Drop (policy debate)

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Part of the series Policy Debate

Organization

Policy debate competitions Inter-Collegiate policy debate

Format

Structure of policy debate · Resolution Constructive · Rebuttal · Prep Time Evidence · Flow

Participants

Affirmative · Negative · Judge

Types of Arguments

Stock Issues · Case· Disadvantage Counterplan · Kritik Impact calculus · Topicality

Argumentative Concepts

Offense · Defense · Turn · Drop

In policy debate, a drop refers to an argument which was not answered by the opposing team. Most judges will give extra or full weight to dropped arguments on the assumption that the other team agrees.

An argument becomes dropped if it is not responded by the next speech given by the team that originally made the argument. For example, an argument made in the 1AR is dropped if it is not answered by the 2NR, but an argument made in the 2AC is not dropped if it is not answered by the 2NC because the 1NR still has a chance to answer it.

Many debaters refer to dropped arguments as "conceded" or "cold conceded", but this language is generally found annoying by judges. In fact, it is considered poor form to use the word "drop" or its variants too many times during a speech. It is more strategic to use it fewer times to emphasize the drops which are most important.

Some arguments which one teams claims are dropped are not actually dropped but were answered in other places on the flow, in an overview, or grouped with other arguments. Thus a team that falsely claims that they were dropped has itself dropped an argument.

Some judges will not evaluate some arguments, even when they are dropped. Most notably, voting issues which are supported by warrants. For example, "the sky is blue, vote affirmative" is an argument that most judges claim does not need answering.