What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. This has led to Wikipedia being banned in China , after Jimmy Wales refused to censor articles to make the site acceptable to the Chinese government .
2. A key principle for Wikipedia is to present information as neutrally as possible .
3. As such , Wikipedia is not threatened by variants and rivals that also seek to promote freedom of knowledge because it views them as partners to a mutual goal , not rivals .
4. Wikipedia , thus , epitomizes the principle that all should have access to the necessary information required not just to live , but also enjoy and cherish our lives .
5. Its founder , Jimmy Wales , readily acknowledges it will eventually be superseded by another way of sharing knowledge on a mass level .

Wikipedia enshrines the principle of freedom of information


1. It has been shown that for many sex offenders , the crime is caused by both psychological and physical urges no rational counselling will prevent a repetition of the crime .
2. Castration fits the bill perfectly .
3. For such a horrific crime , a suitable punishment is needed .
4. Sex crimes , typically defined as crimes of violence involving sex , are one of the worst kinds of crime , damaging its victim both physically and psychologically .
5. Castration as the punishment for sex offenders suits both perpetrator and victim , providing an effective and specific punishment for a specific crime .
6. Furthermore , as Douglas Besharov argues , the sexual abuse and violence in prisons merely heightens their propensity to commit further crime -LRB- Besharow , 1992 -RRB- .
7. Thus castration does not only stop further crimes by the offender -LRB- one of the main purposes of any punishment -RRB- , but it is a strong deterrent for prospective offenders .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Castration, as a punishment, is proportionate to sex crimes


This House would ban professional cheerleading
What is a possible side to this debate?

The superficiality of cheerleading means that cheerleaders are poor role models for young girls


1. With the ability to make good on the threat , however , the teacher can either effectively intimidate potential miscreants or deliver on the promise of punishment .
2. The teacher , when making a threat , can either follow through on the threat and enact corporal punishment , or he can not do so .
3. In terms of conflict resolution , without access to corporal punishment , the teacher-student relationship is at an imperfect equilibrium in the context of Game Theory .
4. In this scenario , the two players , the teacher and the student , have a set of options .
5. The student can either consider the threat to be credible and will thus modify his behaviour in accordance with the teacher 's demands , or he can determine the threat to be non-credible and thus `` call his bluff '' .
6. This produces an efficient equilibrium in which the teacher has greater control over the class .
7. Without the ability to follow through on the threat , an imperfect equilibrium is reached in which the teacher 's bluff is called and his authority undermined .
8. To take an example from international relations , the relations between the United States and Israel can be analyzed in this way .
9. Currently , when Israel makes a decision to expand settlement building in Palestinian territory the United States threatens a withdrawal of certain supports .
10. Israel can either call their bluff or fold .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

The threat and capacity for violence is essential for efficient conflict resolution


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The organ donation process : A humanist perspective based on the experience of nursing care .
2. Nursing Philosophy 13.4 -LRB- 2012 -RRB- : 295-301 .
3. As crass as this might seem , they are statistically more likely to die earlier than their offspring in any event and stand to lose less .
4. They have had the chance to experience more of a life than their child .
5. They are furthermore the cause of the childs existence , and owe it to the child to protect it at any cost .
6. Monforte-Royo , C. and M.V. Roqu .
7. We are biologically programmed to want to preserve our species .
8. As such , our offspring will often be more important to ourselves than our own persons .
9. Many doctors hear parents tell them how they wish that they could take over their childs terminal illness rather than have the child suffer .
10. It is therefore natural and right for the older generation to sacrifice itself where possible to save the younger generation .


This House would hold a referendum on UK membership in the EU
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

An in or out referendum would be legitimate.


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Individuals elected under open primaries are much more likely to be willing to compromise across the aisle .
2. At the moment American politics is plagued by gridlock both in the states and in Congress .
3. As a result government will begin moving again .
4. An Open Primary is more likely to choose more centrist candidates for the general election , providing a degree of moderation to the process of election and politics in general .
5. By creating a situation whereby all voters have a potential say in selecting candidates , it can prevent overweening control by party grass roots who may vote for overtly ideological candidates who turn off the moderate voters needed to win elections .
6. This then means that much more is likely to get done .
7. This in turn can help foster a consensual atmosphere in political discourse with general agreed points , focusing the debate on more core issues between the main parties .

Open primaries promote moderate, non-partisan politics


1. Secondly , development can only progress once new land becomes available - investment requires space .
2. Therefore space has to be cleared for the city to be re-planned and new investments made .
3. Evictions often occur where inhabitants may not have the legal titles to occupy land .
4. Evictions enable the transition from communities who occupy land based on traditional laws and beliefs to the emergence of a refined legal system .
5. London experienced numerous slum clearances from the 18 to the 20 Century , one such clearance was the building of the Metropolitan railway to the City which destroyed the slums around Farringdon and forced relocation of 5-50 ,000 people from 1860-4 .
6. Firstly , as modernisation theory shows transition occurs as society progresses from traditional to an age of mass consumption .
7. Forced evictions have occurred globally across time , they show the natural progression of development .
8. Cases across Europe and the USA show evictions were a feature of cities and urbanisation in the past .
9. New investments can ensure African cities become sites of prosperity and continue to attract investors .
10. Temple , 2008

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Forced evictions are a natural path of development.


Asylum is the only way to protect women
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Kausch , Kristina , ` If Europe is to preserve influence in the Middle East and North Africa , it must move on from technocratic policies towards more flexible cooperation . '
2. By granting asylum we can help them escape a legal system that clearly is against them and replace it with a European Union legal system that grants them those rights they never had .
3. Moreover the influence of the European Union is declining ; it has always been primarily financial , through aid which is declining , and through investment which , at least in the MENA , region has reversed as a result of those same revolutions .
4. Moreover , the situation in countries with legislated discrimination against women is not improving , in countries which were previously secular there is increasingly a challenge from Islamism as in Libya and Egypt during the ` Arab Spring ' .
5. Where women are seen as second-tier citizens it is seen as a natural part of the society can barely walk to the corner of the street without the consent of their husband .
6. They will not respond to these urgings social and cultural traditions are deeply ingrained and only slowly change .
7. Countries that have legislation discriminating against women are clearly not listening to European urgings on human rights .
8. The European Union is not able to protect women in other countries that are not a part of the union .
9. , 21 December 2012 ,


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Bill Klem , , .
2. Instant replay will ensure that baseball revolves around the players , rather than the officials .
3. With instant replay , we would not have had Jim Joyce , the umpire who blew Galarragas perfect game , holding a tearful press conference apologizing for his missed call .
4. Instant replay will help make this happen .
5. The latter , not the former , is what baseball is supposed to be about , and what fans want to see .
6. Instead , we would have had images of Galarraga celebrating his historical achievement with his teammates .
7. When they are the center of attention , it is usually because something has gone wrong .
8. Umpires are supposed to facilitate a smooth game .
9. The game is supposed to be decided by the feats of the players on the field , not the fallibility of the men in blue .
10. Legendary Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem accurately stated , The best umpired game is the game in which the fans can not recall the umpires who worked it .

Instant replay will place the focus of the game where it belongs—on the players, not the umpires


1. Justice is only applicable when the perpetrators remain within the arm of the law ; double jeopardy prevents this .
2. As a Home Office spokesman stated when England overturned the double jeopardy ban , ` it is important the public should have full confidence in the ability of the criminal justice system to deliver justice . '
3. Victims deserve such justice and it is an insult to them , and all of us , to see their persecutors go free .
4. When Jennifer McDermott witnessed her daughter 's murderer get convicted at a re-trial , she described it as a ` victory for everyone who feels let down by the justice system . '
5. Our bargain with the state entails the state 's right to judge the individual because the state protects the individual : if our attackers roam the streets because an arbitrary legal rule exempts them from prosecution despite clear guilt , then that system has broken down .
6. When we see people still unpunished for offences in society they 've clearly committed , it damages our faith in the justice system .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Abolishment of the rule would restore faith in the justice system


This House would, as the developed world, fund African climate adaptation
What is a possible side to this debate?

The developed world has the responsibility to help others


Claim: Suicide is a rational choice in many situations.
What evidence supports this claim?

1. With murder someone is denying that person all their future potential so denying their freedom of choice , and this remains the case even if the murder was completely painless .
2. Here , reason tells us , the virtuous act is death and the reservation of that choice .
3. However , if an individual accepts that death is their preferred option in such a scenario , it is difficult to comprehend of reasons why they should not be allowed to proceed .
4. Our social rejection of murder does not , ultimately relate to death itself but to the denial of choice .
5. Neither of these issues arise with either assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia .
6. Proposition has no difficulty at all with the suggestion that both procedures should be regulated and take place in safe , medically supported , environments .
7. When confronted with chronic pain or with diseases that steadily remove our sense of self or at least the self of whom we are aware death has proven to be a sensible option taken by sensible people .
8. It is a simple fact that we all die , our objections to it tend to be based on the idea that it can happen at the hands of others or at a time , or in a manner , not of our choosing .
9. The determining element of humanity is that we are rational beings ; a blanket ban legal and social on choosing the time and manner of our deaths reflects our primeval fear of a death that comes , unwanted , in the dark of the night , not the mature judgement of modern , thinking -LRB- and long-lived -RRB- humans .


