The World Wide Web links were added by Peter McCorquodale, petermc@mit.edu. E-mail him if they don't work or if you want to suggest other good links to add to this page.
We understand that good questions take much longer to craft than unoriginal ones and that first and second-year players often do not have the experience to realize what separates a good question from a mediocre ones, so it would be unreasonable to demand perfection from every pack. We simply ask that you try to create a pack of questions that you would enjoy playing. (This should not be confused with creating a pack of questions concerning only subjects that interest you.)
To help you with construction of the pack, we have included a list of rules and guidelines. We have already invested much time and effort in creating rules that we think will be reasonable and instructive. If questions fail to meet the rules, they may be returned for revision, with an explanation.
Also, out of courtesy, please check your packet for spelling. Spelling errors make it harder for us to verify your information and can distract the moderators if we don't correct them. The word "emporer" looks like it rhymes with "explorer", and perhaps it refers to a person who runs an emporium. A reader who has never seen it in print before may not know that it is a misspelling of "emperor". Out of 21 packets submitted to Beaver Bonspiel II, only one was free of spelling errors. Since it was also the best-written packet overall, it earned its team a $10 discount. Other packets contained an average of 10 spelling errors each. We've provided a list of these 200 spelling errors for your edification or amusement.
TOSSUP The Noble Prize in Medicine, I can never remember who won, at least most of them. FTP, name any one of the three recently announced winners of this year's prize.After correcting the spelling and the name of the prize, the question could be rewritten:
TOSSUP For a quick 10 points, name any one of the three winners of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Of course, either way, this is a one-fact tossup, which is discouraged.
Ex-prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki ["tah-DAY-oosh mah-zohv-YET-skee"]... The acid/base indicator phenolphthalein ["fee-nole-THALE-in"] is used in ... The economist John Maynard Keynes ["KAYNZ"] wrote his _General Theory ... Saskatchewan's ["sass-KATCH-oo-wahnz"] capital, Regina ["ree-JEYE-nah"], ... The activist Megawati Sukarnoputri ["MEG-ah-wah-tee soo-kar-no-POO-tree"] ... The Buddhist stupa of Borobudur ["boh-roh-boo-DURE"] in central Java ...In the last couple of examples, the main problem in trying to read the word, without the pronunciation guide, is knowing which syllable to stress.
If you have no clue about how something is pronounced, please indicate this in a footnote to the question, and we'll try to figure out something to put into a pronunciation guide if we use the question.
TOSSUP In the two-letter postal abbreviations for Canadian provinces, this letter is tied with N in occurring most frequently. However, among the 58 two-letter postal abbreviations for U.S. states and territories, it is NOT used at all. FTP what is this letter that occurs in the abbreviations for one Maritime province and three western provinces? Answer: _B_ Host: "The only other letter NOT used in U.S. postal abbreviations is Q." [The provincial abbreviations are: New Brunswick, NB; British Columbia, BC; Alberta, AB; Manitoba, MB.] [The World Almanac says that Alberta's code is AL, but it is wrong.]The second-to-last footnote is written for the benefit of any players who, at the end of the game, might be curious to know just what these "B" provinces are. As a general rule, if a question refers directly to some other information that is not explicitly given in the question or answer, you should include it in a footnote. If a question asks players to come up with certain numbers and take their sum, you must provide a footnote listing the individual numbers to be added up.
The last footnote in the sample tossup above is especially important because many players carry the World Almanac with them and may pull it out to support a protest that the question contains wrong information. If you find that a common reference source (such as one of the web links on this page) contradicts the facts in your question, please tell us. Otherwise, we will assume you are simply wrong.
Answer: _SPAM_ Answer: George A. _HORMEL_ and Company Answer: _ACETONE_ or _2-PROPANONE_ or _DIMETHYL KETONE_ or _(CH)3(COCH)3_
Answer: Ronald Wilson _REAGAN_ Answer: _B_enjamin _HARRISON_ Answer: _R_ajiv Ratna _GANDHI_ Answer: _R_ichard _STRAUSS_The family name is not always the last name. Check a biographical dictionary to see what the family name is. Examples:
Answer: Ralph _VAUGHAN WILLIAMS_ Answer: _DENG_ Xiaoping Answer: Augusto _PINOCHET_ UgarteThe last example is typical of Spanish names, in that the name that appears last is the mother's family name.
