1. Can international pressure force the Brazilian government to halt fires in the Amazon?
2. Has mobile phone technology been an benefit for the world’s poorest peoples?
3. What steps can Central American nations take to reduce gang violence?
4. Who is the world’s least powerful autocrat?
5. Is Hong Kong a test of the West’s commitment to democracy and freedom?
6. Are Southern European nations taking the appropriate steps to avoid a future recession?
7. Has the international community faile the Rohingya?
8. Are Western democracies becoming ungovernable?
9. Should Israel halt the use of drones over neighbors sovereign territory?
10. Will negative interest rates cause unrest in Europe’s banking industry?
1. How should Democrats react if Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat becomes vacant in the first half of 2020?
2. Can Joe Walsh give President Trump a credible primary challenge?
3. Should more American cities reject 5G technology?
4. Does President Trump have the constitutional authority to force American companies to leave China?
5. Will John Hickenlooper win the Colorado Senate race?
6. Is Minnesota trending red?
7. Why are feelings of patriotism so low among younger Americans?
8. Should the U.S. make serious efforts to buy Greenland?
9. Is there too much use of technology in the U.S. education system?
10. Should migrants be held in detention centers until they receive asylum hearings?
1. Should President Trump provide more overt support to the Hong Kong protesters?
2. Is the U.S. military falling behind China?
3. Should Joe Kennedy primary Ed Markey?
4. Is America becoming less free?
5. What can Amy Klobuchar do to bolster her sagging poll numbers?
6. Should the U.S. rule out first use of nuclear weapons?
7. Is marijuana being legalized too quickly without accounting for its social and health effects?
8. Will recession fears at home cause President Trump to abandon his trade war with China?
9. Is ransomware becoming a major threat to municipal governments?
10. Of all the Democratic presidential candidates, who would have the hardest time defeating President Trump?
1. Should Israel bar BDS supporters from entering its country?
2. Is Argentina heading for a 2001-like economic crisis?
3. Will an aging global population create negative effects on the global economy?
4. Is it in India’s best interest to have a close relationship with the United States?
5. Will China eventually use troops to put down protests in Hong Kong?
6. Is Sudan moving closer to becoming a full democracy?
7. How would closer ties between South Korea and Japan affect North Korea?
8. Should Kashmir be autonomous?
9. Why is Zimbabwe facing a fresh economic crisis?
10. Should Guatemala work with the U.S. to limit migration?
1. Is a new intifada brewing?
2. Should global banks move to impose negative interest rates?
3. Is the helium shortage a threat to the global economy?
4. Do African states need to make greater investments in their education systems?
5. Does the world need to adopt a new approach to protect human rights?
6. Why are Indian-Pakistani tensions over Kashmir growing?
7. Will economic pressure eventually force Taiwan to reunify with China?
8. Is growing poverty in Egypt a threat to the Sisi regime?
9. Will Italy’s government collapse by the end of the year?
10. How can the international community curb the trade in endangered species?
1. Will the Epstein suicide lead to reforms concerning the treatment of high profile prisoners?
2. Do an increase in bankruptcy filings point to some structural weaknesses in the U.S. economy?
3. How can Joe Biden maintain his polling advantage with African-American voters?
4. Should Portland take more action to rein in Antifa?
5. Can a Democratic presidential candidate win Texas in 2020?
6. Should there be greater regulations on violent video games?
7. Is President Trump’s recent shakeup of the nation’s intelligence apparatus threatening U.S. national security?
8. Does the U.S. have a white supremacy problem?
9. Would “red flag” gun laws lead to less gun crime?
10. If there is a new recession, will be it be the fault of the Federal Reserve?
While last season started off with the best of intentions, work, health issues, and getting married prevented me from doing much aside from posting questions for extempers on this website during the 2018-2019 competition year. What made Extemp Central a great place was write ups of tournament results and a place to get resources, as well as community news.
For 2019-2020, I can continue to do the weekly practice questions that competitors and coaches have told me are helpful in their efforts to prepare for tournaments on the local, regional, and national levels. I also plan to contact a few competitors for interviews to recap last season. However, I need some help with the following:
*Results Correspondents: Ideally, it would be nice to have a few correspondents that attend (or follow) national circuit competitions to send me results for these competitions, typing up where competitors place (and where they are from) and a few paragraphs that summarize the events at that tournament. I can provide a template for this, but I need others to shoulder some of this responsibility as my time to research, type, and post results has become limited over the years. It would be great to have one correspondent for each region of the country (e.g. South, West, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest) to send these results so we can post what is going on with the national circuit. This would also help update the 2019-2020 National Points Race.
*Article Contributors: One of the big strengths of this site has been compiling articles from past competitors about “how to” do extemp at a high level. We have not been able to add much in this department in recent years, but I welcome any contributions from past or active competitors. If you have something to say, I would love to hear from you.
I cannot promise a great deal of pay for doing any of these things, but it would help to make this non-profit website better and allow us to do more than write questions each week. If you are interested, please contact me at [email protected].
Good luck in 2019-2020!
