Tag: practice extemp topics Page 62 of 76

On May 11, 2011

1. Do fines leveled against economic consultants for publishing inflation figures that differ from the Argentinian government’s official position violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression?
2. Is international assistance to Greece only leading to paralysis in the country’s political apparatus?
3. How can Asian governments solve the gap in employment rates between men and women?
4. Will the British monarchy retain its popularity after the death of Queen Elizabeth II?
5. What role will Salafism play in the new Egypt?
6. If Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev both run for the Russian presidency in 2012, who will win?
7. Is Libya on the brink of a food crisis?
8. How will a recent study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies on FARC aid to Rafael Correa’s 2006 presidential campaign impact Ecuador’s relations with Colombia?
9. Will Ahmadinejad resign?
10. Are UN efforts to get information from the United States on the death of Osama bin Laden harming the organization’s reputation?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 10th-16th, 2011

On May 10, 2011

1. Do train and bus stations need a security overhaul?
2. Who should get the bounty that was placed on Osama bin Laden’s head?
3. Has the Obama administration turned a political victory after the death of Osama bin Laden into a public relations disaster?
4. Will the 2012 presidential election be a referendum on the debt ceiling?
5. Why is the U.S. housing market still reeling?
6. What grade does the Obama administration deserve on border enforcement?
7. Does the GOP presidential field need more governors?
8. Will the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals find President Obama’s healthcare law to be constitutional?
9. Is Microsoft paying too much for Skype?
10. Will the Personal Localized Alert Network significantly help homeland security efforts?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 3rd-9th, 2011

On May 4, 2011

1. What impact, if any, will the death of Osama bin Laden have on the 2012 presidential election?
2. Will Indiana’s move to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood be replicated in other states?
3. Does the death of Osama bin Laden mean the end of the war on terrorism?
4. Should states pass legislation to ban obesity lawsuits against restaurants, fast food chains, and grocery stores?
5. Have the events last week destroyed any chance of Donald Trump winning the GOP nomination in 2012?
6. Should the U.S. cut off all aid to Pakistan?
7. How would a renewed push for immigration reform impact President Obama politically?
8. Why does the American job market remain anemic?
9. Will Osama bin Laden’s death increase pressure on the Obama administration to leave Afghanistan?
10. Is the movement for a “Baja Arizona” a pipedream?

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 3rd-9th, 2011

On May 3, 2011

1. Will the one child policy halt China’s emergence as a global superpower?
2. Is Uganda the next Ivory Coast?
3. Will Germany’s decision to lift labor market restrictions on Eastern European workers hurt native born German workers?
4. Does Venezuela’s minimum wage hike go far enough to help workers bear the country’s high inflation rate?
5. Will British voters ditch the country’s winner-take-all electoral system?
6. Has the world lost its appetite for free trade?
7. Why is global press freedom declining?
8. Is NATO overstepping its mandate in Libya?
9. Should Israel withhold taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority?
10. How will the killing of Osama bin Laden impact Pakistani politics?

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Note: Due to university commitments this week, some of the regularly updated content, such as R&D’s for this week, may appear intermittently. A large R&D will be posted on Friday, along with the final 2011 Extemp TOC qual board. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

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

On April 27, 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

On April 26, 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

On April 20, 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

On April 13, 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

On April 12, 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

On April 6, 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

On April 6, 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

On March 30, 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

On March 29, 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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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of March 22nd-28th, 2011

On March 23, 2011