Wishing for a white Christmas shows a desire to return to the true nature of the holiday
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Instead of focusing on getting presents , getting fat and getting drunk , a white Christmas is something money ca n't buy .
2. It symbolizes time with family , playing outdoors in the snow , making your own entertainment and enjoying the wonder of nature .
3. For most people Christmas today is not about a religious festival , but about consumption , greed and shopping .
4. Wishing for a snowy white Christmas is about turning the clock back to a time when life was simpler .
5. Who would n't prefer a Christmas like that ?


This House would Abolish the Superdelegate System for Democratic Party Conventions.
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Candidates solicitation of superdelegates damages the political system and requires candidates to go through contortions to secure their support


This House believes that US intervention in Libya, lacking congressional approval, was illegal
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The Libya intervention lacks sufficient international authority


1. As Jon Adler of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association told The Washington Post in January of 2009 : `` I think a bomb detonating on a plane is the biggest invasion of privacy a person can experience . ''
2. Privacy is good , but outweighed in this case by the need to save lives .
3. Fighting against a threat as big as terrorism , some rights need to take a backbench .
4. Full-body scans have the ability to protect countless people and save just as many lives .
5. In any case , some sort of check must occur .
6. Additionally , people who still feel that their privacy is infringed upon by the full-body scanner can always opt for the traditional pat-down by a security officer .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Full-body scans are in accordance with individual rights


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Markets that involve child labor , forced labor or sex , and forced migration and detention , should be stopped and those who organize and profit from such markets should be prosecuted .
2. Some markets in sex should be blocked .
3. It is also critically important that children are protected from sexual predators , and are excluded from all aspects of sex businesses .
4. As with any service , it is critically important that no one is forced to work or to continue working , either through the threat of harm or through fraud and deception .
5. Voluntary , adult sex work is significantly different from trafficking , and law enforcers need to distinguish market exchanges involving consensual sex among adults from market exchanges involving forced sex among adults or involving minors .
6. Forced labor and child sexual abuse involve violations of basic human rights that all societies are expected to protect .
7. Additionally , clients of sex business would have the choice of patronizing legal business , and therefore would be less likely to patronize inadvertently a business that relies on forced or child labor .
8. By legalizing voluntary , adult sex work , law enforcers and rights protectors could focus their efforts on eliminating markets that involve the sexual abuse of adults or children .

Legalization would free up resources that could be devoted to eliminating sex trafficking


Claim: Education standards will be improved across the region
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Enlarging and deepening the EAC will therefore enhance education standards on a large part of the African continent ; such policies will lift weak academic institutions in DRC , South Sudan and Somalia which are typical of their poor education systems .
2. -LRB- 1 -RRB- East African Community Education , Harmonisation of education and training curricula in East Africa , -LRB- 2 -RRB- Kevin Watkins , Narrowing Africas Education deficit , January 2013 ,
3. Unlike other regional blocs in Africa the EAC has been keen to work on the improvement of education among member states .
4. It has policies such as the introduction of the inter University council of education to ensure the quality of University education , and an ongoing process of harmonising education curricula in all member countries -LRB- 1 -RRB- .
5. However , Africa still remains the continent with poorest quality of education and has the lowest skilled/educated labour .
6. A large number of children fail to access basic education -LRB- 2 -RRB- .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. * On a social level , not having children will mean more gender equality as there will be no ground for justifying an unequal labour division .
2. * Goodley , 2011 ,
3. They view females as those responsible for parenting and thus not reliable , devoted or loyal as employees .
4. Even when there is little or no discrimination in recruitment women often hit a glass ceiling due to breaking their careers in order to have children , in the UK a recent report by the Chartered Management Institute found it would take until 2109 to close the pay gap .
5. Social and economic inequalities between men and women stem primarily from the fact that women are the child bearers , and mothers overwhelmingly spend more time on childrearing tasks than do their male spouses .
6. Not surprisingly then , many employers still discriminate against women when recruiting to work .


Claim: Term limits restore a concept of rotation in public office, and reestablish the concept of the citizen legislature:
What evidence supports this claim?

1. New Hampshire was both the most minimal parliament and the state with most fiscal freedom according to the Ruger-Sorens Index .
2. Will , George .
3. It does not take long for legislators to become more occupied with their relationships with each other and with lobbyists , than with their constituents .
4. Representative assemblies work best when they function as citizen legislatures , in which people who pursue careers other than politics enter the legislative forum for a brief time to do their country service , and then leave again to reenter society as private citizens .
5. Such citizen legislators who enter politics to make their mark and then leave are far more desirable than the career politicians of today who focus only on building their own power influence , rather than considering the people they were elected to represent .
6. US states with ` citizen legislatures ' , where the state legislature is part time with short sessions so allowing its members to hold other jobs , were at the top of freedom indexes .
7. It is gravely unfortunate that politics has become an accepted career path for citizens of democratic states .
8. It is far better that participation in government be brief .
9. To end politics as a lifetime sinecure , thereby making legislative service a leave of absence , rather than a means of permanently absconding from a productive career in the private sector , requires that there be term limits .
10. Without term limits , the temptation to remain in office for life will keep people seeking reelection long after they have accomplished all the legislative good of which they are capable .


This House would ban partial birth abortions
What is a possible side to this debate?

If personhood accrues at birth, then abortion after inducing birth is wrong


Claim: Forced evictions are necessary to change perceptions.
What evidence supports this claim?

1. See further readings : Werth , 2010 .
2. Although accurate figures of the number of evictions carried out , and/or number of residents displaced , are unavailable , cases have been reported where around 20,000 people could have been evicted in one settlement .
3. The evictions were only a small cost in the broader scale , whereby a better city would be built for all to enjoy , employment created , and tourists attracted .
4. Evictions occurred to create an aesthetic city , for the greater good .
5. Stadiums were built in Johannesburg , Cape Town , and Durban and provided the international community an opportunity to see the beauty of South Africa and confirm its ability to deliver as a BRIC country .
6. In 2010 , South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup .
7. Taking the case of South Africa forced evictions , in cities , have been central in promoting its new image .
8. Forced evictions enable local , and national , governments to redesign African cities .
9. Cities across Africa are an opportunity to change this idea of Africa .
10. Western media and institutions often present an image of ` Africa ' which fails to understand the reality , and continues to position ` Africa ' as the ` other ' , ` unknown ' , and in need of assistance .


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Imposing youth curfews can help to solve these problems , as they keep young people off the street , and therefore out of trouble , and prevent them from congregating in the hours of darkness .
2. Police in Philadelphia have found curfews effective in the prevention of gang violence : the measure has been successful in helping to curb violent attacks by teen mobs that had severely injured several people in recent months , city officials said .
3. Youth crime is a major and growing problem , often involving both drugs and violence .
4. Particularly worrying is the rise of youth gangs who can terrorise urban areas and create a social climate in which criminality becomes a norm .

This House would introduce child curfews


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. His influence was such that even naturally left wing parties such as New Labour under Tony Blair stuck to right wing or wing orthodoxies in order to keep the support of the Murdoch press .
2. Murdoch has been running his empire in pursuit of power and to advance a right wing agenda .
3. This is however not at all how Rupert Murdoch ran News Corp or his newspapers .
4. Those running media corporations should be morally upright people who control their media companies in the public interest as these are organisations that potentially have a lot of influence through their control of information .
5. The attitude of the person at the top towards how their company and its staff should conduct themselves informs how they do conduct themselves and engage in their business .
6. Tom Watson MP has gone so far as to accuse Murdoch of being the first mafia boss in history who didnt know he was running a criminal enterprise .
7. Murdochs News Corporation has shown their lack of moral scruples not just by engaging in industrial scale hacking but also by its determination to use its contacts to close down investigations by parliament or the police as well as being willing to destroy evidence and lie when giving evidence .
8. Murdoch was therefore pushing narrow interests rather than the public interest .
9. It is the owners and the management that create the corporate culture which in Murdoch tabloids meant profits at all costs and doing anything to get a story .

Murdoch is morally unfit to run a powerful media company.


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. These are simply not the values education can possibly support .
2. This is just one example of why rap is not to be encouraged at all , let alone awarded a label of -LRB- so-called -RRB- `` poetry '' .
3. Eminem has caused much offence and controversy over the years with his homophobic lyrics .
4. It is unthinkable that rappers who promote gun crime , drugs and degrade women should be given a platform and even promoted in classrooms .
5. Rappers like him must not be promoted as great artists in the classroom .
6. Sir Andrew Motion , Professor of Creative writing at Royal Holloway , University of London , specified that ; `` Poetry is a house of many mansions .
7. Given that the highly respected Royal Holloway University of London is one such institution that supports this , the future of poetry education and even poetry itself does not look hopeful .
8. Rap has its own challenges and opportunities - but so do many other kinds of poetry , many of which are neglected in schools '' .
9. It does pupils a disservice only to tell them things they already know .