In some cultures, family names are not used. In such cases, the primary given name should be required:
Answer: _VIGDIS_ Finnbogadottir Answer: _MEGAWATI_ SukarnoputriIn other cultures, women take a feminine version of the family name. In such cases, both versions should be accepted, as well as the maiden name if appropriate:
Answer: _R_aisa Maximovna _GORBACHEVA_ or _GORBACHEV_ or _TITORENKO_
Answer: _KRUSTY_ the Clown, or Hershel _KRUSTOFSKY_ Answer: Francois-Marie _AROUET_, or _VOLTAIRE_ Answer: Nikolai _LENIN_, or Vladimir Ilyich _ULYANOV_
Answer: Sir Pelham Grenville _WODEHOUSE_ Answer: _T_homas Stearns _ELIOT_ Answer: George Herbert Walker _BUSH_ Answer: Jerome David _SALINGER_For the last example, an answer of "Jerome Salinger" would be counted as correct, but "James David Salinger" would be counted as wrong.
Answer: _TA-SUNKO-WITKO_, or _CRAZY HORSE_ Answer: _MAHPIUA LUTA_, or _RED CLOUD_The original name must also be supplied together with the common English translation of it.
More problematic is the fact that the Christian names of some well-known Europeans have different forms. In such cases, accept all commonly used forms:
Answer: _JAKOB_ (or _JACQUES_) _BERNOULLI_ Answer: John (or Jean) _CALVIN_ or _CAUVIN_ Answer: Franz (or Ferenc) _LISZT_, or _LISZT_ FerencFor the last example, note that in Hungarian, the family name comes first.
Answer: King _KARL XIV_ Johan of Sweden, or _CHARLES XIV_ John, or
Jean-Baptiste _BERNADOTTE_, or Prince de _PONTE-CORVO_
Answer: George _GORDON_, or Lord 6th Baron _BYRON_
Answer: William _THOMSON_, or Lord Baron _KELVIN_ of Largs
Answer: Pope _JOHN PAUL II_, or Karol _WOJTYLA_
Answer: the 14th _DALAI LAMA_ or _RGYAL-BA RIN-PO-CHE_,
or Tensin _TSERING_, or Tenzin _GYATSO_
Answer: _CASSE-NOISETTE_, or the _NUTCRACKER_ ballet or suite Answer: _VOINA I MIR_, or _WAR AND PEACE_ Answer: _HEPTA EPI THEBAS_, or _SEVEN AGAINST THEBES_ Answer: _DIE ZAUBERFLOETE_, or the _MAGIC FLUTE_To find the original title, consult a literary encyclopedia such as Benet's, or try a library catalogue, many of which are on-line.
Translations of the title into languages other than English should not be accepted. So, for example, La guerre et la paix, the French translation of Voina i mir, would not be accepted unless the question were actually asking about a French translation.
Non-"standard" translations of original titles should also be accepted, especially if they are better than the standard ones. For example, the title of Dostoyevsky's Bratya Karamazovy is usually translated as The Brothers Karamazov, even though this is not correct idiomatic English. Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu is usually translated as Remembrance of Things Past, even though this is a mistranslation of the title. Include a literal translation when possible, together with translations that have appeared in print. Examples:
Answer: _A LA RECHERCHE DU TEMPS PERDU_, or _REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST_,
or _IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME_ [literal]
Answer: _BRATYA KARAMAZOVY_, or the _BROTHERS KARAMAZOV_
Additional comment isn't needed in the last example, because the
moderator should be aware that "The Karamazov Brothers" means exactly
the same thing. Similarly, in the following example:
Answer: die _ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL_, or the _ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO_an answer of "Kidnapping from the harem" would also be accepted, even if it does sound somewhat less refined.
Answer: _BEAVER_, or _CASTOR FIBER_ Answer: _TEA_, or _CAMELLIA SINENSIS_Include alternative names for chemicals. Chemical formulas should also be accepted as answers unless not specific enough (such as C6H12O6 applying to both glucose or fructose). Examples:
Answer: _ACETONE_ or _2-PROPANONE_ or _DIMETHYL KETONE_ or _(CH)3(COCH)3_ Answer: _HYDROCHLORIC ACID_ or _MURIATIC ACID_ or _HCl_ ["H-C-L"]
Questions must be based on real, verifiable, factual information.
