Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence, whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences, and they commonly include offences such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Etymologically, the term "capital" (lit. "of the head", derived via the Latin "capitalis" from "caput", "head") in this context alluded to execution by beheading. 

Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it "de jure" for all crimes, six have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 30 are abolitionist in practice. 

Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. Also, the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. How many countries have abolished the death penalty?
2. In how many countries has the death penalty been made illegal?
3. In how many nations is it illegal to carry out the death penalty?
Q2:
1. How many countries still use the death penalty?
2. In how many countries does the death penalty still exist?
3. What is the number of countries where the death penalty is still used?
Q3:
1. What is the definition of capital punishment?
2. What is the definition of the death penalty?
3. How can the death penalty be defined?
Q4:
1. Is there another name for the death penalty?
2. Is the death penalty called something else?
3. Is there another way of referring to the death penalty?
Q5:
1. What is another name for the death penalty?
2. How else can the death penalty be referred to?
3. What else might one call the death penalty?
Q6:
1. What sort of crimes elicit a death penalty sentence?
2. For what kinds of crimes is one sentenced to death?
3. What do you have to do to receive capital punishment?
Q7:
1. Does the article include any specific crimes that lead to the death penalty?
2. Does the article list any capital crimes?
3. Are any capital crimes mentioned in the article?
Q8:
1. How many capital crimes does the article list?
2. What is the number of capital crimes mentioned in the article?
3. What is the number of examples the article gives for crimes that elicit the death penalty?
Q9:
1. What are the first three capital crimes listed in the article?
2. What are the first three capital crimes the article mentions?
3. What are the first three things you can do to get the death penalty, as per the article?
Q10:
1. What are the last three capital crimes listed in the article?
2. What are the last three capital crimes the article mentions?
3. What are the last three things you can do to get the death penalty, as per the article?
Q11:
1. Is the death penalty controversial?
2. Is capital punishment a polemical issue?
3. Is there a lot of controversy surrounding the death penalty?
Q12:
1. WHere is the death penalty considered controversial?
2. Where is there a lot of controversy surrounding capital punishment?
3. Where does putting people to death for their crimes cause a fair amount of controversy?
Q13:
1. Is capital punishment allowed in the EU?
2. Does the European Union permit capital punishment?
3. Is the death penalty allowed to exist in EU member states?
Q14:
1. Is the death penalty ban in the EU spelled out somewhere?
2. Is there a document that spells out the EU ban on capital punishment?
3. Is there a document that explicity outlaws the death penalty within the European Union?
Q15:
1. What document bans the death penalty in the European Union?
2. By what document is the death penalty not allowed in the EU?
3. What is the source of the EU ban on capital punishment?
Q16:
1. Does anyone besides the EU ban the use of capital punishment?
2. Is the death penalty illegal anywhere else besides the EU?
3. Are there any other bodies besides the European Union that make the death penalty illegal?
Q17:
1. What other body, besides the EU, outlaws the death penalty?
2. What other body, in addition to the European Union, bans the use of capital punishment?
3. By whose authority, other than that of the EU, is capital punishment abolished?
Q18:
1. Is the Council of Europe a group of countries?
2. Does a group of countries make up the Council of Europe?
3. Is the Council of Europe a body made up of a number of countries?
Q19:
1. How many countries make up the council of Europe?
2. What is the number of countries in the council of Europe?
3. How many nations are members of the council of Europe?