The future of poetry teaching looks dismal. It is falling into disrepute by citing rappers as modern day poets.


The electoral college allows small third parties to tip the balance in a state and distort the preferences of the voters.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Nevertheless , Gore was the preferred choice of voters in a match up with George W. Bush .
2. In 2000 , Ralph Nader siphoned a few votes from Al Gore in New Hampshire and Florida , costing Gore victories and thus the election .


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Under the status quo the state exists to protect the security of its citizens .
2. It does so by maintaining a monopoly of violence with the consent of its citizens .
3. US citizens have been allowed to bear small arms as a symbolic representation of their ability to rise up against state oppression should it ever occur .
4. That is , to keep a check and balance upon the monopoly of violence that the state has .
5. It is important to note that the state has the monopoly of violence such that it can protect its citizens in the best possible way .
6. In the same way , the right to bear arms exists such that citizens can protect themselves and prevent harm .
7. This means that should the state visit harm upon the citizens of the state then its right to claim a monopoly on violence is revoked and the citizens can fight against the state .
8. In a similar fashion to the above , should the citizens of the state use their right to bear arms to visit harm upon one another , it seems reasonable that in the same way that the states monopoly on violence is revoked , the citizens should have their right to bear arms revoked .
9. Given that this does not occur in every single part of the U.S. it also seems reasonable to isolate the ban to areas where the spirit of the right to bear arms is being significantly violated .
10. In this case the ban is limited to DC however it could potentially extend to other areas in the U.S. which suffer similar problems .

Individuals Should Not Have the Right to Bear Arms in DC


Banning a symbol of bigotry promotes racial tolerance.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. ag activates racially biased responding , by virtue of the ?
2. ag 's cultural associations with prejudice , and results in negatively biased judgments of Black people '' .
3. Empirical studies indicate that `` exposure to the Confederate ?
4. ag led White participants to rate a hypothetical Black male character more negatively than those in the control condition .
5. The effects of a general ban on the public display of the Confederate flag would reach beyond those whom it is so plainly meant to intimidate .
6. It would remove what amounts to a constant visual reinforcement of Old Southern racial doctrines and would consequently help to cultivate a more tolerant society .
7. These ?
8. ndings support the argument that exposure to the Confederate ?
9. Participants ' racial attitudes failed to predict the degree to which ?
10. ag exposure produced more negative evaluations .


Sentences: 1. Such scroungers include the incurably lazy , those who are defrauding the taxpayer by claiming welfare while holding down a paying job , and those who are working in the black economy .
2. Making the unemployed work for their welfare benefits calls the bluff of those claiming benefit but not really looking for jobs .
3. Moving from a traditional something-for-nothing welfare scheme to a workfare system stops all these individuals from being a burden on the state , cutting welfare rolls very rapidly and allowing the government to concentrate upon assisting the truly needy .
4. Furthermore , workfare schemes require applicants also search for work whilst completing the scheme .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Workfare will eliminate scroungers, who are a financial drain on the system


Claim: Wild animals belong in their natural habitat
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Excessive human involvement in the food cycle has disrupted it considerably .
2. Let nature take its course .
3. Predators need to hunt and taking from them their ability to do so by taming/caging/drugging them is beyond cruel .
4. A study by the journal Science in 2008 found that ` Asian elephants in European zoos had a median lifespan of just 18.9 years compared to 41.7 years for wild elephants in an Asian logging camp . '
5. They are ` prevented from gathering their own food , developing their own social orders and generally behaving in ways that are natural to them . '
6. No matter how we may try to replicate their surrounding in a zoo , we will never achieve the full result .
7. Animals belong in their natural habitat , in the wild .
8. It is a breach of their natural rights to take them by force into captivity for our own purposes .


This House believes university education should be free
What is a possible side to this debate?

In order to foster social equality, the state must actively encourage groups in society without cultures of university attendance to seek higher education


This House believes democracy can be built as a result of interventions
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Incentivizes democratic development in other countries as well.


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The result of poor funding and bad governance is a decreased efficiency of security and military services in these states .
2. In turn , this has resulted in destabilisation of the region .
3. Africa is the least developed continent in the world and will struggle to independently maintain a specialised counter-terrorism force .
4. Thirty four of its fifty four states are classed as least developed countries .
5. Aid from the United States enables these African states to field financially viable forces which can then participate in counter-terrorism .
6. Before military aid was cut to Egypt in 2013 , the US provided $ 1.3 billion annually to support one of the strongest militaries on the continent .
7. Wages , training , and military equipment are expenses which few African countries can afford alone .
8. Kenya , for example , had to disband its Police Reserve unit in 2004 as unpaid officers had turned to corruption to ensure a decent wage , despite the need to combat terrorism in the state as shown by the attack on Nairobis Westgate shopping mall .
9. The World Bank Least Developed Countries Boniface , B. , Kenya to revive police reservists in Garissa to fight al-Shabaab BBC US withholds Egypt military aid over crackdown

African states can’t afford the full cost


This House believes the internet brings more harm than good
What is a possible side to this debate?

The quality of information online cannot always be relied upon


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Releasing works under a creative commons licensing scheme does a great deal to cope with these pressures .
2. In the first instance it is a less draconian regime , so individuals are more willing to buy into it as a legitimate claim by artists rather than an onerous stranglehold on work .
3. Only a tiny fraction of perpetrators are ever caught , and though they are often punished severely in an attempt to deter future crime , it has done little to stop their incidence .
4. Copyright , in many cases , does not work in practice plain and simple .
5. In fact , the level of internet piracy of books , music , and films has increased dramatically year on year for several years , increasing by 30 % in 2011 alone .
6. This is because in many cases copyright laws are next to unenforceable , as the music and movie industries have learned to their annoyance in recent years , for example ninety percent of DVDs sold in China are bootlegs while even western consumers are increasingly bypassing copyright by using peer to peer networks .
7. The state incurs huge costs in monitoring for copyright infringement , in arresting suspected perpetrators , in imprisonment of those found guilty , even though in reality nothing was stolen but an idea that , once released to it , belonged to the public domain more or less .
8. Furthermore , the deterrent effect to copyright piracy generated by all the efforts of the state and firms has proven generally minimal .
9. This increases compliance with the relaxed law .
10. Secondly , the compliance means that artists are given the vocal crediting under the license rules that gives them more public exposure than clandestine copying could not .

This House believes that all literature, art, photography, film and music should be released under Creative Commons licenses


1. Van Woudenberg , Anneke , How to Catch Joseph Kony , , 9 March 2012 ,
2. One of the suggested solutions to the failure to capture Joseph Kony and leaders of the LRA is to have greater involvement of peacekeepers ; an ICC force would provide the same kind of help .
3. An in house force would be solely focused on capturing the wanted war criminals so would both be focusing resources and much less likely to be sidetracked by other priorities -LRB- many of which may be influenced by politics -RRB- than national forces .
4. An in-house enforcement arm would be more effective at capturing indictees than many of the forces of the state parties , as it is likely to be more competent than many of the under-resourced or under-trained national forces .
5. Eight out of the thirty people indicted by the ICC -LRB- four in the Darfur situation , including Omar al-Bashir , three Lords Resistance Army leaders in Uganda and one in the DR Congo investigation -RRB- are still alive and avoiding justice .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

An ICC Enforcement arm would bring in a higher proportion of defendants in to trial


This House Would Abolish nuclear weapons
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Risk of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Should n't parent mean the one who cared for you as a baby , got up in the night for you , saw you through teething and childhood illnesses , and worked hard to give you food , shelter and the best life they were able to provide ?
2. In the case of children seeking the mother who gave them up for adoption , this is permissible specifically because of the relationship built up during pregnancy and birth .
3. The concept of parenthood in the context of donor-assisted conception is complicated .
4. Is someone who donated an egg or some sperm really a parent ?
5. As such , given that donors never actually meet or speak to the real parents or the actual children , the situation is not at all like adoption or even surrogacy .
6. It is more like blood donation , and therefore gives the recipient no rights over the donor .
7. In the case of sperm donors , ` whether for money or out of altruism , the father has gone into a cubicle and masturbated into a container .
8. There is a difference ' .

This house believes Sperm and egg donors should retain their anonymity


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Unfortunately , there is a vicious circle , caused by poverty that many poor countries find themselves in .
2. A poor country also means a poor , ill-funded government .
3. Such an institution is either unhelpful in preventing poverty or a road block to poverty alleviation .
4. A poor population is also unfortunately more likely to lead to an autocratic government .
5. This phenomenon can be shown by looking at decolonisation .
6. Poor countries when decolonised , even if they initially had democratic aspirations quickly fell to dictatorship .
7. There are very few exceptions such as India that have managed to continually maintain a democratic government while poor .
8. Wealthy countries when decolonised are much more likely to become democracies and once poor autocracies become rich the pressure for democratisation usually becomes unstoppable so countries like South Korea democratised as they became wealthy .
9. There might be considered to be a wealth threshold about which states will become democracies .
10. -LRB- 1 -RRB- The reason why poverty is likely to lead to dictatorship is simple ; a lack of an educated , effective civil service .