For 10 points each, name the two men who backed the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.Backed in what way? There were hundreds, if not thousands of men who were directly involved in the Gallipoli campaign, and there were other men in politics, finance, the press, etc., who supported it.
What is the highest power in Hinduism?What kind of power? In what way "highest"? Even if we are told that the answer is "Brahman", we haven't learned anything about Hinduism at all.
BONUS Answer the following about the AngloSaxon epic Beowulf 10 points a piece: Where does Beowulf travel to?There are several possible answers: Denmark, Zealand, Heorot Hall, or back home to Sweden. The question should ask "which kingdom", "which island", or "which hall", and somehow specify that it refers to the beginning of the story.
You get the idea. :)
TOSSUP The oldest German speaking university is, surprisingly, not in any German city, but rather in the capital of Bohemia. FTP, name this city on the Moldau.This question is based on an interesting fact. However, far more information is begging to be added. What's the name of this university? When was it founded? Any question writer who is a college student should know how to find this information. In fact the question is actually misleading as a tossup, because a good player may buzz in early with the name of the university (Charles University). The question is also not strictly correct as written, because Charles U. no longer operates in German, so although it *was* the *first* German-speaking university, it *is* NOT the *oldest* German-speaking university. Here's an improved version, written after a little on-line research:
TOSSUP Seventeen years before Vienna, and 38 years before Heidelberg, this city in 1348 saw the opening of Europe's first German-speaking university, which was founded by, and named after, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. However, Charles University closed its German-speaking division in 1945. FTP name this capital of a country from which 3 million German-speaking citizens were expelled after World War Two.
Here's a question about John B. Watson, which was (perhaps unsurprisingly) the last tossup written in a packet:
TOSSUP he maintained the view that behavior should be the sole subject matter of psychology in the early 1900's. FTP, name this American psychologist.This question contains no concrete facts at all. We also strongly suspect that Watson was NOT the only American psychologist who maintained the behaviorist view in the early 1900s.
If you ask for a particular historian's list of causes of something, that is closer to the realm of the acceptable, but these questions can be hard to score. For example, Edward Gibbon gave a famous list of five reasons for the rise of Christianity, but for some of these (e.g., "the inflexible and intolerant zeal of the early Christians -- inherited from Judaism"), it can be hard for the moderator to judge whether the players have given an answer that is "close enough". In any case, it's better to have history questions that ask about things that happened, instead of an historian's comments about what happened.
Finally, avoid questions about what "is thought", or "is considered", even if it's "by many". Example about Algeria:
TOSSUP In France, a spate of new terrorist attacks are thought to be the backlash of fundamentalists in FTP what country where the current government is supported by France?I'm sure there are several countries, with governments supported by France, which are thought by at least one person to be the source of fundamentalists making terrorist attacks. Also note the complete lack of specific names, dates, and places in this question.
TOSSUP What do Ravel's D major Piano Concerto, Prokofiev's fourth piano concerto, and Brahms' transcription of the Bach Chaconne have in common? _THEY'RE ALL WRITTEN FOR LEFT HAND_ (accpet equivalents, prompt on "one hand")Jason Sugg's response: "They haven't been played in my kitchen." This answer is perfectly correct, and since it's correct, it deserves 10 points. There are lots of other possible correct answers, such as, they were all written by dead white European males, or Beethoven never heard any of them.
BONUS
Mexico City. Munich. Montreal. Moscow. For 5pts. apiece,
name the next five cities in proper order in this chronological
list.
_L_os _A_ngeles, _SEOUL_, _BARCELONA_, _ATLANTA_, _SYDNEY_
(Summer Olympics Hosts, 1968-2000)
The four cities given in the list all hosted the Bulgarian team in the
summer Olympics; the next city to do so was not Los Angeles but Seoul.
BONUS
Give the correct term to describe each of these statements, ten points
apiece:
a) John is a student. All students study. John studies.
(SYLLOGSIM)
b) I fell down and hurt my knee yesterday. Therefore I will never eat
fish again.
(NON SEQUITUR)
c) Whenever Bill leaves his room, he locks his door. Bill's door is
not locked. Therefore Bill is in his room.
(CONTRAPOSITIVE)
All of these "statements" are written in prose. The first one consists of
three simple declarative sentences. And so on.
