maximilian Guo (BASIS Independent – Silicon Valley, California)
*Ethem Gulcu (Monte Vista High School, California)
*Daniel Rupawalla (Tompkins High School, Texas)
*(17) Rohit Vakkalagadda (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
Note: These will be the last practice questions for the 2023-2024 season. Check back for new questions on August 5.
1. Was the result of the Indian elections a major setback for Narendra Modi?
2. Is America’s national debt imperiling the global economy?
3. To what degree should Claudia Sheinbaum stick with AMLO’s agenda?
4. Could the Conservative Party finish third in the British parliamentary elections?
5. Is there anything the West can do to push China to improve its human rights record?
6. Would “deglobalization” make the world less safe?
7. Should Germany consider a nuclear weapons program?
8. Would it be in Turkey’s best interest to form a closer relationship to China?
9. Will battles over “culture war” issues inhibit cooperation among nations in the Americas?
10. How can South Africa best tackle income inequality?
Note: These will be the last practice questions for the 2023-2024 season. Check back for new questions on August 5.
1. Can the U.S. prepare for simultaneous wars in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East?
2. Will President Biden’s new asylum restrictions have a significant effect on migration levels into the United States?
3. Should the U.S. be alarmed at growing marijuana use?
4. Will Amazon’s entry into the grocery business fail?
5. Should more U.S. states pass legislation to ban smartphones from schools?
6. Is it too late for President Biden to change the way voters perceive the state of the U.S. economy?
7. Due to the growth of legalized sports gambling, will sports betting scandals become more common in U.S. sports?
8. How should Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson handle upcoming negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union?
9. Is there a case the SEC could bring against Keith Gill for market manipulation?
10. What can lawmakers do to solve America’s housing crisis?
Updated standings for the 2023-2024 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.
The new standings do not reflect much of a change at the top as highly ranked competitors did not attend this year’s Extemp TOC or the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament. Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) remains the nation’s number one ranked extemper, holding a 106 point lead with one tournament remaining.
That tournament will be the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. The last top 25 before NSDA decides which extemp category at NSDA will receive a 50 points bonus. Since 15 of the top 25 competitors are doing International Extemp, this means that the winner of International Extemp will earn 250 points and the final round winner will receive 50 points. The winner of United States Extemp, which has 5 ranked competitors, will receive 200 points and the final round winner will receive 40 points.
1. Due to Donald Trump’s conviction, should the Republican Party choose a different presidential nominee?
2. After his conviction, will Donald Trump have to do jail time?
3. Will Robert Kennedy, Jr. qualify for CNN’s presidential debate?
4. What should the U.S. do after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire proposal with Hamas?
5. Will the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic play a role in the 2024 presidential election?
6. How will AI affect Internet search results?
7. Will Vermont’s Climate Superfund legislation survive legal challenge?
8. Is Boston’s community policing model working?
9. What cuts in the U.S. military budget should be made?
10. Should the FDA approve MDMA for PTSD?
1. How should the results of the South African elections be interpreted?
2. Is Netanyahu right to reject President Biden’s three-phase deal to end its war with Hamas?
3. Do democracy activists in Hong Kong have any more cards to play?
4. Is the international community failing to cure the causes of refugee flight?
5. Have drug cartels damaged the credibility of Mexican elections?
6. Will the fighting in el-Fasher decide the outcome of Sudan’s civil war?
7. How should South Korea respond to North Korea’s trash balloon campaign?
8. Will Rolexgate shorten the presidential term of Dina Boluarte?
9. Is it too soon for the European Central Bank to lower interest rates?
10. Will the new Dutch coalition live up to its pledge to reduce immigration?
#20 Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ) won the first two National Points Race tournaments at the beginning of the season and she returned to her winning ways last weekend in Chicago, Illinois when the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) held its Grand National Tournament. Cao, who was runner-up at last year’s NCFL Grand Nationals, won a commanding victory, doubling up her nearest competitor, Max Smith of Ronald Reagan High School (WI), in cumulative ranks to win her first national championship.
Cao has won each time she has made a National Points Race final round this year. Her victory is the first time in a decade that a New Jersey extemper wins the NCFL National Championship as Monica Coscia of Montville Township High School won in 2014.
There was a three-way tie for second place between Smith, #8 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA), and Noah Darby of St. Thomas More Catholic High School (LA). The tie way broken based on final round performance, with Smith beating Burris by one rank and Burris beating Darby by two ranks for third place. Burris was the highest ranked competitor in the field and, like Cao, was also in finals last year. This was Burris’ third top three finish in a National Points Race tournament and her fifth National Points Race finals appearance this season.
Vasu Lakshmanan of Shrewsbury High School (MA), who reached Yale finals in the fall, placed fifth in their second National Points Race finals appearance of the season. Lakshmanan finished three cumulative ranks clear of sixth place finisher Chloe Leng of the Hawken School (OH), who was a finalist at the Florida Blue Key in October.
Some other notable finishers were #14 Siri Ural of Shrewsbury, who dropped in semi-finals after reaching finals at last year’s national tournament. #24 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) reached quarter-finals and #21 Nick Pienkos of Marquette University High School (WI) dropped in octa-finals.
Cao will earn 150 points for her victory because the Grand National Tournament is a second tier event. All extempers who reached elimination round will earn points. New National Points Race standings will be posted next week.
Here are the results of the 2024 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Will the Trump campaign recapture the Sun Belt in 2024?
2. Would it be counterproductive for the U.S. to sanction the International Criminal Court over a possible indictment of Israeli leaders?
3. Do U.S. schools have a major grade inflation problem?
4. What killed Red Lobster?
5. Is Donald Trump’s support among African American voters overstated?
6. Does the Biden administration need to push for more school funding to handle an influx of ESL students?
7. Should Samuel Alito recuse himself from criminal cases concerning Donald Trump and January 6?
8. Is American neo-liberalism dead?
9. Should California abandon its bullet train project between Los Angeles and San Francisco?
10. Does it still serve American national interests to engage with international institutions?