homework questions for debate

What Questions Should I Ask To Win Crossfire?

Updated: May 24, 2022

There are three crossfires in a debate round: the first crossfire (1CX) which occurs between the two first-speakers after the cases have been read, the second crossfire (2CX) which occurs between the two second-speakers after both rebuttals have been delivered, and the grand crossfire (GCX), which involves all four debaters and occurs after the summaries have been delivered.

Crossfires are always the most hectic parts of the round and most debaters do not understand how to use their time in crossfire strategically, leading to a loss in perceptual dominance, and often losing the round.

This article will break down the differences between the objectives of each crossfire and provides examples of the types of questions you should ask in various circumstances. (For another free resource on Crossfire, check out Ten Tips To Improve Your Crossfire Skills .)

First Crossfire

At the time of the first crossfire, the only material you have to work with is your opponent’s case. In order to ask strategic questions about your opponent’s case, you will want to zero in on logical inconsistencies.

Novice debaters who don’t have strong questions prepared for the first crossfire will often ask their opponents to re-explain one of their arguments. This is just about the worst thing that you can do. If you go up there and say, “I was confused by your contention two; could you re-explain it?” you are providing your opponents time to explain their arguments in-depth to the judge, and you can’t justify cutting them off because you asked them to do so.

The questions you ask in first crossfire should help you accomplish one of the following two goals.

1. Help your partner give a great rebuttal

If your partner doesn’t fully understand the nuances of your opponent’s links, it will be hard to give a strong response in rebuttal

Here is a sample question you could ask. “In your first contention, you impact to lives but I had trouble understanding how you access that impact; is the link that ______?” And in the blank space, you try your best to re-explain the link efficiently and concisely.

This is a polite question that demonstrates you understand what is going on. But the real power is it pins your opponent to an advocacy. Let’s say their only response is “yes.” You can follow up with a quick “and that’s the only way you access that impact, right?”

The goal here is to simultaneously clarify the opponent’s position and close doors for them – to pin them to a specific advocacy. Then your partner can attack that link and in doing so, cut them off from their impact.

2. Establish perceptual dominance

An important aspect of crossfire is demonstrating that you are smarter than your opponent. However, you must do this delicately; saying “actually you’re wrong because ___” will not fly 90% of the time even if you are factually correct.

Instead, through your answers to questions and the wording of your own questions, you want to imply that you have a deeper understanding of the topic without saying so explicitly.

Here are three types of questions that are great for establishing perceptual dominance.

Question Type 1: Ask specific questions about their evidence.

It is very unlikely that your opponent will be able to answer specific questions about the methodology and results of their evidence, even their most important evidence, on the fly. Questions like “what date is your study from?,” “How big is the sample size in your study,” and “Can you explain how the methodology of your study demonstrates causality” are all great questions to attempt to demonstrate to the judge that your side is better-prepared.

These are good questions because it is hard to BS an answer. If you don’t know the date of your study, you don’t know the date. (Keep in mind that if you ask the date question, there should be a reason for it – you should be ready to say that your study postdates theirs. If it doesn’t, don’t ask about dates).

What you don’t want to do is to merely say “can you explain the methodology of your study?” This question is too vague and your opponent can say pretty much anything in response and sound like they adequately answered the question. By contrast, if you ask about how their study establishes causality specifically, or which variables it controls for (and have in mind some reasons that sort of analysis would need control variables), it is much more challenging to come up with a reasonable answer on the spot because they either know or they don’t.

Of course, you need to be prepared for your opponents to come right back at you with the same questions, and you should have at least a working understanding or a prepared line that you can come back with. That said, most of the time your opponent won’t ask the same question right back to you – you just want to be careful and ensure you aren’t coming off as a hypocrite.

(Note if you're having trouble finding powerful evidence to support your arguments, check out How Should I Research for Debate? for 5 strategic considerations and 5 free research tips!)

Question Type 2: Identify contradictions

If you see a potential contradiction between two of your opponent’s contentions, that is a good place to zero in. Something like “You say in your first contention that sanctions on Russia are effective in preventing violence, but then in your second contention you talk about a battle that happened just last month. Doesn’t that show sanctions haven’t actually been effective?”

Of course, your opponent will be able to find their way out of that, and unless you have found the perfect contradiction this won’t do much to win the round for you on the flow. However, it does plant a seed of doubt in the judge’s mind and demonstrates that you are sharp enough to think on the fly, having only just heard your opponent’s case a few minutes ago.

