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2.10 Cross-Examination

Cross-examination often brings drama to LD debate. But it’s often the quiet questions that provide the most help in winning debates. Many effective questions do not end with an aha! moment or a concession, and out of context the most important interchanges may seem dull. What matters most is what you make of your opponent’s omissions or concessions during your next speech. If you gain a significant concession but never mention it during your next speech, you gain no credit for the argument. If you incorporate a concession into your speech, you can claim victory based on what your opponent said during c/x–and that can turn the debate around.

In one debate, the affirmative value was Kantian justice and the negative asked why the affirmative had chosen that value. He responded that Kantian justice led to a better society. “So you chose Kantian justice because this value makes people more satisfied?” The affirmative agreed and the questioner moved on. In the next speech, the negative debater pointed out that satisfying people was a utilitarian value, so the affirmative had effectively agreed that the real criterion in the debate was utility, not Kantian justice. Unable to recover, the affirmative spent the rest of the debate justifying its contentions under a utilitarian standard, which it obviously hadn’t planned to do.

Rules for Cross-Examination

  1. C/X takes place only after each debater’s first speech. This means that in a two-person debate, there will be two C/Xs, four in a four-person debate, etc. C/X is limited to three minutes.
  2. Debaters may use prep time before they begin c/x, but remember you will need time for two more speeches, so don’t use too much.
  3. Both questioner and respondent face the audience; they do not look at each other. This feels strange at first but think of it as a joint extemporaneous performance (which it is). Facing the audience instead of the opponent also reduces the animosity that might arise when two debaters face each other a few feet away.
  4. If there is only one podium, the questioner gets to use it.
  5. All questions and answers should be given in a respectful manner. Questioners should not interject comments like “gotcha there,” “lie!” or “that’s just not true.”
  6. The respondent should wait for the questioner to stop speaking and not interrupt. Sometimes questions are long, which means the respondent has less time to make mistakes.
  7. The questioner may interrupt the respondent at any time. This is not impolite, but necessary to prevent a long-winded answer from eating up the questioner’s C/X time.
  8. Respondents may ask for clarification of questions, but they may not ask substantive questions about the questioner’s arguments.
  9. It is not appropriate for C/X to turn into a mini-debate. That is the purpose of the speeches.
  10. When time is up questioning stops. The judge may allow the respondent to finish an answer that has begun.

Tips for Effective C/X Questions

  1. There are four basic types of questions. Clarifying questions seek to eliminate ambiguity: “Is your claim that capital punishment deters all crime, or just murder?” Leading questions seek a yes-or-no answer, often to lock the opponent into a position: “Didn’t the study you quoted address overall crime rates, not just murder rates?” Direct questions ask for specific information: “Do you have any evidence from studies conducted in the last 20 years?” Open-ended questions ask for explanations: “Why do you think states with lax gun laws have more murders?”
  2. Questions should be short and to the point. If it would take more than ten seconds to ask a question, then find a better question. There is no reason to restate the opponent’s argument, just ask your question.
  3. Be ready with follow-ups if the opponent doesn’t give a direct answer. “Please answer my first question” takes only a few seconds and alerts the audience to obfuscation.
  4. Often introductions are chosen more for their ability to command sympathy than their argumentative value. Asking questions about the introduction may help you uncover inconsistencies that undermine the opponent’s case.
  5. Asking about evidence is often helpful. If opponents support their arguments with examples or analogies, press them on how many incidents they are aware of. You can often minimize alleged harms by suggesting the lack of statistical evidence means there must not be substantial harm.
  6. There is no need to question every contention. Focus on the ones that need clarification or that you think you can best attack through further questions.
  7. Be ready to interrupt the opposition if the answer becomes long-winded. While the responder should not interrupt the questioner, it is acceptable for a questioner to interrupt a responder who is trying to filibuster. Just say, “thank you, I want to move on.”
  8. Remember that your next speech is when you should confront the opposition’s arguments. Do not ask them to respond to one of your arguments since that just gives the opposition more time to make its case!
  9. Do not allow the opponent to question you. If the opponent tries, just say, “Your turn to ask questions will come/has gone.”

