Quiz bowl (or quizbowl) is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school. Participants may benefit from studying a broad range of academic subjects, increasing memorization and study skills, learning to work in teams and expanding capacity for responsibility.[1]
The game is typically played with a lockout buzzer system between some number of teams, most commonly two teams of four or five players each. A moderator reads questions to the teams, whose players endeavor to buzz in first with the correct answer, scoring points for their team.
Quiz bowl is also known by various other names, such as Academic Bowl, Academic Challenge, Academic League, Academic Team, Battle of the Brains, Brain Bowl, Brain Game, College Bowl, It's Academic, Knowledge Bowl, Scholar Quiz Bowl, Scholastic Bowl, Scholar's Bowl, and Nerd-Squad.
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At the collegiate level, academic quiz bowl competitions enjoyed broad exposure in the United States media via College Bowl, which started on radio in 1953 and aired on national television from 1959 to 1970.[2] In 1977, the format was revived on college campuses by College Bowl Company Inc. (CBCI), which operated until 2008.[3] In September 1990, the Academic Competition Federation (ACF) was incorporated as the first major alternative to College Bowl on university campuses.[4] In 1996, National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) was founded.[5][6] Today, most major college-level competitions are run by either ACF or NAQT, with varying formats and governing rules.[7]
In recent years, many former quiz bowl contestants have gone on to become successful game show contestants, including several of the top dollar winners in the history of Jeopardy!: Ken Jennings,[6][8], David Madden, and Brad Rutter.
There are several different formats of quiz bowl, but they generally share the following rules for playing. (See Formats below)
Two teams of (typically) 4 players,[7] sometimes 5, each sit at a buzzer set, which is like a set of TV game show buzzers. Anyone who rings or buzzes in prevents anyone else from doing so. If a round is timed, a countdown timer is used. Most questions have a 5 second time limit after a question has been read. Each game is played with a packet of questions, which a moderator reads.
There are two basic types of questions asked: tossups (typically worth 10-15 points)[7] and bonuses (worth a maximum of 20–40 points). Other types of questions include lightning or rapid-fire rounds, which usually consist of ten questions and sixty seconds, with only one team given the chance to respond. The other team may have the chance to answer the questions the first team missed; then the second team gets its own set of questions, and the first team may get to answer any missed questions.
Tossup questions, commonly referred to as tossups, can be answered by any player from either team.[6] Tossups must be answered individually, without the aid of teammates or the audience. Aid by teammates is known as conferring and is generally not allowed. The first person from either side to buzz in may attempt to answer the question. Unlike the current version of Jeopardy!, one may interrupt the moderator and give an answer.[6][9] If the answer given is incorrect, then no other member of their team may attempt to answer and only players from the other team may buzz in. If a tossup is rebounded, it is generally considered poor form to buzz before the moderator finishes the question; this is sometimes known as vulching. Only one player per team may try to answer a given question.
In most American formats, correct tossup answers earn the team 10 points.[9] In some formats, if the question is answered prior to a certain clue in the question, the team earns 15 or 20 points.[6] In some formats, answering the question incorrectly after interrupting the question, results in a five point penalty.[10]
If a tossup is successfully answered, the answerer's team is given control of a bonus question.[7][9] The bonus question is usually given in multiple parts, with each part being worth a stated number of points. Teams are generally permitted to confer with each other on these questions. In some formats, only the team which answered the tossup question correctly can answer the bonus. In other formats, the other team is given an opportunity to answer any parts of the bonus that were not answered by the team in control of the bonus.
Bonuses can only be answered by one team (at the high school level, some formats allow the other team to answer parts of the bonus question which the first team fails to answer; this is called rebounding or a bounce-back). The team may work together (confer) to answer the bonus question. Usually, bonus questions require multi-part answers, and tossups single-part answers.[6]
Scoring:
Games are either played in timed halves, or until a set number of tossups are read. In the case of a tied score, a tiebreaker is used. The nature of the tiebreaker varies by tournament and format. If a player or team feels that a question is in error, a protest may be made. If the tossup would have affected the outcome of the game then the question is held for reevaluation, at which time points are adjusted if necessary.
Overtime only happens if there is a tie at the end of regulation play. This varies from format to format, and may include extra toss-ups until the score changes, entire toss-up/bonus sets until one team leads at the end of a set, a multiple-toss-up playoff, or a timed period of 1 to 3 minutes.