This House believes that poverty is the most important security issue facing Africa


Individuals have a right to equal opportunity in order to maximize their personal utility, and to break free from the social strata in which they are born


This House supports the development of a missile defence system
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

A strategic missile defense shield will be an effective defense against ballistic missile attacks targeted at the United States and its allies


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. -LSB- 1 -RSB- Its institutions involve surprisingly high costs -LRB- especially high when they dont achieve anything -RRB- but still complain of under-resourcing ; members are unwilling to commit any more funds , so nobody is happy .
2. If its divisions are not bridged and ASEAN does not become a vehicle for real action , the charter may prove to be ASEAN 's tombstone rather than its future blueprint .
3. -LSB- 1 -RSB- '' New ' ASEAN , old problems ' , 5/03/2009 ,
4. Best to scrap it .
5. It is expensive and it diverts attention from the proper efforts of members governments pursuit of the national interest .
6. ASEAN is a total waste of time .
7. Members frequently disagree with one another -LRB- on important international relations issues like the war on Iraq , and on regional economic issues like labour laws -RRB- , so the idea that it helps present a united front is incorrect - Yet , the `` new '' ASEAN looks a lot like the old one : united more in word than reality .
8. It is yet another unnecessary talking shop .


Sentences: 1. Denialism can be dangerous because it is likely to create perceptions that are likely to make conflict more likely again .
2. For example the post-First World War Dolchstolegende -LRB- stab in the back myth -RRB- was used by the political right in Germany after WWI implied that the German Army had not lost but Germany had only done so due to the civilian leadership .
3. By creating a historical record through the investigations and trial proceedings , International justice can create a narrative that helps fight denialism over events in the past .
4. It creates an accepted version of events where both victim and accused have had their say .
5. This not only encouraged a belief that Germany could win in another war but also as the accusation was levelled particularly at socialists and Jews helped pave the way for the holocaust .
6. Goldstone , p422 Holocaust Encyclopedia , Antisemitism in history : World War I , , 10 June 2013 ,

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Justice is needed to help end denialism.


Claim: States should respect the freedom from religion, as well as the freedom of religion.
What evidence supports this claim?

1. For school children who do not share the majority-Christian faith , Christmas celebrations require either their participation when they do not want to , through coercion , or their non-participation and therefore isolation whilst everyone else celebrations their inclusiveness .
2. Christmas celebrations in the Western world , held in schools and public squares , do not respect the rights of those who are not religious .
3. ` Happy Holidays ' is a generic term for the December break that does not discriminate between Christians and non-Christians , or indeed between the religious and the non-religious .
4. States should instead be sponsoring and celebrating events that everyone can join in equally , regardless of religion , race or class .
5. A tolerant , multi-cultural state would not stop there , but ban the public naming of Christmas and celebrate the ` holidays ' instead .
6. Furthermore , even Christmas symbols like the Christmas symbol could be co-adopted to appeal to non-Christians ; Boston in 2005 re-named its Christmas Tree to ` Holiday Tree ' .


1. < http://www.histori.ca/peace/page.do?pageID=260 > .
2. 1 Dec. 2011 .
3. Specifically , Quebec was attempting to entrench recognition of their special status and needs as a distant society within Canada and this was denied .
4. The Canadian Constitution was patriated in 1982 in a backroom deal known as the Meech Lake Accord where Quebec was explicitly excluded from the negotiations and their issues were ignored .
5. Quebec has historically been denied the right to determine its own form of governance systematically and therefore the Canadian government has no right to claim legitimacy over Quebec and can not stop it from leaving the federation .
6. All people have the right to determine their own form of government and representation and Quebec has been systematically denied this right .
7. Historica , n. d. Web .
8. `` The Meech Lake Accord . '' .
9. Therefore , Quebec has the right to independence as its sovereignty was illegitimately taken from it and it is systematically denied adequate representation in Canadian politics .
10. To this day , Quebec has refused to sign the Canadian constitution as it feels it doesnt adequately represent its interests and needs .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Quebec has the right to self-determination.


A directly elected upper house is more democratic
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. An appointed or indirectly elected upper house violates this principle , because allows a group of individuals to exercise power without having to explain or justify themselves to the public .
2. Democracy means self-governance by the people , wherein citizens have the fundamental right to decide how they are to be governed and by whom .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. If anything , countries with more homework get worse results !
2. International comparisons of older students have found no positive relationship between the amount of homework set and average test scores - students in Japan and Denmark get little homework but score very well on tests .
3. Some schools and some countries do n't bother with homework at all , and their results do not seem to suffer from it .
4. Homework has little educational worth and adds nothing to the time spent in school .
5. As Alfie Kohn notes , no study has ever found a link between homework and better tests results in elementary school , and there is no reason to believe it is necessary in high school .
6. Studies show that homework adds nothing to standardised test scores for primary / elementary pupils .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. For the reasons outlined above , i.e. that voters may simply lack quality of choice in election time , giving them the ability to demand a recall decreases the democratic deficit .
2. Having a recall mechanism focuses the minds of elected representatives and ensures that they keep the interests of their constituents constantly in mind .
3. Not only will this lead to harder working politicians with higher ethical standards , it will also prevent them selling out to lobby groups and party whips .
4. All too often elected representatives give way to the lure of business as usual in the capital city , and forget the folks who sent them there in the first place .
5. A system which provides the opportunity for a recall will give voters more power than what they currently have cast a ballot once every four or five years .

Recall mechanisms ensure leader accountability.


1. Prohibiting loss leaders will prevent this abuse of market dominance by the big retail companies and ensure a fair deal for our farmers .
2. If they refuse they will be dropped by the retailer and cut off from the marketplace .
3. The American Antitrust Institute has concluded that these `` Resale price maintenance -LRB- RPM -RRB- '' agreementswhich are agreed upon because retailers have all of the leverageare usually illegal .
4. The practice of loss leaders is bad for suppliers .
5. Farmers and manufacturers are often forced by the dominant retail giants to participate in discount schemes , sharing the losses at the dictate of the retailer .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Banning loss leaders would help suppliers


1. If we can not trust juries to decide which evidence is relevant to the verdict and which is not , then the entire use of juries in the criminal justice system should be reconsidered .
2. As the UK Governments White Paper states , we want less evidence to be withheld from the courts , on the principle that relevant evidence should be admissible ... magistrates , judges and juries have the common sense to evaluate relevant evidence and should be trusted to do so .
3. A criminal justice system which currently relies on the ability of the jury to make a decision can not legitimately choose to withhold evidence from them without innately biasing the trial itself .
4. Jurors should be allowed to weigh the relevance of previous convictions and compare them with the accusations of the trail at hand .
5. Just because their verdict might be more prone to conviction rather than acquittal does not necessarily mean that this is an unfair or even inaccurate conclusion ; given that violent offenders are likely to re-offend , it may illuminate the truth rather than confuse it .
6. It is nonsensical to withhold evidence from a jury that might be necessary for them to reach an accurate verdict .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Juries need to have all the information possible in order to reach a fair verdict.


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Birthright citizenship prevents an increase in the number of illegal residents .
2. As more children of current illegal aliens are denied citizenship , we will be creating a permanent , ` marginalized and undereducated ' underclass with few civil rights , likely to be alienated from our society but knowing no other homeland to which they could return .
3. A recent Migration Policy Institute study found that the removal of birthright citizenship would lead to a 44 % increase in the illegal immigrant community .
4. More illegal immigrants creates a hereditary poverty due to the understandable barriers to entry in the job market for non-citizens .
5. Further to that , Jared Bernstein , a senior economist , argues that illegal immigrants are statistically poorer because they lack access to the economic advantages conferred by citizenship ; ` while 9.8 % of those naturalized are poor , the share for non-citizens is a whopping 21.6 % ' .
6. To increase the amount of illegal immigrants with such statistics in mind would only serve to exacerbate the poverty of such groups and provide a sore for the state as a whole .

This House believes states should offer citizenship to all children born in that state


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. For example , financial support and security makes it easier to take risks which may be economically beneficial , such as setting up a new business , or undergoing further education to improve employment prospects .
2. The status quo discourages interdependence : the absence of property rights under the status quo encourages unmarried couples to act as individuals , protecting their own financial interests , rather than supporting each other .
3. In UK law , their relationship with one another is not recognised as having any legal standing , and they have no special status in the eyes of the English legal system Individuals are usually more able to pursue their own ambitions when they have the support of another .