It is reasonable to ask for the collective name of a group, but be precise. For example, in a question about the Fates, instead of asking:
What are Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos?which would have "characters from Hesiod" as a correct answer, you should ask:
Give the collective name for Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos.
BONUS
Name the partner or name associated with the first. 5 points each.
1. Don Quixote
_Sancho Panza_
2. Bose
_Einstein_
3. Fat Man
_Little Boy_
4. Sacco
_Vanzetti_
5. Rosenkranz
_Guildenstern_
6. Currier
_Ives_
It would be OK to have a question about literary sidekicks (as in part 1)
or business partners (as in part 6), but "the name associated with the
first" just doesn't work. The names are also not even
given properly; for example, Einstein's
first name was Albert. What was Ives's first name? And I seem to remember
a TV show called "Jake and the Fat Man", about two policemen; so why is
Jake a "wrong" answer?
Remember: the purpose of this game is to broaden minds, not to narrow them.
BONUS
Given the phylum, describe whether a member of the phylum would be an
acoelomate, pseudocoelomate, or coelomate for five points apiece.
(example. Porifera=Acoelomate).
Chordata (Coelomate)
Rotifera (Pseudocoelomate)
Coelenterata or Cnidaria (Acoelomate)
Platyhelmintes (Acoelomates)
Arthropoda (Coelomate)
What are acoelomates, pseudocoelomates, and coelomates?
Do we really want to know? (Also notice that while we allowed questions
of this form two years ago, this is an illegal bonus question for BB4 because
it requires 5 separate conferrals, and has a choice of only three given answers in each part.)
Tossups are intended to be interrupted at some point. The clues in a tossup should progress from hard to easier, and must not trick players into giving a wrong answer.
TOSSUP The name of this language means "of the coast" in Arabic. Today it is the mother tongue of about six million people, most of them living near the Indian Ocean, but it is also spoken by about forty million others as a common language in east Africa. For ten points, identify this Bantu language with the largest number of speakers, that is an official language of Kenya and Tanzania. Answer: _SWAHILI_ (or _KISWAHILI_)This is a straightforward, factually dense question. It has many substantial clues:
TOSSUP This author's wife, Elaine, was upset when she saw his classic 1939 novel in a Japanese bookstore translated as "Angry Raisins". For 10 points, name this American author who described Rose, Sharon, Ma, and Tom as the Joad family travels during the Great Depression from Oklahoma to California in _The Grapes of Wrath_. Answer: John _STEINBECK_This question has an interesting lead-in that will appeal to both players and spectators alike, making the question entertaining and memorable. It also has many substantial clues:
Tossups should not be too long, either. No tossup may have a text that exceeds six (6) lines. We'll make an exception if:
Two good teams should interrupt at least 80% of tossups.
TOSSUP Known as the Iron Chancellor, he received a famous telegram on September 17, 1862, from War Minister von Roon recalling him to Berlin to take control of the government. For 10 points, name this statesman, who ruled Prussia from 1862 to 1890.In a real match, this question would likely be over in 5 words. It could be rewritten as:
TOSSUP He received a famous telegram on September 17, 1862, from War Minister von Roon recalling him to Berlin to take control of the government. For 10 points, name this politician who ruled Prussia from 1862 to 1890, earning the nickname, "the Iron Chancellor".Another example of a poorly written question:
TOSSUP The capital of North Dakota and the 19th-century Duke of Lauenberg who epitomized the Junker ["YOONG-ker"] class share, for 10 points, what name?This could be rewritten as:
TOSSUP The 19th-century Duke of Lauenberg who epitomized the Junker class and the capital of North Dakota share, for 10 points, what name?
TOSSUP A German chancellor, a U.S. state capital, an archipelago northeast of New Guinea, the sea enclosed by that archipelago, and the largest city in Equatorial Guinea. For 10 points, which is not named Bismarck? TOSSUP He served as German chancellor from 1871 to 1890 and was known for his policy of "blood and iron". For 10 points, spell his last name.
TOSSUP Vowing that he would never go to Canossa, the chancellor of Germany announced a cultural struggle against Roman Catholicism in the 1870s. For 10 points, what 3-syllable German noun named this anti-Catholic campaign? Answer: _KULTURKAMPF_ ["cool-TOUR-kamf"]This question tricks a player into answering Bismarck early. It could be rewritten as:
TOSSUP German Chancellor Bismarck, vowing never to go to Canossa, announced a cultural struggle against Roman Catholicism in the 1870s known, for ten points, by what three-syllable German noun?