Tips for Effective Responses to Cross-Examination

  1. You do not have to start speaking immediately after the questioner finishes. You can take a few seconds, and if you need more time, ask for a clarification of the question. But don’t do this for every question because it will seem like you want to stall–which suggests your case is weak.
  2. There is no reason to elaborate if the question is yes/no. Just answer and let your questioner move on. However, sometimes you may want to insert a qualification to your answer.
  3. Listen carefully to each question, especially if the questioner attempts to restate one of your contentions. Don’t fall into the trap of agreeing that you said something different from what your actual argument was. On the other hand, not every question is a trap, so listen closely and avoid responding defensively when it is unnecessary.
  4. If you don’t know the answer, don’t make it up. There is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know” as long as you don’t use it to respond to most or all questions.
  5. When you use evidence, it helps to know what the study involved and whether the source is reputable. There are some topics where the authors of key sources are well known, and the opponents may be waiting for you to step into a trap with a discredited study or researcher. It helps if google your most important sources to make sure that they have not become known for falsified data or questionable conclusions.
  6. Don’t let the questioner insert negative comments about your case or evidence. If they do, a simple “Is that a question?” will often get them back on track.
  7. Don’t start debating with the questioner or ask questions. Save that for your speech.

Preparing for C/X

  1. Begin by reading the cross-examinations in the two sample debates. They are good models for how you can efficiently gain usable information from your opponent in the short period for c/x. Commentary after each cross-examination that points out what the questioner accomplished–or didn’t.
  2. Then think about the value that your opponent is likely to use. Write questions about what the value is and how it is determined. These can be used in multiple debates so save them.
  3. Then think about the contentions the opponent is likely to use against your case, and the evidence that could support those contentions. Then draft a few questions that address the sufficiency of the evidence for these contentions. These might include: Does the evidence demonstrate significant harm? Does the evidence justify a single cause of the problem, or could there be multiple causes? Is there an expert consensus about the problem and its causes?
  4. Also draft a few general questions that can be used about any evidence: Who conducted the study? When did it take place? What time period did it cover? Have the cited results been replicated? These can also be used in multiple debates, so save these too.
  5. If you can, practice using your c/x skills. It takes awhile to become good, so do not be frustrated if your initial attempts are unsuccessful. Over time, you will gain experience that allows you to craft effective examinations.

Other Advice on C/X

  1. Always be polite. Demeanor counts. You are attacking your opponent’s arguments, not your opponent.
  2. Start with your strongest line of questioning, even if it on your opponent’s last contention. There is no requirement that your c/x be organized the same way as your speech.
  3. Listen carefully to your opponent’s responses. Often you can identify other weaknesses from what is said or not said.
  4. Don’t spend too much time trying to get a specific admission. If your opponent keeps obfuscating, move on.
  5. Resist the temptation to gloat or explain why your opponent’s answer helps your case. Save that for your next speech.
  6. Don’t ask your opponent to respond to your arguments. This just surrenders valuable questioning time to the opposition, which can fritter away your time by extending arguments against your position.
  7. Avoid asking open-ended questions for the same reason.
  8. Do watch the time. It goes by very quickly.
  9. Make sure you thank your opponent at the end of your c/x. That’s usually the best exit line.

 

Incorporating C/X Responses into Debate Speeches

While cross-examination is part of a debate, the questions and answers are not. The debaters must refer to what is said in c/x for it to go on the flow and count in the debate. In traditional (one v. one) LD, the questioner must remember the answers and then use them in the next speech, which is not always easy to do. When there are multiple debaters, the person doing c/x is never the person giving the next speech, so it is easier for the questioner’s teammate to put key admissions on the flow and bring them up in the next speech. Remember, what happens in c/x stays in c/x–unless you bring it into the debate in the next speech. After that it is too late, since then the opponent will not have a fair opportunity to respond.

What types of things that are said in c/x should be mentioned?

  1. Inconsistencies in opposition contentions. “First, the negative said there is great harm to children. Then the negative dropped that point due to lack of evidence and argued general harm to road safety. So I win the safety argument if the roads will be safer when cannabis is legalized.”
  2. Evidence concessions. “Since the negative admitted a lack of evidence on the substitution effect, my three studies win that point. Substitution exists and alcohol use will be decreased.”
  3. Argument concessions. “The negative admitted that polls do not directly take into account the harm caused by cannabis, so they do not prove utility.”

There is no need to mention anything said in c/x that does not help you prove your case. If some of your lines of questioning were fruitless, ignore them and most likely the judge will too.

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Debating Justice Copyright © 2025 by Thomas Rozinski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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