Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

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Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Important Bird Area »

This is your specific-question discussion for the 2016 DII ICT.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Inifinite Jest »

That E.T.A. Hoffman tossup was atrocious. I don't know why anyone thought it would be a good idea to drop the title of "The Sandman" in the leadin.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Chaac and Ayyy »

"Prefrontal cortex" should at the very least be promptable for "frontal lobe" before the bilateral damage part is read in the lead-in clue. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task is used to assess function in both the frontal lobe and specifically the prefrontal cortex due to the PFC's connection to executive functioning and top-down processing.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2016 DII ICT round 1 wrote:The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test can be used to assess function in this part of the brain, bilateral damage to which can cause confabulation. It includes the cingulate gyrus and precentral gyrus, which itself contains the motor homunculus. Because it mediates (*) executive function, injuries to it can cause behavior changes, as in Phineas Gage. For 10 points--name this part of the cerebrum, its most forward lobe.

answer: _frontal lobe_ (accept _frontal_ after "lobe"; prompt on "frontal (part of the brain)"; prompt on "cerebrum" before "cerebrum"; do not accept or prompt on "prefrontal")
2016 DII ICT round 1 wrote:This author wrote about a narrator who learns that a person who tried to steal his eyes is now Spalanzani's associate in "The Sandman." In another of his stories, a seven-headed mouse king is opposed by a nutcracker. This writer is the protagonist of an (*) opera featuring the automaton Olympia, the girl Antonia, and the courtesan Giulietta. Jacques Offenbach composed "The Tales of"--for 10 points--what German writer?
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by vinteuil »

Chaac and Ayyy wrote:"Prefrontal cortex" should at the very least be promptable for "frontal lobe" before the bilateral damage part is read in the lead-in clue. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task is used to assess function in both the frontal lobe and specifically the prefrontal cortex due to the PFC's connection to executive functioning and top-down processing.
I got hosed on this too (in the DI version), since Kandel says "The Wisconsin Card Sort Test evaluates cognitive deficits resulting from damage to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex." This is exactly why functional neuroanatomy question writers have to be really careful.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Victor Prieto »

I'd like to see the tossup on Fidel Castro please, I think there were a lot of clues that applied to Che Guevara as well. Someone negged with that in the room I moderated, and I thought it was a hose, too.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Chaac and Ayyy »

vinteuil wrote:I got hosed on this too (in the DI version), since Kandel says "The Wisconsin Card Sort Test evaluates cognitive deficits resulting from damage to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex." This is exactly why functional neuroanatomy question writers have to be really careful.
I should probably clarify that I was thinking PFC as soon as the WCST was mentioned, but buzzed and negged after executive functioning was read in the DII set. Reading back through the tossup, I know I was in the wrong at that point and am totally fine with that; only wanted to leave a comment for future reference about the PFC and WCST. I suppose my initial comment would fall under the discussion of "first line negs cannot be challenged even if *technically* correct" -as I would have tried to issue a protest if I buzzed in right at the WCST-but that's a whole other can of worms.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by gimmedatguudsuccrose »

Unless I'm mistaken, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is one of the most famous violin showpieces in the repertoire, and it's placement was a tad early. Also, the tossups on Ficciones and Binary Trees had lead-ins that where unambiguous in the extreme if I recall correctly.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by heterodyne »

The Hilarious House of Frightenstein wrote:Unless I'm mistaken, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is one of the most famous violin showpieces in the repertoire, and it's placement was a tad early. Also, the tossups on Ficciones and Binary Trees had lead-ins that where unambiguous in the extreme if I recall correctly.
To elaborate on the latter, the particular complaint is that the first line of the Ficciones toss up is, if I remember correctly, about the Circular Ruins, which also appears in Labyrinths. The possible issue with the binary trees tossups is that the Catalan numbers count at least 65 things, some of which are non-binary trees.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by setht »

2016 DII ICT round 7 wrote:In 1960 this national leader accused the U.S. of complicity in the explosion of the French vessel ~La Coubre~ [koo-BRAY]. ~New York Times~ reporter Herbert Matthews interviewed this man when he was a guerrilla in the Sierra Maestra [see-"AIR"-uh "my"-AY-struh] mountains. He and 81 others sailed on the (*) ~Granma~ [GRAHN-mah] to launch the 26th of July Movement. For 10 points--name this Communist who unseated Fulgencio Batista [fool-HEN-see-oh bah-TEE-stuh] and served as president of Cuba from 1959 to 2008.

answer: _F_idel (Alejandro) _Castro_ (Ruz) (prompt on "Castro")
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Victor Prieto »

