Rules of Class Debate Tournament
1. Resolution: .
2. Teams and Matching
A:

B:

DateRound
123456Final

C:RoomD:

Affirmative

3. Format of Debate(1) 1st Affirmative Constructive Speech (1AC)(2) Cross-Examination by the 2NC speaker(3) 1st Negative Constructive Speech (1NC)(4) Cross-Examination by the 1AC speaker(5) 2nd Affirmative Constructive Speech (2AC)(6) Cross-Examination by the 1NC speaker(7) 2nd Negative Constructive Speech (2NC)(8) Cross-Examination by the 2AC speaker(9) 1st Negative Rebuttal Speech (1NR)(10) 1st Affirmative Rebuttal Speech (1AR)(11) 2nd Negative Rebuttal Speech (2NR)(12) 2nd Affirmative Rebuttal Speech (2AR)
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)

E:

Negative

6 min.
3 min.
6 min.
3 min.
6 min.
3 min.
6 min.
3 min.
4 min.
4 min.
4 min.
4 min.

F:

JudgesInstructor/TA

preparation time -- 1 min.
preparation time -- 2 min.
preparation time -- 1 min.
preparation time -- 2 min.
preparation time -- 1 min.
preparation time -- 2 min.
preparation time -- 1 min.
preparation time -- 1 min.
preparation time -- 3 min.
preparation time -- 2 min.
preparation time -- 2 min.
Total time: 70 minutes

Each team member shall give at least one speech. In case of a two-person team, each member shallgive one constructive speech, one rebuttal speech, and conduct one questioning.
All speeches shall be delivered from the podium.
The constructive speaker shall be questioned by one of the speakers from the other side. No one
speaker may be the examiner of cross-examination twice in the round.
Debaters not at the podium may not interrupt the speaker during the speech or the crossexamination.
The speaker may not speak over the allotted time.
One of the judges shall be a chair and another shall be a timekeeper.
Preparation Time: Fixed time is given above.
After the debate, each judge shall give the decision and its reason. The ballots shall be submitted
to the instructor.

4. Definition of Terms
The affirmative team has a right to make any reasonable definition of the terms of the proposition. It can alsopresent a case, a specific interpretation of the resolution to defend. The negative team has a right to challenge theaffirmative definition and interpretation.
5. The Burden of Proof/Attack
The affirmative team assumes the burden of proof, i.e., to prove that the proposition is probably true. Thenegative team assumes the burden of attack, i.e., to attack the affirmative team’s arguments. The affirmative
team must be prepared to give reasonable details of their plan which is a realization of the proposition. It mustshow that the plan would be desirable if adopted; it does not need to show that the plan would be adopted.
6. A Burden of Proof
A team who presents a claim assumes a burden of proof; otherwise, the judge must ignore it as an assertion. Inorder to “prove” or establish a claim, a team must support it with enough evidence and reasoning so that it may