You don’t want to harp on this for too long – the idea is just to get out a good question and shift the perceptual dominance to your side.

Question Type 3: Set traps

Traps are questions designed to elicit answers that will be brought up again in later speeches. The idea is to pin your opponent to a certain advocacy and then use their words against them later in the round. It is not uncommon to hear a debater in the final focus speech say “and remember they agreed to this in first cross – don’t let them change their advocacy now.”

The simplest type of trap is a weighing trap. If you ask, “can we agree that lives are the most important impact of the round?” and your opponent agrees, you will want to reference this precedent in the summary and final focus speeches when explaining why their impact to the economy shouldn’t win them the round.

Traps can get much more complex than this and we will delve into them further in later posts. Just know that traps are very tough to execute correctly, but if you can pull one off it can completely change the trajectory of the round. Traps should be planned out prior to the round and should be particularly designed to cooperate with your own arguments.

Second Crossfire

Your number one goal in the second crossfire is to make your partner’s summary easier by taking out the responses they put on your case.

The summary speech is often called the hardest speech in the round because you have to boil 16 minutes of content and 6 minutes of crossfires down into a 3-minute speech. As a second speaker, you want to make this as easy as possible for your partner.

(If you're a first speaker, feel free to check out our free Summary resources: Five Big Tips for the Summary Speech and How to Structure a Summary . You may also be interested in How to Write a Debate Case .)

(And If you're a second speaker, you may be interested in How to Prepare for Rebuttal by Writing Blocks , as well as How to Deliver a Rebuttal Speech and How To Deliver a Debate Final Focus .)

Pick three responses made in the opponent’s rebuttal and put a bull’s eye on them. Ask questions about those responses, poking holes at the logic, the evidence, really anything you can think of to take them down.

Then when your partner goes up to give that response in summary, the judge will already have a sense of what they’re talking about and it is much less likely to go right over the judge’s head.

When picking which responses to target, you will want to prioritize ones you can kill over ones that are strong. If you can kill a strong response, even better! But what you don’t want is to give the opponent extra time to go into the logic of their response, especially if it’s their best response, when you don’t know how to take that logic out. You want to be targeting holes .

There is no need to spend excessive time on each question; in fact we recommend that you try to move in and out of questions quickly during the second crossfire instead of getting bogged down on one. (Unless you’ve got your opponent on their heels and pushing deeper will allow you to gain more and more perceptual dominance.)

If you effectively entirely take down 2 or more responses your opponent made on your case, your partner will thank you when they are delivering the summary, and you will thank yourself when delivering the final focus.

Grand Crossfire

Grand crossfire is generally considered the craziest three minutes of the round, and for good reason.

It is important to know that you will not accomplish any of your strategic goals in grand crossfire. It is too late to set traps, and even if you wanted to you probably would fail because there is really nothing to stop all 4 debaters from speaking at once while the judge sits there and just feels generally upset about life.

All you need to care about in grand crossfire is perceptual dominance. Remain calm and unflustered. Glance at the judge and smile / laugh when something funny happens like your opponents both talking at once. Try to establish some empathy with the judge and get them to want to vote for you, while of course remaining professional and kind (don’t be condescending!)

The same general principles of the first two crossfires do apply. You can challenge evidence or try to take out responses. You can also try to do some weighing. Just don’t plan for this time to be strategically productive because it won’t be – instead, focus your energy on perceptual dominance and getting the judge to feel like they want to vote for you.

Question Templates

To recap, here are some strong sample questions you can ask if you don’t know what to ask about.

1. Evidence – Date

a. “I was hoping we could discuss your evidence about poverty. The card we cite is from 2019; what year is your evidence from?”

2. Evidence – Methodology

a. “Can you explain how the author you cite in your poverty contention specifically isolates for causality? For example what control variables do they use?”

3. Evidence – Sample Size

a. “I know that a lot of studies on poverty aren’t especially robust – can you tell me about the sample size used in your study?

Recent Posts

How Should I Research for Debate?

Ten Tips To Improve Your Crossfire Skills

How Should I Decide Which Debate Contentions to Use?

Are you looking for debate topics for your middle and high school students? Well, you have come to the right place. Check out our list of 120 debate topics for middle and high school students.

