Sample Extemp Topics

January 1, 2006

1. What was the biggest news story of 2006?

2. Can the GOP overcome the mistakes of 2005 to hold off Democrats in the 2006 elections?

3. Is North Korea's plans on ejecting NGOs a purely political move? 

4. What is a greater threat to privacy in the United States: secret NSA wiretaps or the extension of the USA Patriot Act?

5. Can Sony BMG distract consumers from the DRM controversy with free online music tracks?

6. Can Arnold Schwarzenegger overcome a failed "Year of Reform" to achieve re-election?

7. Will any Democrat come out of the woodwork to be a frontrunner for the 2008 Presidential election?

8. Can Iraq overcome internal strife to develop a civil society?

9. Should the United States and Europe intervene on behalf of Ukraine in response to Russia cutting off natural gas supplies?

10. Will massive intellectual piracy harm Russia in trade relations with the United States?

11. Can China avert ever increasing environmental disasters that have plagued the country in recent months?

12. Is Japan still an important economic power in Asia?

13. Will 2006 bring a legitimate challenger to the iPod?

14. Evo Morales: Bolivia's Nelson Mandela or Robert Mugabe?

15. Has Porter Goss done enough to beef the CIA foreign intelligence?

16. Will the withdrawal of non-American foreign troops in Iraq slow the withdrawal of American troops?

17. Does the banning of leaded gasoline in Africa demonstrate that the environment has become an issue that is taken seriously?

18. Has the epidemic of AIDS and malaria hurt efforts to democratize Myanmar?

19. Will Haiti be able to overcome numerous delays in electing a new government to replace Aristide?

20. Is the inversion of interest rates a sign of another recession?

21. Will Australian Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock be able to get a strong "Fair Use" provision added to national copyright laws?

22. Can an anti-trust investigation by Elliot Spitzer into digital music pricing keep consumer prices down?

23. Will Jack Abramoff expose the corruption of his friends in Congress to get leniency from prosecutors?

24. Will a pending lawsuit against the University of California force states to stop granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants?

25. Will the decision to formally disband the military arm of the Free Aceh Movement end armed conflict in the region?