Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Panacea n

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Panacea (n): a remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all

Debate Topic 1 Give at least one pro and one con As human beings, we have an obligation to help others in need, no matter where they live.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Paradox (n): a statement that seems to contradict itself but that nonetheless may be true

Debate Topic 1 Give at least one pro and one con Cell phones should be allowed in schools at any time during the day.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Peevish (adj): discontented or irritable

Debate Topic 2 Give one Pro and one Con Parents should read their teen’s text messages and social networking posts to keep them safe and be informed.

Debate Topic 3 Give one Pro and one Con Online education is as effective as traditional inclass schooling.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Perfunctory (adj): done routinely and with little interest or care

Debate Topic 4 Give one Pro and one Con Schools should use metal detectors to keep students safe.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Philistine (n): a person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and culture

Debate Topic 5 Give one Pro and one Con Higher education (beyond high school) should be offered to all Americans for free.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Precocious (adj): displaying unusual early development or maturity; especially in intelligence

Debate Topic 6 Give one Pro and one Con School media centers should be allowed to have banned books on the shelf.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Propriety (n): conformity to customs of the time

Debate Topic 9 Give one Pro and one Con Posting students’ grades publicly in school would better motivate them.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Quid Pro Quo (n): something given in return for something else or part of an exchange

Debate Topic 10 Give one Pro and one Con Students should be given sex education in school.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Quintesential (adj): being the best or most typical example of its kind

Debate Topic 12 Give one Pro and one Con Most professional athletes are overpaid.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Red Herring (n): something that draws attention away from the matter at hand

Vocabulary Enrichment A hunting guide published in the 1600 s recommends dragging a red herring (fish) along the ground to create a scent trail so that hounds and horses can get exercise on days when a real quarry cannot be scared up. The modern meaning of the word developed from the notion of deliberately laying an artificial trail to be tracked by hounds. Red Herring is used metaphorically to describe intriguing but irrelevant trains of thought.

Debate Topic 11 Give one Pro and one Con The wealthy in society should have to pay more taxes than the middle and lower classes.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Revel (v): to take great pleasure or delight in something

Debate Topic 13 Give one Pro and one Con Bullfighting is an acceptable sport in modern times.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Rhetoric (n): language intended to persuade

Debate Topic 14 Give one Pro and one Con The Paraolympics and the Special Olympics should happen at the same time as the regular Olympics.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Scintillating (adj): lively and exceptionally intelligent; animated and brilliant

Debate Topic 16 Give one Pro and one Con Texting while driving should be illegal in all states.

Debate Topic 15 Give one Pro and one Con The use of performanceenhancing drugs in sports should be legalized.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Spartan (adj): rigorously selfdisciplined or self-restrained; having a simple or severe manner or appearance.

Vocabulary Enrichment • When an infant was born in an upper-class Spartan family, the community elders would examine it and if it had any defects, it would be thrown over a cliff. • At seven, boys left their family to join the military. They slept on reed they plucked with their bare hands, had one piece of clothing, and were deliberately underfed and encouraged to steal food in order to learn the skill of approaching the enemy in secret.

Vocabulary Enrichment • At 20, young men were admitted into dining halls where they ate simple foods (barley, cheese, figs, watered wine, and pork seasoned with just salt and vinegar) that kept them ready for battle. • Women as well as men were given a good education so that they could serve the city by raising children who would be devoted to Spartan goals.

Debate Topic 17 Give one Pro and one Con The government should be able to control how much air conditioning or heat you use in order to save energy.

Debate Topic 16 Give one Pro and one Con Texting while driving should be illegal in all states.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Philistine (n): a person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and culture

Debate Topic 17 Give one Pro and one Con The government should be able to control how much air conditioning or heat you use in order to save energy.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Stigma (n): disgrace or public disapproval with a characteristic, condition, or behavior

Debate Topic 18 Give one Pro and one Con Nazi war criminals should still be hunted down and prosecuted.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Stoic (adj): seemingly indifferent to pleasure and pain; showing little or no emotion.

Debate Topic 19 Give one Pro and one Con Social networking sites should do more to prevent cyber-bullying.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Suave (adj): gracious and sophisticated

Debate Topic 18 Give one Pro and one Con Life exists outside of Earth.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Svengali (n): a person who manipulates or controls another for malicious purposes

Debate Topic 20 Give one Pro and one Con It should be legal to clone human beings.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Sycophant (n): a person who attempts to gain advantage by flattering influential people or behaving in a submissive way

Debate Topic 22 Give one Pro and one Con It should be legal to torture suspects for information.

Debate Topic 21 Give one Pro and one Con Internet news is a better source than television news.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Teetotaler (n): one who abstains from alcoholic beverages

Debate Topic 24 Give one Pro and one Con Prisoners have too many comforts (TV, Internet, etc. ) in prison.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Tete-a-tete (n): a private conversation between two people

Debate Topic 25 Give one Pro and one Con It should be a crime to burn the American flag.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Tirade (n): a long, angry speech, usually of a critical nature

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con The state of NC should charge $10 for each student to go to school in order to preserve teacher jobs and provide more funding for schools.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Tryst (n): an agreement, as between lovers, to meet at a certain time and place

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con The state of NC should charge $10 for each student to go to school in order to preserve teacher jobs and provide more funding for schools.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Ubiquitous (adj): being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Biological parenthood should always be taken into account in custody hearings.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Unrequited (adj): not given, rewarded, or felt in return

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Child soldiers should be prosecuted for crimes they commit during wartime.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Untenable (adj): impossible to maintain or defend, as against criticism; impossible to tolerate or endure

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Spanking is a justifiable method of punishment that parents should use with their children.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Vicarious (adj): empathy with or imaginary participation in the life of another person

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Vile (adj): loathsome, disgusting; morally depraved or wicked

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Divorce should be easier to obtain than it currently is.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Waft (v): to move or cause to move gently and smoothly through the air

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con The legal age for drinking alcohol in the United States should be lowered to 18.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day White Elephant (n): a possession that is burdensome to or unwanted by the owner

Vocabulary Enrichment In Siam (now Thailand), the king would honor a member of his court by presenting him with a rare white elephant, along with the land means to feed him. It was strictly forbidden to make a white elephant work. However, if the king wanted to get rid of a member of his court who had displeased him, he would present him with a white elephant that the courtier had to maintain at his own expense.

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con Holocaust denial should be a crime.

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day Zealous (adj): passionately devoted to a cause, ideal, or goal

Debate Topic 26 Give one Pro and one Con All high school students should be required to take a public speaking class in order to graduate.