Basic Rules of Debate p. 2
be considered probably true. Once a claim is established, the judge must believe it until it is refuted by the otherteam.
7. Evidence
Evidence includes commonly known facts, other arguments in the debate, statements made in across-examination, and citations from published sources. The source of citations must be acknowledged bygiving the author’s name and qualification, the title of the book (article), and the date of publication. If a direct
quotation is used, the original text must carefully be maintained. Ellipses must be indicated as this . . . shows.
Words and letters not in the original must be included in square brackets as in [this]. Paraphrases are encouraged
but must not be presented as direct quotations. Debaters must not misrepresent what the author says.
8. Constructive Speeches
All the major points of the teams must be presented in the constructive speeches. Usually, the affirmative teampresents their plan and major reasons why the plan should be adopted. The negative team presents major attacks
on the affirmative team’s constructive speeches and disadvantages of the affirmative plan (and/or thecounter-plan).
9. Rebuttal Speeches
These speeches must be devoted to refutation and rebuttal of the arguments presented in the constructivespeeches. Rebuttal speeches may not present any new constructive (i.e., major) arguments but may present only
the extension of the team’s constructive arguments. The audience (judges) must ignore such “new arguments.”
For example, the affirmative team may not present a third advantage of their plan if it only had two advantages
in the constructive speeches. The rebuttal speeches also summarize the entire debate for each team’s own sake.
10. Refutation & Rebuttal
Refutation is an attack on the opponent’s arguments. Refutation is found in all the speeches except for the 1stAffirmative Constructive speech. Rebuttal is a defense of the team’s original arguments in light of theopponent’s attack. Rebuttal is found in the 2nd Constructive speeches and Rebuttal speeches.
11. Cross-Examination
In the cross-examination, the examiner (one who asks questions) may only ask questions and he/she may not
make an argument. The examinee (one who answers questions) must answer any reasonable questions andhe/she may not ask questions except for clarification. The examiner may stop the examinee if the answer isirrelevant or unnecessarily long.
The examiner and the examinee directly confront each other, whereas in constructive and rebuttal speeches, thespeaker addresses to the audience. For example, an examiner asks, “Did you say XXX?” but a speaker says,“The negative team (or Mr. Tanaka) said XXX.”
12. Decision
The decision is given by the audience or the judges. Their decision may be based on whether the proposition has
been shown probably true. For example, if the affirmative team has successfully shown that the advantages ofthe plan would be bigger than the disadvantages, the affirmative team wins the debate. There’s no tie in debate:if the affirmative fails to show that the proposition is probably true, the negative must win the debate.
13. Ballot
Each judge must fill in the ballot and submit it to the tournament director / instructor. The ballot must give thedecision (winner), reasons for the decision, and the points of the individual speakers (overall skills and thecontents of the speech). The judge is allowed to give a low-point win, i.e, the team with the lower point may win
the debated based on the overall arguments.
14. Final round
The finalists will be selected based on the number of wins. If two or more teams have the same wins, the total ofthe speaker points shall be considered.

Basic Rules of Debate p. 3

DEBATE BALLOT Date __________ Evaluator (Judge) _______________________
AFF: ____________________ grand total ____/40(1) 1AC ______________________________/5(2) Aff Ans ___________________________/5(4) Aff CX ____________________________/5(5) 2AC ______________________________/5(6) Aff Ans ____________________________/5

NEG: ____________________ grand total ____/40(2) Neg CX ____________________________/5(3) 1NC _______________________________/5(4) Neg Ans ____________________________/5(6) Neg CX _____________________________/5(7) 2NC _______________________________/5(8) Aff CX ____________________________/5(8) Neg Ans ____________________________/5(10) 1AR _____________________________/5(9) 1NR _______________________________/5(12) 2AR _____________________________/5(11) 2NR ______________________________/5

This debate was won by ( AFF / NEG ) Team _______________________.
Notes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Write the name of the debater for each speech.
If questioning or answering in the cross-examination is conducted by an individual debater, write his/her name.
Otherwise, a team point is given.
The score is based on the overall evaluation of the contents (analysis/evidence/reasoning/refutation), speechorganization, and delivery/English: 5-exceptionally good, 4-good, 3-fair, 2-poor, and 1-exceptionally poor.
Add up and double-check the total score for the team.
Decide the winning team based on the arguments presented in the debate. A low-point win is allowed.
Explain briefly the reasons for the decision.

Sample Reasons for Decision:I voted for the affirmative team because of the following reasons.
1. The affirmative demonstrated a clear advantage of the plan. It would probably save more than 10,000 people every year.
The negative team did not challenge the importance of this advantage.
2. The practicality of the plan was weakened because of the negative attacks: (1) the technology of XXXX was still inexperimental stage; (2) it might be difficult to find some of the patients. But those points would not seriously weaken theplan. The practicality of the plan in general was demonstrated by the two pieces of evidence in the second affirmative
constructive speech.
3. Disadvantage I (XXXXXX) was shown not unique to the affirmative plan by the second affirmative constructive speaker.
Her second and third responses about this point were persuasive. The negative team failed to refute this point in later
speeches. [This means that Disadvantage I would occur whether the affirmative plan was adopted. Therefore, it cannot be
the reason to reject the affirmative plan.]
4. Disadvantage II (risk of economic damage) was successfully defended by the negative team.
5. In the end, I found that the affirmative plan would save at least 10,000 people a year but it would also produce some
economic damage. The second affirmative speaker effectively showed that the advantage of saving people was more
important than a possible economic damage. The negative team was weak in demonstrating the certainty and the magnitudeof the economic loss (the evidence in the second constructive was weakened by the following cross-examination; thenegative did not give any further evidence).