At the college and high school level, most questions are on all general subjects, including literature; history; science and math; social sciences; fine arts; geography; religion, mythology, and philosophy; and general knowledge. Question distribution over subjects and the number of questions on each varies in each format. Questions are asked on topics such as popular culture to a lesser extent and are referred to as "Trash."
Subjects in "Trash" games are generally considered to include current events, sports, pop culture, and some parts of the general knowledge catch-all. Much of traditional non-academic trivia falls under this heading.[6]
Between the college and high school level, there are several styles of writing questions. Each style "tests" for a particular skill or type of recall.[11]
Toss-up questions are so named because each team has an equal opportunity to buzz in, answer the question, and win points.[6]
Buzzer beater, fast-buzz, or quick-recall questions are short with a single clue, and relatively simple.[11][12] They have virtually disappeared at the college or high school levels, being looked down upon by many players. An example:
QUESTION: "Which company makes Macintosh computers?"
ANSWER: Apple (Computers)
This type of question is written specifically to test quick recall skills of players, and does not discriminate the different levels of knowledge that the players possess, as pyramid-style questions do.
Pyramid-style or pyramidal tossup questions include multiple clues, generally written so that each question starts with more difficult clues and moves toward easier clues.[13][14][15] This type of toss-up is the standard style written in college and high school tournaments.[7] Compare this example to the "quick recall" questions above:
QUESTION: In 1977, this Silicon Valley garage startup sold its computers for $666.66. In late 1997, it became a Fortune 500 company led by one of its two founding Steves, hoping that the public would "Think different" and buy more of "The computer for the rest of us.". For ten points, name this company which in 1984 introduced the Macintosh and now sells its popular iPod.
ANSWER: Apple (Computer)
Unlike Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy!, quiz bowl players may interrupt the question and answer at any time. The lead-in clue ("In 1977, this Silicon Valley garage startup sold its computers for $666.66") uniquely identifies the desired answer, but is obscure enough so that those with deeper knowledge can answer earlier.[13][14] As the question progresses, the clues become more accessible: Fortune 500, two founders named Steve, "Think Different", etc. The final "giveaway" clue, given after the phrase "for ten points", is often the easiest, such that most teams will be able to answer by this point.[14][15]
Pyramid-style questions are designed to give the player with the most knowledge of the subject being asked about the best opportunity to answer first.[13] It is for this reason that pyramid style toss-ups are growing in popularity, as it typically removes (or at least reduces) the element of a "race of reflexes" or "buzzer race" to answer questions, and rewards the more studied player.[14]
One criticism of pyramid-style play is that it rewards knowledge of the obscure over the important. Another is that matches can potentially have longer running times. This is sometimes countered by implementing timed matches. Moderators will also read questions at a quick pace to counteract slowdown. Writing pyramid-style tossups can be more difficult because the answer must have many clues, ordered from unique and obscure to giveaway, without tapering too quickly or slowly.
There are two styles of mathematics tossups; computational and non-computational. Non-computational questions are generally math history or involve a specific aspect of mathematics, and are similar to the other subject areas. This also includes tossups on numbers, constants, functions, etc.. Computational mathematics ask the player to solve a math problem, which is dissimilar to the other subject areas. Computational math problems are harder to write in pyramidal style as they generally do not feature an obscure clue that can uniquely identify an answer. As such, many pyramidal quiz bowl formats will ask fewer or even no questions about computational mathematics when compared to formats that are not primarily pyramidal. Typically, players are given extra time to solve the problem.
Bonus questions may or may not (as in the case of NAQT style formats) be related to corresponding tossups.
Multi-part bonus questions are often seen in a patterned format; that is the individual parts of a bonus question are often related by some common thread. This common thread is often revealed (though not always) in the opening part of the bonus question (called the "lead-in"). For example:
BONUS: Given the title of an Irving Stone biography, identify the subject.
ANSWERS:
Just like "quick recall" questions, patterned bonus questions have virtually disappeared at the American collegiate level, and are becoming less common at some high-school competitions. These questions are more commonly encountered in areas involving mathematics. For example:
BONUS: "Given a pair of resistors, give their equivalent resistance if they were connected in parallel with each other."
ANSWERS:
This bonus question tests only a single skill, thus if only one player has memorized the skill, the question is reduced to one question, repeated three times.
Some bonus questions are not broken into specific parts. Instead, players must be able to give their answers from a requested list. For example:
BONUS: In any order, identify any five of the six nations which border India.