General Debate Topics 

• Should we ban homework: does homework promote learning?
• How essential is a college education?
• Banning mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones) at schools: yes or no?
• Is it appropriate to allow students to create their own curricula?
• Is abortion murder?
• Are violent video games appropriate entertainment for teenagers?
• Does social media contribute to teenage suicide?
• Does modern social media make people less socially active?
• How should modern society respond to teenage pregnancies?
• Is higher education a necessary prerequisite for an individual’s financial success in the future?

Topics Related to Education

• Are private schools better than public schools?
• Should education be privatized entirely?
• Are student loans exploitative?
• Does the traditional classroom address contemporary society’s needs?
• Is allowing teachers to carry guns on campuses a good idea?
• Does the contemporary grading system work?
• Should college education be compulsory?
• Is it appropriate to teach religion in schools?
• Is homeschooling better than a public or private school education?
• Is it fair to require that all students learn at least one foreign language?

Social Debate Topics

• Does the contemporary policing of marginalized communities in the United States contribute to the criminalization of youth?
• Should the death penalty be abolished in the United States?
• Is it ethical to have an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy?
• Does peer pressure absolve deliquent teens from cupabilty?
• Will electronic databases fully substitute brick and mortar libraries?
• Is cloning ethically acceptable?
• Is the legalization of marijuana a food idea?
• Should euthanasia be legalized?
• Is there any reason to raise minimum wages?
• Drug addicts: Do they need help or punishment?
• Is nationalism beneficial or dangerous in the context of globalization?

Environmental Issues

• Is climate change already irreversible?
• Banning plastic bags and packaging: yes or no?
• Are genetically modified foods a viable solution?
• Banning zoos: yes or no?
• How does tourism affect the environment?
• Should there be more national parks in the United States?
• Is banning fracking a good idea?
• All people should become vegetarian.
• What is organic farming’s role in agriculture’s future?
• Are live animal exports ethically acceptable?

Political Debate Topics

• Political campaigns should not be allowed to accept money from.
• Democracy is the best form of government.
• Is it appropriate for governments to limit their citizens’ freedom of speech?
• Are taxes that increase at accelerating rates fair?
• Limiting terms for U.S. senators and representatives brings more harm than good.
• Former offenders should preserve their voting rights.
• Modern patterns of incarceration that affect minorities more than whites contribute to racial inequality in the US.
• Is it necessary for a political leader to be active on social media?
• Is the US Constitution a living document?
• Should the Supreme Court judges be appointed for predetermined fixed periods?

Debate Topics Related to Parenting

• Should children use smartphones without parental supervision?
• Teenage girls having access to birth control without parental supervision: yes or no?
• Should parents decide which career their children will pursue?
• Parents always treat their children fairly: yes or no?
• Is it ethically permissible for parents to  pick the genders of their future children?
• Gay couples are adopting children: pros and cons.
• Should parents control their children’s activities on social media?
• Is parental supervision the same as parental control?
• Teenage children and completely autonomous decision-making: should parents allow this?
• Is parental support essential for the future success of children?

Technology Topics

• Will technology make people smarter?
• Is artificial intelligence dangerous?
• Will robots increase people’s quality of life?
• How do technological advances influence us?
• Will humans colonize another planet soon?
• Can all cars become electric?
• Does technology intensify human communication?
• Recent developments in technology transform people’s interests: yes or no?
• Can people save nature using technology (or destroy it)?
• Do laws effectively keep up with changes in technology?
• How can companies like Certbolt grow their ROI?

Healthcare Topics

• Justifying the legalization of recreational marijuana: yes or no?
• Is mandatory vaccination constitutional?
• Alternative medicine and its impact on the future of healthcare.
• Does technology promote our health?
• Modern healthcare and antibiotics.
• Is drug legalization a good idea?
• Does globalization promote universal healthcare?
• Should healthcare services for all citizens be fully funded by the government?
• Should the government be allowed to force parents to take their sick children to the hospital?
• Can competition improve the quality of healthcare services?

Debate Topics Related to Leisure

• Is a summer vacation better than a winter vacation?
• Encouraging teenagers to read books: are the outcomes encouraging?
• Has technology changed the way young people spend their leisure time?
• Has social media taken over our leisure time?
• Can daily leisure time be a substitute for a yearly vacation?
• Is leisure time essential for workplace effectiveness?
• Playing video games during leisure time: pros and cons.
• Has work-life balance changed with the advent of technology?
• Has globalization and our increased mobility changed the way we view vacations?
• Women spend their leisure time differently than men.