TOSSUP Facing legal difficulties because of alleged financial chicanery, he resigned as Vice President of the United States...
Agnew is not the only answer. Calhoun had similar difficulties in his time, though they may be less well remembered today. Some players will interrupt the question at this point. Players who are waiting to differentiate between Agnew and Calhoun will be at a disadvantage to other players who are thinking of only Agnew. Or, a player who is aware of Calhoun may bet the odds and incorrectly answer Agnew. Either way, this question might trap a better player, penalizing knowledge.
One might choose to add additional information at the start of the question to minimize this ambiguity and precisely target the desired answer as soon as possible, as in:
TOSSUP This former governor, facing legal difficulties because of alleged financial chicanery...
There is nothing wrong with questions in which the answer is not the immediately obvious one. Further, there is nothing wrong with more general introductions (This U.S. President...). However, you should strive to minimize question ambiguity as much as possible, especially when the introduction narrows the possible answers to just a few probable answers (This Norwegian playwright...).
Avoid beginning tossups with vague clues. Here is a bad way to begin a tossup about Henrik Ibsen:
TOSSUP This playwright brought the problems and ideas of his day onto the stage, and created realistic dramas of psychological conflict...A player with an encyclopedic knowledge of theatre would be able to think of several possible answers, and would be at a disadvantage compared with someone who had only superficial knowledge of a few big names like Ibsen. This problem could be fixed easily by adding something concrete like a name, date or place:
TOSSUP In his plays, such as _John Gabriel Borkman_ and _An Enemy of the People_, this dramatist ...Obviously, if you give some titles of Ibsen's works as initial clues, they should be relatively obscure. A well-known title such as A Doll's House should not be given as the first clue, but it would be all right as a final clue in the tossup.
Multiple answers should be of the same type: for example, two people, or two species of animals, or two countries. Avoid toss-ups that require two non-parallel pieces of information to be given, such as a created work and its creator, or a country and its current ruler.
TOSSUP One hundred years ago, William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election by 570,000 votes. For 10 points, was the total number of votes cast in this election closest to 4 million, 14 million, or 40 million? Answer: _14 MILLION_A question like this, which has a numerical answer, should instead ask players to give the number within a certain accuracy. The range will depend on the question. Example:
TOSSUP One hundred years ago, William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election by 570,000 votes. For 10 points, within 50 per cent, what was the total number of votes cast? Answer: 13,503,584 (accept 6,751,792 to 20,255,376.)
The word "cave", spelled C-A-V-E, was one of the words that was asked in a caveman spelling bee in a Far Side cartoon. The next contestant figured that he would probably get a word like Australopithecus ["oss-trah-loh-PITH-ic-us"]. FTP spell Australopithecus. Answer: A-U-S-T-R-A-L-O-P-I-T-H-E-C-U-SAlways include a pronunciation guide for the word to be spelled, and separate letters in the answer by dashes to assist moderators in judging responses.
Every Bonus question is worth between 20 and 30 points. Scoring is such that the number of points a team may earn on any particular Bonus will be some multiple of 5 points (hence 0 to 30 points).
Bonus questions are supposed to test deeper knowledge than tossups. Since they will be read in their entirety, it is not necessary to put more obscure facts before more obvious facts -- unless these facts are given in separate parts of a multi-part question. If a bonus has multiple parts, there should be some sort of theme connecting the parts.
No part of a bonus may have a text that exceeds six (6) lines. We'll make an exception if:
BONUS
Just as the U.S. has states like Alaska and Hawaii that are not contiguous
with the rest of the country, France has a number of overseas departments
scattered around the world. Identify these departments for 10 points each.
1. The most populous of the overseas departments, this island in the
Indian Ocean has been part of France since 1642.
ANSWER: La _REUNION_
2. Divided into the twin islands of Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, this
Caribbean department is home to the dangerous volcano Soufriere.
ANSWER: _GUADELOUPE_
3. Located 10 miles off the Newfoundland coast and occupied by the French
since 1604, this department is the last remnant of the French North
American colonial empire.