This House would allow cohabiting couples who wish to end their relationships to request that the courts supervise the division of their property


Sentences: 1. As such , handguns , where they are freely available , are often used by most criminals for these purposes .
2. Given that handguns are also more likely to cause accidental injuries - as a result of incompetence or recklessness - than a knife , it seems logical that handguns cause a much larger harm to citizens in places where they are freely available .
3. Because of these unique capabilities they make excellent weapons for gang members who wish to remain inconspicuous to avoid being searched by the police .
4. Further , they are also uniquely useful for other criminal actors such as drug dealers who need to be able to protect themselves , but also need to appear unassuming for clients .
5. Shotguns and Rifles can easily be identified from a long distance making it easier to avoid those who are carrying them or conversely for the authorities check their motives for carrying arms .
6. Handguns , being ranged weapons -LRB- as opposed to knives -RRB- , prevent people from opting to run away if they are confronted by an attacker and being concealable prevent any attempt at avoiding those carrying them .
7. Handguns are specifically worse than most other weapons .
8. They are weapons which are both concealable and portable .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Handguns are uniquely dangerous when compared with other weapons


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Al this could be lost through the careless extinction of plant and animal species .
2. This was the case with the -LRB- now banned -RRB- dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane -LRB- DDT -RRB- pesticide , as the deterioration of the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon through their exposure to DDT in fact alerted humans to the potential health hazards of this pesticide , not just to animals but also to humans .
3. Thus the preservation of endangered species helps to protect humans , as this means plants and animals continue to play their specific role in the world 's ecosystem which humans rely on , can act as an ` early warning ' for problems which may affect humans , and may hold the key to scientific and medical breakthroughs which can greatly benefit humanity .
4. We live in a world built on a carefully balanced ecosystem in which all species play a role , and the removal of species from this can cause negative consequences for the whole ecosystem , including humans .
5. There is also the potential for almost any species to hold currently-unknown future benefits to humans through products they could provide .
6. Protecting endangered species helps protect humans : Humans actually benefit in a large number of ways from the protection of endangered species and thus continuing biodiversity .
7. Firstly , the diversity of life and living systems is considered by many scientists to be a necessary condition for human development .
8. One example of this is the Pacific yew -LRB- a tree species -RRB- which became the source of taxol , one of the most potent anticancer compounds ever discovered .
9. Biodiversity also helps protect humans in that different species ' differing reactions to ecological problems may in fact act as a kind of ` early warning ' system of developing problems which may one day negatively affect people .
10. One example of this is the scrub mint , an endangered plant species which has been found to contain an anti-fungal agent and a natural insecticide , and thus holds great potential for use that benefits humans .

Protecting endangered species protects the interests of humans


Sentences: 1. Hs2 , facts , figures and journey times ,
2. While faster journeys provide some economic benefit the are as much a social benefit of making more places accessible by allowing individuals to spend less time traveling and more doing what they want to when they get there .
3. From London the journey to Birmingham will be reduced from 84 to 49 minutes , Leeds from 132 to 82 and Manchester 128 to 68 .
4. The most obvious benefit from high speed rail is that journey times will be less .

What claim can be made from these sentences?


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Turkey has been heading towards being a one party , even a one person , state .
2. Erdoan is intending to change the constitution is an attempt to institutionalise this .
3. His new presidency would have the power to issue decrees with force of law , dissolve parliament and call elections , and to command the military .
4. The attempt to change to a presidential system is clearly a move to enable Erdoan to avoid the limit of three terms in much the same way as Vladimir Putin did by switching jobs .
5. A presidential system is not bad in principle but it should not be simply used as a vehicle for a particular politician .
6. Moreover any change of such a magnitude in a democratic country should be done only with popular consent something that this change does not have .
7. In a February 2013 poll 65.8 % of Turks favoured keeping the parliamentary system and only 21.2 % were in favour of a change to a presidential system .
8. The Editors , Erdogan Shows Why Turkey Shouldnt Give Him More Power , , 3 June 2013 , Majority of Turks against switch to presidential system , survey reveals , , 19 February 2013 ,

Attempts to change into an executive presidential system


1. The President of Vanuatu has noted If such a tragedy -LSB- the disappearance of a state -RSB- should happen , then the United Nations and its members will have failed in their first and most basic duty to a Member and its innocent people , as stated in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations .
2. As long ago as 1992 developed nations accepted the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit to sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command and that polluter should , in principle , bear the cost of pollution .
3. There is also a Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in which article 10 demands that any redrawing of borders must not render a person stateless , the principle behind which would equally apply to a disappearing state .
4. The small island states are losing their countries through no fault of their own it is therefore the responsibility of other states to provide them with alternatives ; be this land or the resources to purchase land .
5. McAdam , Disappearing states , statelessness and the boundaries of international law , , 2010 , , p. 4 The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , Rio Declaration on Environment and Development , , 14 June 1992 , United Nations , Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness , , 1961 ,

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Other nations have an obligation to help


This House would force the media to display, promote and report womens sport equally to mens sport.
What is a possible side to this debate?

Increased media coverage will lead to increased funding towards women’s sport


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Poachers are only going to be further encouraged to disregard the trading ban , whatever the costs .
2. Legitimate , regulated sales would undercut the illegal market and drive the poachers out of business , ensuring elephant populations are protected and remain stable .
3. A trading ban does not choke off demand for the ivory , but instead raises the price to exorbitant levels , encouraging poaching .
4. Demand since 1989 has been depressed by Japan 's economic problems , from which it is now emerging , while in China ivory is associated with prosperity and is a status symbol ; as the number of wealthy Chinese increases , so too is the demand and price of ivory .

This house Would Lift the Ban on Ivory Trading


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. In addition , there is more likely to be a person staying at home , which saves on childcare .
2. While it will not always be the case there are many ways in which living in groups can be more economical .
3. For example , it is cheaper to cook in large quantities than if each person were cooking individually .
4. Similarly , additional people in the house wont need another kitchen or necessarily another bathroom , so therefore its cheaper to live in groups particularly groups with multiple incomes .
5. More providers can make great contributions to the home .
6. It makes the family unit more efficient , as more people can pursue careers and bring in money , but due to economies of scale , less additional money will be needed for each additional partner .


Sentences: 1. By forcing them to disclose , any corruption or bias will become obvious to all .
2. Mayer , Jane .
3. Think tanks are considered more credible than corporate marketing .
4. In the case of corporate marketing the recipient is aware that he is being sold a product .
5. In the case of think tanks , the recipient believes he is being given unbiased information .
6. Therefore , it is tempting for corporations to finance think tanks and encourage them to reach the conclusions that they otherwise would promote through marketing .
7. This way , think tanks can be powerful tools for promoting a biased agenda : if done successfully the same message is communicated but in the form of credible information rather than manipulative marketing .
8. In fact , it is common practice for journalists to quote think tanks without labelling their political bias .
9. And they most certainly dont say if there is funding from a particular interest for example with the supposedly free market Institute of Public Affairs in Australia that somehow ends up arguing for government investment and intervention in Northern Australia a position suspiciously close to several big mining companies .
10. This violates peoples freedom to make an informed decision , and can give biased views disproportionate and undue influence .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Think tanks’ power of objectivity is the best form of marketing for biased views


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Bringing South Africa and Lesotho will benefit SA on the global stage .
2. The move would be one to provide aid to a smaller state and provide stability .
3. The dire conditions for the Basotho people are acknowledged by the UN and the Africa Union .
4. Firstly , SA , by the annexation of Lesotho , will prove good intentions in creating a sustainable Sub-Saharan Africa .
5. This will ultimately create a better image and a greater influence in the region if they choose to respond positively to the Peoples Charter Movement in Lesotho , a social structure pleading for annexation .
6. The movement , driven by trade unions , has collected 30,000 signatures in favor of their goal and is rising in popularity .
7. Secondly the annexation will provide a boost for the South African Development Community and South African Customs Union by demonstrating the willingness of South Africa to integrate with poorer neighbours and take on some of the responsibility for them .
8. Smith , 2010 ,

This House believes Lesotho should be annexed by South Africa


Sentences: 1. Others committing equivalent or lesser crimes , without these special circumstances , may be imprisoned .
2. Many people who commit serious crimes are not sent to prison because of their age , the effects upon their dependents or the likelihood that they will not re-offend .
3. As the Australian Democrats argue , ` to deny -LSB- the right to vote -RSB- is to impose an additional penalty on top of that judged appropriate by the court ' .
4. Even if it were ever right to deprive people of the vote as a punishment , this should not automatically be associated with imprisonment , but should be decided separately , as in France and Germany .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Linking a ban on voting to imprisonment is arbitrary and therefore wrong


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Second , it assumes that the answer to every local problem or issue is for the federal government to raise yet more tax revenue and bestow it from on high because Washington-knows-best .
2. It is a symbol that makes it hard to resist spending both for politicians and their constituents .
3. The use of earmarks erodes trust in politicians and the federal government for two reasons .
4. First , it reinforces a belief that politicians ignore the wider national interest but are simply out for themselves , scrabbling to channel as much federal pork as possible back home in order to aggrandise themselves and ensure re-election .