Debating Financial and Policy Matters

• Can the U.S. government ensure the country’s financial stability?
• How secure is mobile banking?
• Does the credit industry promote or hinder economic development?
• Is there any economic justification for wars?
• Should wealthy people pay higher taxes than the poor?
• How would lowering the voting age impact America’s future?
• Mass incarceration and its impact on U.S. politics.
• Mandatory financial education: pros and cons.
• Should online financial advice be available for every citizen?
• Can high profitability alone justify environmentally hazardous practices?

Debating Historical Matters

• History is an important subject that all students should learn: yes or no?.
• Is King Arthur a real historical figure or myth?
• Knowledge of history enriches one’s worldview: yes or no?
• What role did Britain play during the First World War?
• How have different historians interpreted World War Two?
• Was there any justification for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US?
• How shoudl we interpret the Revolutionary War?
• Ancient Roman culture versus contemporary culture.
• History & its impact on the future.
• Modern interracial conflicts evaluated from a historical perspective.

Topics for Fun Filled Debates

• Are men stronger than women?
• Daydreaming versus dreaming at night: which is better?
• Communication between the sexes: do men and women have different approaches?
• Choosing the best pizza topping: healthy versus tasty.
• Do fairy tales affect children’s perception of reality?
• Is living together before marriage appropriate nowadays?
• Should teenagers get after-school jobs?
• Gender and life expectancy: what factors explain life expectancy gaps?
• From a historical perspective, are women smarter than men?

136 Persuasive Speech Topics for Students

Should we take a zero-tolerance approach to ....

Matthew Lynch

Related articles more from author.

How to Implement the GIST Summary Writing Strategy into Your Classroom

How the 20th Century Shaped High School Reform

How Effective Teachers Motivate Students by Thinking Outside of the Box

List of Appropriate Songs To Keep Everyone Motivated in Your Classroom

20 Ways to Encourage Students to Respond Appropriately When Others Receive Success or Praise

Educators: Do You Know These Important Facts About The Legal Rights of Parents?

• situs togel online
• situs toto 4d
• situs toto slot

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

55 Great Debate Topics for Any Project

General Education

A debate is a formal discussion about a topic where two sides present opposing viewpoints. Debates follow a specific structure: each side is given time to speak either for or against the topic at hand.

Many students study debate in high school to improve their speaking skills. As a debater, you learn how to clearly structure and present an argument. The skills you develop as a debater will help you on everything from a college admissions interview to a job presentation.

Selecting debate topics is one of the most important parts of debating. In this article, we’ll explain how to select a good debate topic and give suggestions for debate topics you can use.

How to Select Good Debate Topics

A good debate topic is one that lets the participants and the audience learn about both sides of an issue. Consider the following factors when selecting a debate topic:

Interest: Are you interested in the topic? Would the topic be interesting to your fellow classmates, as well as to the audience listening to the debate? Selecting a topic that you’re interested in makes the preparation part of the debate more exciting , as well as the debate more lively.

Argument Potential: You want to choose a debate topic that has solid argument potential. If one side is clearly right, or if there isn’t a lot of available information, you’ll have a hard time crafting a solid debate.

Availability of Data: Data points make an argument more robust. You’ll want to select a topic with lots of empirical data that you can pull from to bolster your argument.

Now that we know how to select a debate topic, let’s look at a list of good debate topics.

Debate Topics Master List

If you’re searching for your next debate topic, here are some suggestions.

Social and Political Issues Debate Topics

• All people should have the right to own guns.
• The death penalty should be abolished.
• Human cloning should be legalized.
• All drugs should be legalized.
• Animal testing should be banned.
• Juveniles should be tried and treated as adults.
• Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity today.
• Violent video games should be banned.
• The minimum wage should be $15 per hour.
• All people should have Universal Basic Income.
• Sex work should be legal.
• Countries should be isolationist.
• Abortion should be banned.
• Every citizen should be mandated to perform national public service.
• Bottled water should be banned.
• Plastic bags should be banned.

Education Debate Topics

• Homework should be banned.
• Public prayer should not be allowed in schools.
• Schools should block sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram on their computers.
• School uniforms should be required.
• Standardized testing should be abolished.
• All students should have an after-school job or internship.
• School should be in session year-round.
• All high school athletes should be drug tested.
• Detention should be abolished.
• All student loan debt should be eliminated.
• Homeschooling is better than traditional schooling.
• All schools should have armed security guards.
• Religion should be taught in schools.
• All schools should be private schools.
• All students should go to boarding schools.
• Sexual education should be mandatory in schools.
• Public college should be tuition free.
• All teachers should get tenure.
• All school districts should offer school vouchers.