ANSWER: _SAINT-PIERRE_ and _MIQUELON_
After the players answer each part, the moderator will confirm whether
their answer is right or wrong. If the team's
answer is wrong, the moderator will
announce the correct answer. If you do NOT want the moderator to confirm
or announce correct answers to parts of a Bonus question you've written,
but would prefer that all the answers be given at the end, then you must
indicate this by writing a note by that question.
BONUS
For 5 points each, name the six wives of King Henry the Eighth of England.
Answers: _CATHERINE_ of _ARAGON_
Anne _BOLEYN_
Jane _SEYMOUR_
_ANNE_ of _CLEVES_
Catherine _HOWARD_
Catherine _PARR_
Putting each answer on a separate line helps the moderator in checking
off correct answers given by a team.
In some cases, an incorrect answer ends the bonus. In this case, which should not be overused, include the phrase "but be careful, a miss will stop you" in the question.
BONUS 30-20-10, name the newspaper. For 30 points: Karl Marx worked for it as its European correspondent from 1851 to 1862. For 20 points: It was founded in 1841 by Horace Greeley, who edited it until his death. For 10 points: In 1924 it merged with the New York Herald. Answer: _NEW YORK TRIBUNE_THE FIRST CLUE IN A PROGRESSIVE QUESTION *MUST* SPECIFY THE FINAL ANSWER UNIQUELY. A 30-20-10 bonus that begins with the following is not acceptable.
For 30 points: He was born in Cincinnati in 1938.There were hundreds of males born in Cincinnati in 1938, and the name of any one of them would have to be accepted as a correct answer.
Besides 30-20-10, a bonus may have two separate progressive parts worth 15-5 each, or 20-10 followed by a 10-point question, or other values depending on difficulty level. Just make sure all point values are multiples of 5, the maximum possible score on any bonus question is 30, and no more than four conferrals will be required.
We are NOT using bonus questions that give the players a list and ask them to put that list in a particular order. ("Rank these six nations in decreasing order of sorghum production...") By repeating the same answer six times, a team would be able to get a guaranteed 5 points.
We are also not using questions that give the players two lists and ask them to match items in the first list with items in the second list. These questions take too long and also reward lucky guessing.
Subject breakdown should be as follows:
Topic Tossups Bonuses Science, Math, Technology 3 - 4 3 - 4 Literature 3 - 4 3 - 4 History 3 - 4 3 - 4 Current Events 3 - 4 3 - 4 Popular Culture 2 - 3 2 - 3 Geography 1 - 2 1 - 2 Fine Arts 1 - 2 1 - 2 Philosophy, Religion, Mythology 1 - 2 1 - 2 Social Sciences 1 - 2 1 - 2 Sports 1 - 2 1 - 2 General Knowledge 0 - 3 0 - 3 --------------------------------------------------------- Total: 25 25
The next section contains a more detailed description of what we mean by each of the major categories.
We do not mean to discourage hybrid questions, which can fall under more than one major category. Place hybrid questions under whatever category you think predominates in them. If no single category predominates, then pick one of them. We're not going to complain unless your question is obviously miscategorized (for example, if an astrology question is listed under "science" -- as it is in some other games we've played).
After we collected all the links for this section, we found out that Dwight Kidder (a player for Cornell at previous Beaver Bonspiels) had put together his own, much more extensive list of useful links. Check it out!
Biographical sources:
Of your 6-8 questions (tossups and bonuses), at least four (4) should have answers that are NOT names of people.
Avoid questions that ask what letter is used to represent a physical quantity, or vice versa.
WWW sources:
Of your 6-8 questions (tossups and bonuses), at least four (4) should have answers that are NOT names of real people. Do not write more than two (2) questions with all clues being titles of literary works.
Works by the same author should not appear in more than one question.
WWW sources:
In addition, you should include questions about:
Don't write more than one question about the same war.
At most one question (a tossup or a bonus) should have every answer being a year.
WWW sources:
Questions about recent happenings in literature, science, technology, popular culture, or whatever should be placed under those categories.
The following news sources all let you search for previous articles. They also do not require any subscription:
There are extensive collections of other news sites at the Good Free News page and the Electronic Newsstand, and of course, Dwight's news and current events links.
For U.S. politics, try:
WWW sources:
Mostly, specific geographical features will be asked about.
For the last three subcategories, we encourage question writers to send us Web URL's with pictures of famous works of art, so that we can make copies of them and hand them out to players for bonus questions. You can find some of these at the WWW sources listed below.
