Tag: April 2011 extemp questions

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 26th-May 2nd, 2011

1.  Can the Democratic Alliance capitalize on voter frustration with the ANC in South Africa’s municipal elections next month?
2.  How will Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s latest spat with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei impact his political standing?
3.  Can Singapore’s opposition win a parliamentary majority?
4.  Why have Thai-Cambodian cease-fire talks collapsed?
5.  How will Lobsang Sangay’s election as the third kalon tripa impact China’s policies toward Tibet?
6.  Are worries about Ukranian national cohesion justified?
7.  Is Syria the next Libya?
8.  Which country is the world’s worst human rights abuser?
9.  What modifications should the EU make to the Schengen Agreement?
10.  Would Nigeria be better off if it were split into two different states?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 26th-May 1st, 2011

1.  Should the U.S. sanction Syria?
2.  How can state governments close their public pension fund deficits?
3.  Would a Donald Trump presidential candidacy force both parties to adopt a more aggressive stance towards China?
4.  Can school vouchers improve state budget outlooks?
5.  Does the decision by King & Spalding to withdraw from defending the Defense of Marriage Act complicate efforts by conservatives to defend its constitutionality?
6.  Should the U.S. slash oil company subsidies?
7.  Why did Haley Barbour decide to not run for president in 2012?
8.  How can the U.S. persuade Russia and China to sign off on a new UN resolution that authorizes NATO ground forces in Libya?
9.  Will recent tornado outbreaks be a boon for supporters of climate change legislation?
10.  What are Ron Paul’s chances of winning the GOP presidential nomination in 2012?

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HotTopics: International & United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 19th-25th, 2011

Do you ever wonder what college extemporaneous speaking topics look like?  This week’s HotTopics questions come from last weekend’s National Forensic Association collegiate national tournament, which was held at Illinois State University.  First round topics about domestic social and political issues are included, as well as the questions that extempers had to answer in the final round, which was won by Joshua Hiew of Northwestern University.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 12th-18th, 2011

1.  Would a ban on speculation in the oil market significantly reduce gas prices for American consumers?
2.  Will David Prosser’s apparent reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court survive judicial scrutiny?
3.  What should the GOP’s strategy on raising the national debt ceiling?
4.  Which current GOP presidential contender should social conservatives rally behind?
5.  Who deserves the most credit for the avoidance of a government shutdown?
6.  Is Texas current redistricting plan unfair to Latino voters?
7.  How can President Obama sell tax increases to American voters?
8.  Is Kansas’s ban on late-term abortions constitutional?
9.  Does Detroit deserve a federal bailout?
10.  How much flexibility should states be given on healthcare?

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 12th-18th, 2011

1.  Is Italy seriously considering leaving the EU?
2.  Why has Carlos Ghosn not been forced to resign from Renault?
3.  Would a unilateral declaration of statehood be in the Palestinians best interest?
4.  Why is the Pakistani government demanding that the US government stop drone strikes?
5.  How will the rejection of a Icesave Bank repayment plan impact Iceland’s relationship with the EU?
6.  Does South Africa belong with the other BRIC nations? 
7.  How can Europe’s established political parties win back voters who have abandoned them for populist alternatives?
8.  Who will win the Peruvian presidential runoff?
9.  Should the Libyan rebels accept the AU’s peace plan?
10.  What should be done with Laurent Gbagbo?

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 5th-11th, 2011

1.  Will the Green Party be able to turn their victories in state races into control of the German government in 2013?
2.  Has the interdependent nature of the world economy made it easier to oust dicators?
3.  Are Asian economies doing enough to ward off inflationary pressures?
4.  If Gaddafi falls from power, should he be prosecuted by the ICC?
5.  By the end of the summer, will Turkey be the most powerful player in the Middle East?
6.  What does the detention of Ai Weiwei mean for China’s liberal intellectuals?
7.  Should economics or security be more important in Britain’s latest overtures towards Pakistan?
8.  Is Michel Martelly’s inexperience a bad omen for Haiti’s future?
9.  What is behind France’s more assertive approach towards global affairs?
10.  Are the Libyan rebels too weak to topple the Gaddafi government?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 5th-11th, 2011

1.  Will Tim Kaine’s connections to President Obama undermine his 2012 Senate bid?
2.  Has the U.S. botched the “kill team” investigation?
3.  Will state attempts to crack down on illegal immigrants lead to stricter measures on a national scale?
4.  Do Paul Ryan’s proposed plans to restructure Medicare go too far?
5.  How would a Donald Trump candidacy impact the 2012 GOP presidential primary?
6.  Will social or fiscal concerns be the cause of a government shutdown?
7.  Does the Federal Reserve have too much power over the fate of individual banks?
8.  Will Debbie Wasserman Schultz be an effective DNC chairman?
9.  Has Katie Couric’s tenure at the CBS Evening News been a failure?
10.  Will the U.S. economy experience significant inflation this summer?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 29th-April 4th, 2011

1.  Will the Libyan war cause a liberal to challenge President Obama in a Democratic Party primary next year?
2.  Are boycotts by Democratic state legislators counterproductive?
3.  Should the NCAA basketball tournament be expanded to 96 teams? 
4.  Will the Supreme Court find Arizona’s campaign finance law constitutional?
5.  If significant tax reform happens in the United States will it happen at the state level first?
6.  Does America have a serious anti-Islam problem?
7.  Should the White House engage Fox News or continue to ignore it?
8.  Did Indiana Democrats win their battle with the Republican controlled state legislature?
9.  If he decided to run, what impact would Rand Paul have on the 2012 GOP presidential primary?
10.  How can the U.S. get China to follow international sanctions on Iran?

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of March 29th-April 4th, 2011

1.  How would the fall of the Assad dynasty impact Syria’s relations with Israel?
2.  What steps does the international community need to take to reduce the spread of drug resistant TB?
3.  Will European voters, instead of politicians, be the ones that pull the plug on the euro?
4.  Does international intervention in Libya damage anti-nuclear proliferation efforts?
5.  Should Japan bury the Fukushima nuclear reactors?
6.  Why is international use of the death penalty declining?
7.  Is South Africa’s contradictory foreign policy harm its international standing in the coming years?
8.  Will Marine Le Pen destroy Nicolas Sarkozy’s re-election hopes?
9.  Can the Iron Dome protect Israeli cities from militant rocket attacks?
10.  Why was Angela Merkel’s party thrashed in the Baden-Wuerttemberg state elections?

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