Health Debate Topics

• Healthcare should be universal.
• Cosmetic procedures should be covered by health insurance.
• All people should be vegetarians.
• Euthanasia should be banned.
• The drinking age should be 18.
• Vaping should be banned.
• Smoking should be banned in all public places.
• People should be legally required to get vaccines.
• Obesity should be labeled a disease.
• Sexual orientation is determined at birth.
• The sale of human organs should be legalized.
• Birth control should be for sale over the counter.

Technology Debate Topics

• Social media has improved human communication.
• The development of artificial intelligence will help humanity.
• Individuals should own their own DNA.
• Humans should invest in technology to explore and colonize other planets.
• Governments should invest in alternative energy sources.
• Net neutrality should be restored.
• Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies should be encouraged or banned.
• Alternative energy can effectively replace fossil fuels.
• Cell phone radiation is dangerous and should be limited.

How to Prepare for a Debate

Once you’ve selected your debate topic, the next step is to prepare for your debate. Follow these steps as you get ready to take the podium.

Read Your Evidence

The most important step to building your debate confidence is to familiarize yourself with the evidence available. You’ll want to select reputable sources and use empirical data effectively.

The more well read on your topic you are, the better you’ll be able to defend your position and anticipate the other side’s arguments.

Anticipate the Other Side’s Arguments

As part of your debate, you’ll need to rebut the other side’s arguments. It’s important to prepare ahead of time to guess what they’ll be talking about. You’ll bolster your own side’s argument if you’re able to effectively dismantle what the other side is saying.

Plan to Fill Your Speech Time

Each speaker at a debate is limited to a certain amount of time. You should plan to use every second of the time that you’re allotted. Make sure you practice your talking points so that you know you’re within the time frame. If you’re short, add in more evidence.

Practice to Build Confidence

It can be scary to take the stage for a debate! Practicing ahead of time will help you build confidence. Remember to speak slowly and clearly. Even if your argument is great, it won’t matter if no one can understand it.

Final Thoughts

Debate is a great way to hone your public speaking skills and get practice crafting and defending an argument. Use these debate topics if you're searching for a focus for your next debate.

What's Next?

Looking for ways to keep the debate going in non-academic life? Then you'll love our list of 101 "this or that" questions to argue over with your friends.

Thinking about how you can use your argumentative skills in a future career? Read up on the five steps to becoming a lawyer to see if that's a path you want to pursue.

Getting ready to take an AP test? Here’s a list of practice tests for every AP exam, including the AP literature exam .

It can be hard to schedule time to study for an AP test on top of your extracurriculars and normal classwork. Check out this article on when you need to start studying for your AP tests to make sure you’re staying on track.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

The New York Times

The learning network | our 100 most popular student questions for debate and persuasive writing.

Our 100 Most Popular Student Questions for Debate and Persuasive Writing

Updated, March 2, 2017 | We have two related question lists, “401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing” and “650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing.”

In anticipation of our third annual Student Editorial Contest (to be announced on Feb. 25), we’ve done the math, and below you’ll find the 100 most-commented-upon questions we’ve ever asked that call for persuasive writing.

Many of them are, of course, on topics teenagers care about — technology, video games, sports and gender issues. Others are classic debate issues like government regulation and gun violence.

But, perhaps unsurprisingly, the broad topic that seems to engage students the most? School — from questions about homework to cheating, bad report cards, bullying and gym class.

So skim the list and pick issues that interest you. Each question is linked to a related Times article, which you can access free, and includes additional subquestions to help you flesh out your ideas.

Our 100 Most Popular Student Questions for Debate and Argumentative Writing

• Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
• Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
• How Should Parents Handle a Bad Report Card?
• Should Middle School Students Be Drug Tested?
• Is Cheating Getting Worse?
• Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real Life?
• Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
• Should Students Be Able to Grade Their Teachers?
• Should Schools Put Tracking Devices in Students’ ID Cards?
• If Football Is So Dangerous to Players, Should We Be Watching It?
• Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
• Do Teachers Assign Too Much Homework?
• Does Technology Get in the Way of Learning?
• What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?
• California Notice
• Should Stores Sell Violent Video Games to Minors?
• Is a Healthier School Lunch Program a Lost Cause?
• How Young Is Too Young for an iPhone?
• Is Cheerleading a Sport?
• Should the School Day Start Later?
• Should Racial Epithets Be Removed From ‘Huck Finn’?