Ah. Taken out of context, the second and third lines are definitely true of both Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, but I suppose if someone missed the words "national leader" right at the start, they'd be toast. Not really sure if there's anything to be done about that, though.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by khannate »

The specific issue I had with the Catalan numbers tossup was the instruction to not prompt on trees, which is pretty bad considering that there are plenty of kinds of trees other than binary ones the Catalan numbers count (see http://www-math.mit.edu/~rstan/ec/catadd.pdf).
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Southern Double-collared Sunbirb »

The "autogynephilia" bonus was a thing that hit a bit close to home. I appreciate this was an actual (long-since debunked) hypothesis back in the day, but this is also a rather sensitive topic that needs to be handled with tact--I'm already reminded enough of how certain others think people like me are deranged perverts.

(though my reaction might be more due to internalized shame).
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Auger recombination »

Can someone post the Intentional walks tossup? It seems kind of harsh not to prompt on walks, considering the exact number in the Barry Bonds clue is the only thing I can remember that explicitly refers to intentional walks but not also regular walks.
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by Important Bird Area »

DII ICT round 14 wrote:In June 2006, while Todd Williams of the Orioles was attempting this kind of play, Miguel Cabrera hit an RBI single up the middle. The single-season record for this statistic, 120, was set in 2004 by (*) Barry Bonds; Bonds was also at the plate in 1998 when Buck Showalter ordered this kind of play with the bases loaded. The "four-finger salute" calls for--for 10 points--what strategic maneuver involving four purposeful balls?

answer: _intentional walk_(s) (or _intentional base on ball_s; accept _intentional BB_(s) or _IBB_(s); accept _intentional ball_(s) or _intentionally throwing a ball_ before "120"; prompt on "walk" or "base on balls" or "BB" before "120"; do not accept or prompt on "pitchout(s)")
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by setht »

Chaac and Ayyy wrote:"Prefrontal cortex" should at the very least be promptable for "frontal lobe" before the bilateral damage part is read in the lead-in clue. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task is used to assess function in both the frontal lobe and specifically the prefrontal cortex due to the PFC's connection to executive functioning and top-down processing.
I've changed the DII answer line to

_frontal lobe_ (accept _prefrontal cortex_ before "confabulation"; accept _frontal_ after "lobe"; prompt on "frontal (part of the brain)" before "lobe"; prompt on "cerebrum" or "(cerebral) cortex" before "cerebrum"; prompt on "prefrontal" before "confabulation")


And the DI answer line to

_frontal_ lobe (accept _prefrontal cortex_ before "mutism"; accept _frontal_ after "lobe"; prompt on "frontal (part of the brain)" or "cerebrum" or "(cerebral) cortex" before "lobe"; prompt on "prefrontal" before "mutism")


-Seth
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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by setht »

heterodyne wrote:
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein wrote:Unless I'm mistaken, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is one of the most famous violin showpieces in the repertoire, and it's placement was a tad early. Also, the tossups on Ficciones and Binary Trees had lead-ins that where unambiguous in the extreme if I recall correctly.
To elaborate on the latter, the particular complaint is that the first line of the Ficciones toss up is, if I remember correctly, about the Circular Ruins, which also appears in Labyrinths.
The tossup describes "The Circular Ruins" and "The Library of Babel." Both stories appear in Ficciones and The Garden of Forking Paths and Labyrinths. We had the first two collections as acceptable answers, but not the third—until now.

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Re: Question-specific discussion: 2016 DII ICT

Post by setht »

khannate wrote:The specific issue I had with the Catalan numbers tossup was the instruction to not prompt on trees, which is pretty bad considering that there are plenty of kinds of trees other than binary ones the Catalan numbers count (see http://www-math.mit.edu/~rstan/ec/catadd.pdf).
Here's the tossup:
DII ICT round 11 wrote:The number of these structures of size ~n~ equals the ~n~th {Catalan number}. The {Day-Stout-Warren algorithm} ensures their height is no larger than the {base-2 log} of their node count. Mathematical expressions involving only operators with (*) two operands are easily represented by this {data structure} in which literals are stored in {leaf nodes}. For 10 points--name this type of {tree} where each node has a left and a right child.

answer: _binary tree_(s) (accept _binary_ tree after "tree"; do not accept or prompt on "tree" or "balanced binary tree")
Given the way the first sentence is worded, I think that prompting on "trees" is the wrong thing to do—it is true that various specific kinds of trees can be counted using the Catalan numbers (and thus those specific types of trees may deserve prompts or accepts), but the number of "trees of size n" is not the nth Catalan number (or the (n+1)th Catalan number, or any Catalan number in general).

-Seth
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