1. It appears on every seal of public office , is flown outside every public building and a flag-shaped pin is worn upon the breast of virtually every public figure .
2. It has become an endemic fixture in American culture and has come to be seen by people all over the United States , and the world , as a representation of the spirit and identity of nation .
3. When destroying the flag of the United States it is the values of the United States that are under attack .
4. Since the birth of the nation the flag of the United States , the eponymous `` Star-Spangled Banner '' , has been flown proudly in all parts of the country .
5. Texas v. Johnson : The Flag Burning Case .
6. Berkeley Heights : Enslow Publishers .
7. The flag has been imbued with a special significance by the citizens of the United States , and is viewed almost universally with extensive reverence .
8. It has come to be seen as emblematic of all the values and virtues of American society .
9. In a way it is the physical sublimation of those values ; at least that is how it is often treated .
10. For this reason , to destroy the flag is to destroy the values they represent , and thus the flag must be protected in order to protect the values of the nation the flag represents .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

The flag of the United States is its primary symbol of nationhood, with a unique importance in the eyes of most Americans, and thus should be protected


This House believes forced evictions are necessary for African cities to become global players.
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Forced evictions pave the road for African cities to set a trend towards Eco-Cities.


Claim: Local cuisine deserves to be celebrated
What evidence supports this claim?

1. By treating the whole world as our larder we have gained an enormous choice of foods , but at the cost of our own culinary heritage and folk traditions .
2. This can cause problems as for example with local varieties of rice in Africa being lost due to competition from cheaper rice producers like Thailand .
3. Shopping for local produce is also part of a wider movement to rediscover and celebrate local food cultures .
4. The Slow Food movement emphasises the cultural importance of local cuisines based upon the range of foods that are available within a particular region .
5. Local food restores this connection with the rhythm of the seasons , and connects us to the land around us and to our ancestors who helped to shape it .
6. Each individual cuisine deserves to be preserved and encouraged .
7. We have also lost a sense of seasonality , expecting asparagus and strawberries all year round .


1. The Government must protect its citizens from foreign enemies and internal enemies - thus freedom of speech can be acceptably curtailed during times of war in order to prevent propaganda and spying which might undermine the national interest .
2. This has happened in almost all states during times of war , during the second world war the United States even had a government department dedicated to it ; The Office of Censorship .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

It may be necessary in the interests of national security


Sentences: 1. Allowing a disproportionate influence to past leaders and those they have selected inevitably discourages new ideas and new voices .
2. The decision in a democracy over the governance of the country or the leadership of the party should be determined by the populous or the members .
3. Younge , Gary , Its up to the superdelegates to prove Democrats believe in democracy , , 18 February 2008
4. The situation in which the superdelegates would be most likely to act were as the result of the membership of the party selecting someone from outside the political class or their friends in business .
5. The influence of superdelegates acts as a vehicle for an elite that needs little help .
6. There is no reason that this decision should not be left to the members , it is after their party and they should be represented by whosoever they see fit .
7. It was worried that this might happen in 1998 in the close primary contest between Clinton and Obama .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

The disproportionate influence of former politicians inevitably benefits old, powerful, white men


Curfews also have an important role in the protection of vulnerable children.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Society should ensure that such neglected children are returned home safely and that their parents are made to face up to their responsibilities .
2. Sir Ian Blair former chief commissioner of the Metropolitan police argued that curfews were aimed at safeguarding youngsters and stopping gangs causing trouble .
3. Although responsible parents do not let young children out in the streets after dark , not all parents are responsible and inevitably their children suffer , both from crime and in accidents , and are likely to fall into bad habits .
4. The use of child curfews can help to protect vulnerable children .
5. 1 .


Sentences: 1. Being unable to exercise this right should not depend on income , so the state must financially assist couples who are unable to afford treatment .
2. And even if we believe this right is not basic , and more a choice of a lifestyle , if the state has the possibility to ensure it to everyone , why not maximize rights and make as many people happy as possible .
3. Couples who are unable to have children naturally , either because of medical infertility or because they are a same-sex couple , are unable to conceive children unless they are wealthy enough to afford private IVF treatment .
4. This may affect many people given the extremely high cost of IVF treatment .
5. The right to start a family is recognized in article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights and article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .
6. However , this right is apportioned unevenly .
7. Having children is such an important aspect of most peoples lives that it should be considered a right .
8. For many people , their status as parents is a key part of their identity , and their devotion towards their children is indicative of how important parenting is to them .

What claim can be made from these sentences?


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Child performers are exposed to a much higher level of responsibility than their peers , without the maturity to deal with it .
2. They may be exposed to sex , drugs , or alcohol , in a context too far removed from a normal life that they dont learn adequate coping mechanisms .
3. It is no surprise that many child performers burn out by the time they reach adulthood , often experiencing problems long before , as in the case of actress Drew Barrymore , who entered rehab at the age of 13 .
4. Children should not be encouraged to enter into these adult worlds of acting , modeling , dancing , etc. .
5. Michael Jackson attributed his obsession with children and childhood as a consequence of having missed out on a childhood himself .
6. Barrymore , Little Girl Lost


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. This causes a number of problems .
2. The current system of ` progressive ' taxation whereby higher earners are taxed a higher percentage of their income requires the identification and administration of multiple different tax brackets spanning the entire spectrum of earnings in a nation .
3. Moreover , the administration of multiple tax brackets is incredibly complicated and difficult , requiring every taxpayer to record their income and expenditure -LRB- in order to try and qualify for tax exemptions and ` loopholes ' -RRB- in meticulous detail and then to properly express this on lengthy and complicated government forms , a process which can cause anger , frustration and alienation amongst taxpayers .
4. The brackets themselves may be largely arbitrary cut-off lines based around round numbers , with no real justification as to why one person increasing their earnings by as little as 1000 should lead to them suddenly being propelled to a new tax bracket , when the actual difference to their income is negligible in overall terms .
5. This may be contrasted with a flat tax system by taking the example of taxes on salaries paid to employees by a company under both systems .
6. In order to try and prevent tax evasion , governments are consequently compelled to have large bureaucracies that oversee this process and comb through looking for fraud , a costly and lengthy process .
7. However , under a flat tax , a tax collector could simply withhold the fixed flat tax rate -LRB- for example 20 % -RRB- of the total company 's payroll without needing to know what was paid to whom , as every pound is taxed at the same rate and thus it does not matter what goes to whom .
8. In the status quo , a tax collector must be aware in detail of exactly what is being paid to whom in order to ensure that everyone declares their income truthfully , allowing them to be placed in the correct bracket .
9. Thus the simplicity of a flat tax is a significant advantage .
10. This would allow for a massive simplification of tax forms , and for the down-scaling of the costly government departments dedicated to administering the different tax brackets .


Sentences: 1. A better principle is if governments today are unable or unwilling to perform the duty to protect their people from harm -LRB- including state-imposed harm -RRB- , then their claims to sovereignty lose their moral force and intervention becomes justified .
2. For example , Qaddafi of Libya was likening his citizens to cockroaches and rats , threatening to kill them house-by-house whilst speaking of his intent to indiscriminately attack the population of Benghazi .
3. As such , there was significant concern that violence would have devastating impacts on Libyan civilians .
4. The United Nations , in response , authorized NATO action .
5. We can no longer argue that sovereignty must be considered absolute .
6. Sovereignty was created as the means by which states justified the control of their territory to prevent foreign aggression .
7. Since the creation of the United Nations , sovereignty is no longer as necessary to protect states , as most wars are not about territorial acquisition .
8. Now it is primarily a barrier to the international community intervening when the state is abusing its own population .
9. Through unleashing state military assets to attack his own population , Qaddafi made it clear that he was not a fit leader .
10. The United Nations , as the representative of the international community , has the responsibility to protect those whose leaders have let them down .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Countries and governments have an obligation to protect human rights and defend their citizens from harm


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. World Bank Energy , Addressing the Electricity Access Gap , , June 2010 , p. 89 The World Bank , Energy The Facts , , 2013 , , SA-DRC pact paves way for Grand Inga , , 20 May 2013 , Pearce , Fred , Will Huge New Hydro Projects Bring Power to Africas People ?
2. , , 30 May 2013 ,
3. Children can not go to school The list of deprivation goes on .
4. Conveniently it is suggested that the Grand Inga will thus provide more than half of the continent with renewable energy at a low price , providing electricity to half a billion people so eliminating much of this electricity gap .
5. The world bank says lack of electricity affects human rights People can not access modern hospital services without electricity , or feel relief from sweltering heat .
6. Food can not be refrigerated and businesses can not function .
7. Only 29 % of Sub Saharan Africas population has access to electricity .
8. This has immense consequences not just for the economy as production and investment is constrained but also on society .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The use of performance enhancing drugs is based on advances in science .
2. When new drugs and therapies are found , athletes turn to them and as a result are much of the time ahead of the anti-doping organizations , which need to develop methods of athlete testing whenever a new drug that is meant to be untraceable is created .
3. In 2008 it was a big shock when Riccardo Ricco -LRB- a cyclist -RRB- was caught using the performance-enhancing drug Mircera , which had been considered undetectable for a number of years .
4. The fact is that a ban of performance enhancing drugs enables mainly athletes from wealthy countries and teams that can afford the newest technology to go undetected , whilst others are disadvantaged -LRB- 1 -RRB- .
5. So because it gives an unfair advantage to the wealthy one who can pay for the undetectable drugs , we should legalize it .
6. for Undetectable New Drug Mircera at 2008 Tour de France , 07/18/2008 , , accessed 05/20/2011

Controlling, rather than ignoring, performance enhancing substances will improve competitive standards in sport


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Since the offshore drilling industry creates jobs and tax revenue -- and can be executed without jeopardizing the environmentthen it is a viable option for investment and should be pursued .
2. It is estimated that the slow permit process for offshore drilling has cost the Gulf area 230,000 jobs and $ 44 billion including tax revenue .
3. For that reason , cutting jobs and turning away tax revenue needlessly can not be justified .
4. 2011 has proven to be one of the harshest American job markets since the 1970s .
5. Turning down an industry that could promote jobs and tax revenue is therefore unwise , particularly when there are ways to make it safe .
6. Having more money in the government 's coffers also never hurts considering that keeping a balanced budget is extremely difficult .
7. Even in prosperous economic times , providing jobs and stable growth should be at the forefront of policy maker 's minds .