ANSWERS:
This style of question writing typically gives less information and forces teams to recall larger chunks of information all at once, and critically consider multiple options that the team may come up with; some of which may be wrong.
This no-longer-used type of bonus gave three (or some other number) discrete clues in order of decreasing difficulty; with the decreasing difficulty comes decreased point value, providing an incentive to answer the earlier clue. In NAQT format, whose question writers were particularly fond of 30-20-10 bonuses, a correct answer after the first clue is worth 30 points, one after the second clue is worth 20 points, and a correct answer given after the third clue is worth 10 points. Virtually any pyramidal tossup can be modified to create a 30-20-10. In general, the team may offer an answer after every clue in a 30-20-10.
An example of a 30-20-10 might be:
Answer: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The 30-20-10 bonus was officially banned from ACF in 2008 [16] and NAQT in 2009.[17]
For tournament purposes, a format covers rules of play and question structure/content. For questions, this includes question topics, clue difficulty, order of clues, and writing style. Rules of play include player eligibility, scoring of questions, acceptable answers, and procedures for protesting a question.
In particular, ACF, CBCI, HCASC, NAQT, and UC each have distinctive formats.[6] Also, certain college tournaments and programs have developed their own distinctive formats, such as the Deep Bench format (University of Minnesota/Carleton College). However, the basic ACF format is more or less standard for non-NAQT or PACE format tournaments in the US.
ACF format has a rigorous emphasis on academics.[6] There is no limit on graduate student participation. Toss-up questions are typically in pyramid style, with more difficult clues coming first, and a question should be answerable from any clue read. ACF is untimed;[6] questions are generally much longer than CBCI questions. Games are usually played to a total of 20 tossups read.
The now-defunct CBCI or College Bowl format emphasizes comparatively short questions on academics, current events, pop culture, and general knowledge.[6] The limits on participation are 6 years total in CBCI tournaments and only one graduate student per team. Questions tend to be structured so that most of the players know the answers to tossups read in their entirety. It is played in 8 minute halves, to a usual total of 22–24 tossups read, though there's no actual limit and 30-toss-up games, though quite rare, have occurred. Game play is relatively quick as a result. Related formats are HCASC (Honda Campus All Star Challenge) and UC (University Challenge).
NAQT format balances the diversity of subjects found in CB packets with the academic rigor of the ACF format.[6] The limits on participation are complex but in general, as long as a player is earning a degree they can play. It is based on the Penn Bowl/MLK format. Game play is markedly different from ACF or CB. Timeouts and player substitution during timeouts are allowed. The NAQT also uses power marks in tossups (15 points instead of 10 earned for a tossup answered before a certain point). Game length can vary a little, but a standard length for NAQT is 9 minute halves[18] and a total of 26 tossups. National/Regional tournaments follow these formats very closely, while invitationals often modify these formats for their own use. NAQT also writes questions and helps organize tournaments at the high school level.
The National Academic Championship is played in four-quarter format. Four-quarter format is the general term for quiz bowl that is broken up into several phases, with differing styles of gameplay in each phase. Individual formats vary but may include worksheets, lightning rounds, give-and-takes, and tossups, with or without accompanying bonuses.
Other competitions evolved from these formats include competitions testing knowledge in the Bible, Latin, modern foreign languages, nursing, business ethics, Black History, athletic training, cooking, and hundreds of other specialties. Many medical schools use quiz bowl-style competitions as part of their "grand rounds" specialty training for students and interns. In the 1990s, "Deaf College Bowl" for university teams with hearing-impaired students emerged. TRASH is a format that focuses on pop culture and sports trivia.[6]
In addition, other variants on the above quiz bowl formats are used at the high school level, including such formats as those of the Ohio Academic Competition (OAC), Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE), and the Panasonic Academic Challenge (PAC or simply "Panasonic").
Quiz bowl is generally played at tournaments, though high schools will also commonly play single matches against local schools, or schools within an athletic conference. Many schools hold on-campus tournaments (intramurals) where anyone can play. Some schools have programs which practice weekly (or more) during the school year. These programs are generally open to all students. They often include in their names "College Bowl," "Academic Competition," or "Quiz Bowl." They send teams to invitational tournaments sponsored by other schools or organizations.
For quiz bowl, a tournament is a gathering of teams who engage each other in several rounds of games. A tournament winner is determined using some criteria (win-loss record, playoff record, etc.). There are several classes of tournaments, which may use one of several formats.