WWW sources:
WWW sources:
When asking questions about terminology in these fields, make sure that it's a standard term and not used only by your textbook or professor.
WWW sources:
Write no more than one question about any one sport.
WWW sources:
Also, since many of our players go to many tournaments, the questions should not have been previously used by, or sent to, any other tournament.
Here is a sample packet of tossups.
Team: Cow Creek College A
Written by: Joe Schmo, Jane Doe, James Zebedeeson, John Zebedeeson
Contact: Joe Schmo, schmo@cowcreek.edu
or Jane Doe, janedoe@cowcreek.edu
TOSSUP 1
The world's largest manufacturer of these devices is Ballard Power Systems of
North Vancouver, B.C., which supplied a stack of them for Daimler-Benz's
recently unveiled NECAR, or New Electric Car. FTP what is this type of energy
converter, previously seldom used except in spacecraft, that generates
electricity from oxygen and hydrogen?
Answer: hydrogen-oxygen _FUEL CELL_ (or hydrogen _FUEL CELL_)
TOSSUP 2
Containers of hazardous liquids are often packed in boxes filled with this
spongy, absorbent, mineral. An alteration of mica, it is a layered
aluminosilicate occurring in tiny leafy scales. Gardeners also use it to hold
moisture in flower beds. For 10 points, identify this mineral with a name
derived from the Latin for worm.
Answer: _VERMICULITE_
TOSSUP 3
This element was discovered in 1811 by French chemist Bernard
Courtois ["koor-TWA"] in the liquor obtained by leaching the ashes of
burnt kelp. FTP name this element with atomic number 53, that is essential
to human nutrition.
Answer: _IODINE_
TOSSUP 4
This phrase was translated into Hungarian to mean "A is forbidden" and into
German to mean "Entrance V". It became "Transitus VE" in the only book in
Latin ever to make the New York Times bestsellers list. Supposedly it is
the short form of the name of an ancestor of a certain Very Small Animal.
For 10 points give this phrase that appears in an A.A. Milne work, on a sign
outside Piglet's house.
Answer: _TRESPASSERS W_
[Hungarian: "Tilos az A". German: "Betreten V".]
For your packet of bonus questions, number the parts in multi-part questions. For progressive questions, follow the format in Bonus 3. Sample:
Team: Cow Creek College A
Written by: Joe Schmo, Jane Doe, James Zebedeeson, John Zebedeeson
Contact: Joe Schmo, schmo@cowcreek.edu
or Jane Doe, janedoe@cowcreek.edu
BONUS 1
Answer these questions about explorations of the wreck of the Titanic
FTP each.
1. This researcher was at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution when
he led the group that discovered the Titanic, and he led the first dives
on the wreck.
Answer: Robert "Bob" _BALLARD_
2. The first manned dive on the Titanic was carried out by this submersible,
operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and rated to a depth of
4500 meters.
Answer: _ALVIN_
3. In the early 1990s, two former Soviet submersibles rated to 6000 meters
dived on the wreck in a join Canadian-Russian filming effort. FTP, what name
is shared by these two Russian submersibles, the Russian word for peace?
Answer: _MIR_
BONUS 2
Oxygen and silicon are the most abundant elements in the earth's crust.
For 5 points each, name the next five most abundant elements in the earth's
crust, by percentage weight. You'll get a 5-point bonus for putting them
in the right order from most abundant to least.
Answers: _ALUMINUM_ (8.13%)
_IRON_ (5.00%)
_CALCIUM_ (3.63%)
_SODIUM_ (2.83%)
_MAGNESIUM_ (2.60%)
BONUS 3
30-20-10, name the scientist.
For 30: His paradox is succinctly stated as "Where are they?", with the
"they" being intelligent extraterrestrials. He noted that if "they" exist,
they are probably far ahead of us technologically and hence we should have met
them already.
For 20: He reputedly was able to compute an estimate of almost anything on the
back of a standard business envelope. At Alamagordo, he accurately estimated
the magnitude of the first A-bomb blast from observing how the shock wave
scattered small pieces of paper.
For 10: He oversaw the construction of the first atomic pile at the University
of Chicago, and with Leo Szilard, co-held the patent for the nuclear reactor.
A top prize of the U.S. Department of Energy is named after him.
Answer: Enrico _FERMI_