1. Will the El Paso and Dayton shootings lead to successful gun control efforts?
2. Has the Democratic presidential primary moved too far to the left?
3. Are Democratic presidential candidates making a mistake targeting President Obama’s legacy?
4. Should states impose high taxes on e-cigarettes?
5. Are American cities hurting from one party rule?
6. Should Michelle Obama consider a run for the presidency?
7. What role, if any, should the U.S. play in resolving the India-Pakitan dispute over Kashmir?
8. Does the U.S. have the stomach to win a trade war with China?
9. Will the exodus of Republican incumbent prevent the GOP from winning control of the House in 2020?
10. Would the banning of private insurance fix what ails American healthcare?
1. Have Great Britain’s Tories become the Brexit Party?
2. Who is the biggest loser now that the INF Treaty is dead?
3. Does the West have any role to play in China’s ongoing dispute with Hong Kong?
4. Are the prospects for a united Ireland growing?
5. Is the international community failing to tame the Congo’s Ebola outbreak?
6. Will Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner win Argentina’s presidential election?
7. Can the CPEC fix what ails the Pakistani economy?
8. Will oil sanctions force Iran back to the negotiating table concerning its nuclear program?
9. Are Guatemalan anti-corruption efforts failing?
10. Is political repression hurting Tanzania’s economy?
Note: These will be our last questions for this season as NSDA Nationals takes place next week.
1. Will the G20’s digital tax push succeed?
2. Could the Green Party become Germany’s largest party?
3. Has China effectively erased the legacy of the Tiananmen Square protests?
4. Should Western governments allow former ISIS fighters to return home?
5. Has Justin Trudeau’s foreign policy been a disaster?
6. Are Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism policies too draconian?
7. Is King Abdullah becoming more isolated in the Middle East?
8. Has Russia established permanent control over Crimea?
9. Is Sudan’s revolution failing?
10. Should Europe’s left-wing parties embrace restrictive immigration policies?
Note: These will be our last questions for this season as NSDA Nationals takes place next week.
1. Is it time to abandon the Hyde Amendment?
2. Will President Trump’s love of tariffs dilute the impact of his tax cuts?
3. Is Nancy Pelosi a historically great Speaker of the House?
4. Could the U.S. win a war with Iran?
5. Should those applying for visas be required to disclose their social media accounts?
6. Was the recent immigration deal with Mexico a major victory for President Trump?
7. If he fails to win the Democratic presidential nomination, will the “Sanders Revolution” be remembered as a failure?
8. Should NASA focus on the moon or Mars?
9. Do recent employment numbers signal growing weaknesses in the U.S. economy?
10. Should the U.S. continue to ban travel to Cuba?
1. Can higher tariffs convince Mexico to do more to keep migrants from entering the United States?
2. How should the U.S. fight the next economic downturn?
3. Should Kamala Harris embrace her centrist credentials?
4. Who should the U.S. support in the Libyan civil war?
5. Which Democratic presidential underdog is best positioned for the Iowa caucuses?
6. Will growing divisions over Israel cause the Democratic Party to lose Jewish voters?
7. Should the U.S. embrace nuclear power?
8. Is Google a monopoly?
9. Should Facebook users enjoy a reasonable protection of privacy?
10. Is Texas heading for a major water crisis?
1. Is an expansion of private police outfits in Brazil the best way for the nation to reduce its crime rate?
2. Will a new Israeli election lead to an increased majority for Netanyahu?
3. Is the international community doing enough to stop illegal organ harvesting in China?
4. Has the Brexit debate caused Great Britain to enter a lost decade?
5. Should Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer become Germany’s next chancellor?
6. Why are Latin American economies stagnating?
7. Is Pakistan’s criminal justice system in need of reform?
8. What steps does Muhammadu Buhari need to take to improve the Nigerian economy?
9. Is George Weah doing enough to combat corruption in Liberia?
10. Could greater fragmentation of the European Parliament improve its operations?
1. Is France the frontline of the European war against terrorism?
2. In what ways would a Boris Johnson premiership be different from that of Theresa May?
3. Will Israel be forced to hold new elections?
4. How can Europe’s moderate parties stop their decline?
5. If Turkey accepts the Russian S-400 air and missile system, how will that affect future NATO training exercises?
6. Are Christians facing an impossible future in the Middle East?
7. How can Taiwan best counter China’s attempts to isolate it?
8. What should Narendra Modi do with his new election mandate?
9. How can the Egyptian government save the Nile River?
10. Who will win Argentina’s presidential election this fall?
1. Should the FEC increase regulations on social media outlets?
2. Will the College Board’s SAT adversity score hurt disadvantaged students more than it will help them?
3. Should John Brennan’s security clearance be revoked?
4. Is the U.S. in the midst of a constitutional crisis?
5. Should the U.S. designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization?
6. Was President Trump’s decision to declassify documents related to the 2016 election investigation a shrewd political move?
7. Is Pete Buttigieg’s ceiling a cabinet post in a new Democratic administration?
8. If Democrats win the Kentucky gubernatorial election would that be a major blow to President Trump’s re-election hopes?
9. Is the Julian Assange indictment an attack on the freedom of the press?
10. Are a majority of Americans benefiting from the current state of the U.S. economy?