Intramural tournaments invite students on a given campus to form teams and play. They are often called campus tournaments. On occasion, such tournaments may be open to teams of graduate students, and/or campus staff.
Invitational tournaments involve teams from various schools. They are run by the quiz bowl team/program at a given school. Invitations are sometimes sent to individual programs. However, most tournaments give out open invitations for any school to accept.
Major variants of Invitational tournaments include National/Regional, Junior Bird, "Masters", and "trash" (popular culture) tournaments.
Such tournaments often have qualification requirements, sometimes including purchase of intramural tournament packets, or participation in regional tournaments (or other tournaments). They have unique rules above their associated formats, usually concerning eligibility and number of teams per school.
Junior Bird or Novice tournaments are restricted to collegiate players in their first or second season. Freshmen and sophomores are the intended market, but upperclassmen or grad students who meet the criteria are sometimes allowed to play. These tournaments aim to support player development by providing experience against other teams of similar skills, and to give newer players a chance to compete without being dominated by long-time veterans. The unusual name "Junior Bird", originally used by Emory University, derives from a famous tournament held at Berry College, the "Early Bird", which was held early in the quiz bowl season (though the Early Bird is open to all undergraduates).
Some tournaments are restricted to undergraduate collegiate players (excluding graduate students). Variants on this format permit teams to have a total of X years of experience (e.g. four freshman or sophomores, three juniors, but only two seniors), as quiz bowl skill is thought to be proportional to experience.
Masters tournaments are tournaments which do not place any restrictions on who may play. They are intended for those who want to play with people from other schools, have graduated, or are otherwise ineligible for college play. The intent behind them varies.
At the College level, there are academic tournaments run by organizations not affiliated with a given school. These generally have regional competitions followed by a national championship. These organizations include:
Defunct:
A number of organizations organize national competitions for high school students in the United States. These include:
Defunct:
Tournament scheduling at invitational tournaments is often in the form of a Round-robin, where each team plays each other team once. The top teams may engage in a playoff. Some tournaments (historically College Bowl) have used single-elimination or double-elimination, but this reduces the number of matches each team can play, and has been criticized on the college-circuit. Large tournaments have employed Swiss pairs. Sometimes bracket-play is employed, where each team plays others in a round-robin within a bracket, and the top team(s) move on to another round-robin or a playoff.
Eligibility rules depend on the game. For the college game, in official College Bowl, NAQT or other events, there are severe eligibility rules, while other tournaments differ on whether senior or only junior undergraduate, graduate, and even non-students can play. In general, players of lower academic standing than specified can compete; there is a debate about how much more experienced players should be involved (analogous to the hypothetical question of whether NBA players should be able to play college games, or even high school games). First and second year undergraduates can always play. Junior and Senior undergraduates are typically excluded from junior bird type tournaments. Graduate students are excluded from undergraduate-only tournaments. The general intent is to ensure a degree of fairness, by preventing teams from having too many players who have too much experience who can swamp the entire field. College Bowl in particular allows only one graduate student per team.
Non-students are excluded from college tournaments; however, there are some tournaments open to everyone. These tournaments include "Masters" tournaments, "Trash" tournaments, and the occasional intramural tournament.
Questions come from one of three sources.
No form of quiz bowl at the college level is broadcast regularly in the United States on a national basis. The "College Quiz Bowl" was broadcast on NBC radio from 1953 to 1955; General Electric College Bowl was televised on CBS and later NBC from 1959 to 1970, College Bowl returned to CBS radio 1979-82, and HCASC was broadcast on BET until 1995. The Texaco Star National Academic Championship premiered July 1, 1989, on the Discovery Channel.[21] and ran through 1993. In 1994, it was syndicated as the Star Challenge and hosted by Mark Wahlberg.[22] University Challenge is licensed from CBCI by Granada TV Ltd. and broadcast in the United Kingdom.
There are several local broadcasts of college and high school level quiz bowl.
There is no relationship between quiz bowl and Jeopardy! or any of the other TV trivia game shows, other than that many of the contestants may be the same. NAQT maintains a list of current and former quiz bowl players at any level who have appeared on TV game shows.
The "Quiz Bowl" episode of the Internet mockumentary Dorm Life features a parody of a College Bowl match. It originally aired July 9, 2009.[23]
Quiz bowl shows have been on television for many years in some areas, featuring both college and high school competitions.