The industry creates jobs and tax revenue.


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. The examples of Syria and Sudan prove the inability of the international community to intervene in crisis situations -LRB- 2 -RRB- -LRB- 3 -RRB- .
2. -LRB- 1 -RRB- Jihad in the Sahara , Jan 17th 2013 , -LRB- 2 -RRB- Genocide in Darfur , , 2013 , -LRB- 3 -RRB- Reuters , Syria Death Toll Tops 115,000 , Group Says , 1 October 2013 , -LRB- 4 -RRB- The number of armed conflicts increased strongly in 2011 , , 13 July 2013 , =
3. It is clear that Africa can not rely on the international community to solve its conflicts .
4. In order to be more independent , what the African Union needs is a standing army , which can intervene whenever there is a crisis .
5. First of all , when looking at statistics , having dipped in the 1990s the number of conflicts is growing once more , the most recent events of Mali and the Algeria serving as a perfect example -LRB- 1 -RRB- .
6. following a year -LRB- 2010 -RRB- that signalled hope for a more peaceful development , the number of conflicts increased by nearly 20 percent -LRB- 4 -RRB- .
7. This has served to demonstrate Africas need for a force to engage in peace keeping and peace making .
8. Despite the growing need for peacekeeping forces , there is reason to believe that the help coming from the international community will be insufficient .
9. The dysfunctional structure of the UNSC , the body which approves all major international interventions .
10. Russia and China , two countries which have a non interventionist approach on foreign policy , have veto power in this body ; which means a lot of possible interventions get vetoed .

This House would, as the African Union, create a standing army


Logging is often used as a political tool by corrupt governments
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. For instance , in the 1980 ?
2. Governments in tropical countries often feel that exploitation of natural resources is an opportunity for economic gain .
3. In a more sinister example , logging was used by the Khmer Rouge to fund its civil war in Cambodia .
4. Governments then use the revenues gained from this deforestation for political gain , either through feeding some of it back into society or by providing the newly created land to landless migrants .
5. Even if corruption is not outright in terms of bribes , logging companies may seek concessions , low fees and taxes , or the waiving of international regulations in return for offering governments a percentage of the revenues from the sale of the wood .
6. Corruption often begins at high levels and continues all the way down the government hierarchy .
7. Frequently this involves collusion between the exploiters and government or the bribery of officials responsible for enforcement of conservation regulations or for the protection of reserves .
8. Deforestation is often used as a tool for leverage in politics .
9. This gives the government credibility as an economic force for good , though the sacrifice is sustainability and a condoning -LRB- even encouraging -RRB- of illegal logging .
10. s , Malaysia , Indonesia and The Philippines exported 85 million cubic meters of wood -LRB- 4 % of the global wood supply -RRB- , worth about $ 3 billion , which has since grown to be one of their main industries .


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Lewis , 3 .
2. There is evidence to show that this alternative school system may benefit its students ; educators should not reject the opportunity without giving it a fair chance .
3. Gabriel , 2011
4. Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading , compared with 38 percent of white boys , and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math , compared with 44 percent of white boys .
5. Despite almost sixty years of integration , black students lag behind whites , and the difference is even greater for males .
6. The idyllic image of integrated schools does not line up to reality ; black males are still at great risk for dropping out of school , being imprisoned and murdered at rates several times higher than young white men .
7. Figures that are not explained just by poverty .

This house supports the creation of single-race public schools


The British tabloid press has proved singularly incapable of regulating – or for that matter restraining – itself.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. The phone hacking scandal is simply a new low in the recent , tawdry life of the tabloid press .
2. As the Leveson Inquiry is discovering , the use of private detectives , bribing police officers , and trailing the children of celebrities all seem to be common tricks not just for the News of the World but for tabloid journalism as an industry .
3. Indeed , the journalist who broke the story for the Guardian admitted to the Levenson inquiry that he had hacked a phone on one occasion .
4. Despite the protestation of the Guardians editors that 99 percent of journalists wouldnt know how to hack a phone , such practices and a culture that invades privacy seems commonplace .


This House Would Get A Masters Degree.
What is a possible side to this debate?

A Master’s increases employability and gives graduates an added edge in the employment market


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. As a result they report what is both interesting and acceptable to those who consume the news and , for the vast majority of news outlets , the companies that advertise on the station , website or in the paper .
2. Doing so would arguably be patronizing and certainly be financial suicide .
3. Where there is no interest or , more frequently , an active lack of interest , news outlet do not - and should not impose a particular set of judgements or interests on their customers .
4. Ultimately all news outlets report that which is of interest to their viewers .
5. Pellot , Brian , 2012 , -LRB- Not -RRB- reporting homosexuality in the Middle East , , Krajnc , Anita , Al Jazeera Arabic ignores gay news , , 2 August 2010 ,
6. This exactly shows the market in action ; Al Jazeera English broadcasts mostly to a European audience who are not offended by reports on gay rights whereas Al Jazeera Arabic is geared towards a Middle Eastern audience and does not challenge cultural values or orthodox religion .
7. It is a clear example of sacrificing the good in the name of the best in the example given , the writer mentions that Al Jazeera covers stories relating to gay rights but does so on its English language channels .
8. Expecting news outlets to ignore those simple realities is asking them to self-destruct by ignoring their market .

Where there is a clear objection to discussing a certain subject, insisting on doing so is not news, it’s propaganda.


Claim: The ICC has an anti-African bias
What evidence supports this claim?

1. The ICC has not brought actions against anyone involved in conflict in Colombia , or for the conflict in Sri Lanka or for human rights abuses around the world .
2. Every person indicted by the ICC so far has been an African , for events which occurred in Africa , all bar one case , the Libya situation -LRB- in which no trials have started and seem a long way off -RRB- , are in sub-Saharan Africa .
3. The ICC is simply selectively prosecuting .


This House believes transparency is necessary for security
What is a possible side to this debate?

Transparency prevents public relations disasters


Language integration is already happening.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Creole languages are the ultimate form of language integration , and most would argue that this is n't language death , and can in fact enhance the culture through the new language .
2. Bryson -LRB- 1991 -RRB- states that , `` According to Dr Loreto Todd of Leeds University , the world has sixty-one creoles -LRB- languages that are a mix of two different ones , such as the many different Pidgins spoken around the world -RRB- spoken by up to 200 million people . ''
3. Integration is something that is already happening due to the existence of Creoles .


1. If we can access more of those , we can significantly benefit justice .
2. Right now , there are thousands of rape kits sitting in evidence lockups in the police stations of less affluent districts .
3. The justice system will be able to consistently produce fairer and more robust outcomes if the state enables conviction of criminals years after their crimes .
4. DNA evidence is advancing steadily and will aid in prosecution .
5. This means poorer jurisdictions can afford to utilize DNA analysis for the purposes of collecting evidence .
6. Furthermore , even if it is not advancing significantly in terms of the methods we use at any given point , it is likely that the current methods we have will be streamlined and eventually go down in cost .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

DNA evidence gathering is advancing and becoming cheaper; using DNA evidence in prosecutions will lead to more just outcomes, even years after the commission of a crime.


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. This is partly an issue of corporate identity , and partly a clever business proposition .
2. Googles corporate motto is dont be evil .
3. The key to Googles dominance in the search market is that users know Google will always deliver the search results most relevant to them .
4. In both cases , complying with Chinese censorship rules damages Google as a company .
5. By adhering to censorship laws , users will trust the relevance of Googles search results less , which hence erodes Googles business position as users will be more likely to try alternative search engines

Not censoring helps Google’s business proposition and corporate identity


This house believes that the EU should offer a closer partnership with Mediterranean countries
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

A partnership will be an incentive to Mediterranean countries to begin the process of democratization.


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Given that the growth of annual emissions is being driven by developing countries , many developed countries -LRB- like the US -RRB- believe that any treaty that does not include developing countries -LRB- particularly China -RRB- would be fruitless .
2. However , the developed world is unwilling to transfer wealth in exchange for a right to emit , particularly at a time when so many have large budget deficits .
3. 1 .
4. There is no meaningful global emissions reduction treaty ready for ratification and no reason to be optimistic that one is forthcoming .
5. The Kyoto Protocol failed to reduce global GHG emissions and in the midst of an economic crisis , world leaders were unable to even agree to a replacement treaty when it expired .
6. As such , developing countries will only agree to a global accord that pays for their emissions reductions/abatement .
7. The developing world believes it has a legitimate right to expand economically without emissions caps because the rich world is responsible for the vast majority of emissions over the last 200 years and per capita emissions in developing countries are still far lower than in the developed world .