• Should Schools Offer Cash Bonuses for Good Test Scores?
• Can Money Buy You Happiness?
• Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Men? And, Should They Be Required to Register for the Draft?
• Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
• Should the Private Lives of Famous People Be Off Limits?
• Is School Teaching You the Skills You’ll Need to Succeed in Life?
• What Current Musicians Will Stand the Test of Time?
• What Words or Phrases Are Overused and Should Go Away?
• Can Cellphones Be Educational Tools?
• Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
• Do Kids Need Recess?
• What Time Should Black Friday Sales Start?
• Do Photoshopped Images Promote Unrealistic Expectations of Beauty and Body Image?
• What Should Be Done to Stop Cyberbullying?
• When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
• How Should We Prevent Future Mass Shootings?
• Is It Unethical for Zoos to Kill Healthy Animals Under Their Care?
• Is a Longer School Calendar a Good Idea?
• Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
• Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?

• Is Home-Schooling Better Than a Traditional Education?
• Is Prom Worth It?
• Do Students Learn Best When They Direct Their Own Education?
• Should Reading and Math Be Taught in Gym Class Too?
• Should Schools Be Allowed to Use Corporal Punishment?
• How Young Is Too Young to Date? (Or, Is Dating a Thing of the Past? )
• Do You Trust Your Government?
• Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
• Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
• Has Facebook Lost Its Edge?
• Should Tablet Computers Become the Primary Way Students Learn in Class?
• How Necessary Is a College Education?
• How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities?
• Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?
• Should Texting While Driving Be Illegal in Every State?
• Can Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?
• Whose Fault Is It if a Child Is Failing in School?
• Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?
• Should a College Education Be Free?
• Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?

• Does Class Size Matter?
• Should Marijuana Be Legal?
• Should You Feel Guilty About Killing Spiders, Ants or Other Bugs?
• Does Classroom Technology Enhance What and How Students Learn? Or, Does It Get in the Way of Learning?
• Should Parents Let Their Children Play Football?
• When Is the Use of Military Force Justified?
• Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
• Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
• Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras?
• Does Separating Boys and Girls Help Students Perform Better in School?
• Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
• Is Smoking Still a Problem Among Teenagers?
• Do Laws That Ban Offensive Words Make the World a Better Place?
• Is TV Too White? And, What About Movies?
• Is It O.K. to Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Couples Based on Religious Beliefs?
• Should Parents Limit How Much Time Children Spend on Tech Devices?
• Would You Feel Safer With Armed Guards Patrolling Your School?
• Should You Go to Jail for Kicking a Cat?
• Should Home-Schoolers Be Allowed to Play Public School Sports?
• Is It Offensive for Sports Teams to Use Native American Names and Mascots?

• Should Students Be Barred From Taking Cellphones to School?
• How Important Is Arts Education?
• Should the United States Stop Using the Death Penalty?
• Is It O.K. for Men and Boys to Comment on Women and Girls on the Street?
• Should Students Be Allowed to Skip Senior Year of High School?
• Would You Trade Your Paper Books for Digital Versions?
• Have Curse Words Become So Common They Have Lost Their Shock Value?
• Should College Football Players Get Paid?
• Are High School Students Being Worked Too Hard?
• When Do You Become an Adult?
• Does Reality TV Promote Dangerous Stereotypes? Or, Does It Ever Actually Do Some Good?
• Should Colleges Find a Better Way to Admit Students?
• How Should Parents Address Internet Pornography?
• Can You Be Good Without God?
• Do Our Neighborhoods Define Who We Are?
• Does Life Exist — or Has It Ever Existed — Somewhere Besides Earth?
• Should Computer Games Be Used for Classroom Instruction?
• Should Companies Collect Information About Us?
• Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?
• Should We Rethink How Long Students Spend in High School?

As a bonus, here are several more popular questions that we published since last year’s editorial contest that didn’t make the list:

• Does Facebook Need a ‘Dislike’ Button?
• Are School Dress Codes a Good Idea?
• Should Voting Be Mandatory?
• Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?
• Should Farm Animals Have More Legal Protections?
• Does Punctuation in Text Messages Matter?
• Should High Schools Drop Football Because Too Many Players Are Getting Injured?
• Should Circuses Be Animal-Free?

Not enough? We’ve also previously published a list of 301 prompts for argumentative writing , organized by topic.

What's Next