Claim: A ban would save lives
What evidence supports this claim?

1. , , 14 December 2012 , Matthews , Jake , For Lives and Liberty : Banning Assault Weapons in America , Harvard University Institute of Politics , 2012 , Peters , Rebecca , Will Sandy Hook massacre be Americas tipping point , , 17 December 2012 ,
2. Masters , Brian , Americas deadly obsession with guns The Telegraph 16 December 2012 , Follman , Mark , et al. , A Guide to Mass Shootings in America , , 15 December 2012 , Wang , Sam , Did the federal ban on assault weapons matter ?
3. An evaluation by the Australian National University found laws saved $ 500 million and halved the number of people killed by guns saving 200 lives every year .
4. Taking the low estimate of 1 % of deaths from assault weapons that still means 90-100 people a year while the high 7 % means 630-700 lives that could be saved .
5. While assault weapons are responsible for a relatively small amount of total gun deaths in the USA that is not a good reason for not banning them ; any life saved is worthwhile .
6. The period of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994-2004 with the exception of 1999 , the year of the Columbine massacre -LRB- which notably involved a semi-automatic produced before the ban -RRB- , was also a peaceful period in terms of numbers of mass shootings .
7. Out of 62 mass murders since 1982 almost half the weapons used , 67 out of 142 , were semi-automatic handguns and more than 30 were assault weapons .
8. So some form of gun control is necessary and a ban on assault weapons is a good starting point .
9. Murder by gunfire particularly affects children , in total well over a million Americans have died in this manner and 80 people continue to be shot in the states every day .
10. To put things into the general context of gun crime within the United States every year 17,000 people are killed , 70 percent of them with guns and nearly 20,000 people commit suicide by shooting themselves .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. In short , the results of the games are illegitimate .
2. This is especially unfortunate when fans invest hours to watch a game -LRB- or hundreds of hours watching an entire season -RRB- , only to see the wrong outcomewhich could have been entirely avoidable if umpires were allowed to review their decision .
3. There are times when umpires make incorrect calls that determine the outcomes of games or , worse , World Series championships -LRB- e.g. , Don Denkinger and the 1985 World Series , mentioned above -RRB- .
4. These erroneous decisions lead to the team that deserved to win actually losing , and vice versa .

With more accurate calls come more legitimate outcomes to games


Sentences: 1. Whatever one thinks of the initial justifications for the war there is no doubt that the country , the region and the world are better and safer places without Saddam Hussein .
2. It 's important to be clear that this debate is looking at the results of the Iraq war and , by any definition Iraq is in a much more stable and secure position than it was in 2003 when American , British and other international troops arrived in the country .
3. It is easy to criticize the allies but it is worth bearing in mind that the alternative was leaving in power a man who had committed genocide was a vicious and brutal dictator under whose regime extra-judicial execution and detention , mass-murder and torture were commonplace .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Saddam Hussein is gone and Iraq is now functioning as one of very few democracies in the Middle East


Corporal Punishment for Adult Offenders
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Prison reform is politically unachievable


This House would cull badgers
What argument could one make about this debate topic?


This House Does Not Trust the Market for Improvements in Energy Standards.
What is a possible side to this debate?

Only government is in a position to tie together the necessary legislation in terms of training, jobs and environmental standards


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. This would help to fill the 2million unfilled vacancies that exist in the EU with young people .
2. Youth Business International , Global Youth Unemployment : a ticking timebomb , , 27 March 2013 , Youth Business International , Global Youth Unemployment : a ticking timebomb , , 27 March 2013 , European Commission , Youth Unemployment , , 2013 ,
3. The temporary work scheme would encourage business to change their attitude and hire more young workers .
4. Having to hire young people , even for a short time , would help break negative stereotypes and often the employers would then offer longer term work .
5. When they are unemployed , the situation can be alarming .
6. This is because of the importance of getting a job early on so as to avoid becoming long term unemployed .
7. Rising youth unemployment can be considered an international timebomb .
8. Young people are the next generation of workers and consumers in the economy .
9. The lack of experience in work may cause a lost generation .
10. This must be averted , and the EU is one of the best placed to do this .

This House believes EU member states should guarantee people under 25 a temporary workplace when they have been unemployed for six months


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. There is little reason to doubt that they will .
2. In an age when any fool with a cell phone and a twitter account can snap a topless pop star on the beach , tabloid hacks are under greater pressure than ever to go the extra mile .
3. Against that background , when a flat out lie can be broadcast around the world in seconds , clearly a different legal and regulatory framework is needed from the old days of print where an apology was actually relevant however begrudgingly given .
4. Privacy is already one of the dominant legal issues of our age that looks likely to become ever more the case .

There have to be limits to the permissible levels of intrusion into people’s lives, in an increasingly connected world people- celebrities or not- have never been more conscious of this simple fact.


1. Factcheck.org , Presidents Winning Without Popular Vote , Annenberg Public Policy Center , 24 March 2008 ,
2. In 1824 , 1876 , 1888 , 2000 , and probably 1960 , the candidate receiving the most votes for president lost the election .
3. This occurs because all but two states award all their electoral votes to the candidate winning a plurality in the state ; because all states receive two electoral votes corresponding to their two US senators ; because the number of House seats -LRB- which serve as the basis of the remaining electoral votes -RRB- often poorly match the population of the state ; because states cast electoral votes no matter how many people actually vote ; and because the size of the House is arbitrary .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

The electoral college violates the democratic principle that the winner should be the candidate receiving the most votes.


Sentences: 1. For example , ice cores such as those from Vostok , Antartica , give evidence of changes in climate going back 400,000 years , far older than the 6,000 or so calculated from a literal reading of Genesis .
2. Similarly , there are many geographic features that took thousands or millions of years to form .
3. For example , most of the stars in the sky are thousands and millions of lightyears away , which means that light took thousands and millions of years to reach us .
4. Evidence from many different disciplines shows that the Earth is very old , allowing enough time for life as it exists today to evolve and contradicting a Creationist belief in a young earth .
5. Bjrn Feuerbacher , Determining Distances to Astronomical Objects , , Accessed 1/6/2011 Vostok Ice Core , , Accessed 2/6/2011
6. There are many different indicators that all point to an old age of the Earth .
7. All the evidence points this way , from archaeology , geology , physics , astronomy and more .

What claim can be made from these sentences?


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. The crisis in the financial sector has confirmed for many that government and large financial institutions have simply got too close .
2. A libertarian agenda is one that draws people from across the political spectrum .
3. The primary reason why people can approach libertarianism from across the political spectrum is that , as a philosophy , it doesnt seek to judge individual policies .
4. Republicans say they can reduce the size of government but never do , Democrats say they can regulate corporations but show no sign of doing so .
5. So policies traditionally associated with the left the legalization of drugs or gay rights as well as those of the right - independence for schools and reducing taxation both fall within a Libertarian agenda that simply says that none of these issues are any business of the state .

This House would be a libertarian; right or left, right or wrong.


This House supports a progressive tax rate
What is a possible side to this debate?

Progressive taxation promotes a more equal, more harmonious society


Stability is more important than reform
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. -LRB- 1 -RRB-
2. This is also proven from various polls among the Russian population The most eye-catching statistic is the overwhelming majority of respondents who say that order is more important for Russia than democracy 72 per cent , with 16 per cent responding conversely .
3. A strong leader is the only solution to providing such stability , setting a clear direction and pulling a country at risk of falling apart together again .
4. In a period of such chaos , stability seems to be much more important than reform .
5. The chaos of economic and political reform , along with the chaos of the break-up of former USSR , has left the majority of the population both disillusioned and distrustful of their government .
6. The introduction of market reforms and privatization has led to a swift increase in inequalities coupled with an increase in corruption .
7. Since the fall of communism , Russia has plunged into a deep economic recession .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Skolnik , Sam , , Beacon Press , 2011 , Chapter 5
2. Because they can be legally sited anywhere in the world , they can pick countries with no rules to protect customers .
3. Online gambling sites can also get around government regulations that limit the dangers of betting .
4. It is very hard to know the identity of an online gambler there have been several cases of people -LRB- including children -RRB- using stolen credit cards to gamble online .
5. In the United States in 1999 the National Gambling Impact Study stated `` the high-speed instant gratification of Internet games and the high level of privacy they offer may exacerbate problem and pathological gambling '' , and it is estimated that 75 % of internet gamblers are problem gamblers , compared with 20 % of those who visit casinos .
6. They may therefore be less reluctant to wager very large sums they can not afford .
7. This also means that they are gambling in private .
8. Someone can become addicted very easily they dont even need to leave their home , and online gambling sites are available at all hours .

Online gambling has increased the incidence of gambling addiction