Specific Question Discussion

[Mewto55555]

Put issues/praise/other comments about specific questions here. If you want me to copy over a specific question (or a few), I can do that as well!

EDIT:

Errors already found: Puccini, pop art, Chanukah, fungi, Euler-Mascheroni, Rubaiyat, King tut. David/Solomon, Israeli politics

[jonah]

A bonus part in the first few rounds called fungi a phylum; it is a kingdom.

The tossup on Chanukah (I think packet 5) had a lead-in that applies to many Jewish holidays; for example, the candle blessing for Rosh HaShanah is "…l'hadlik neir shel Yom ha-Zikaron" and that for Yom Kippur is "…l'hadlik neir shel Yom ha-Kipurim".

[Euler's Constant]

I was told the bonus that included the Euler-Mascheroni Constant (round 11) needed Mascheroni. Mascheroni isn't necessary, Gamma is called Euler's Constant both by Wolfram and a book I own on the subject (Havil's Gamma), the later of which only mentions Mascheroni in passing.

Other than that I found the math to be pretty good, but rather heavy on common link number answers.

[Emil Nolde]

So, is this solely for discussion of what is absolutely wrong, or just what might be questionable, or perhaps sub-optimal?
I assume the latter.
So, Richard Rorty should really not be in power on a pragmatism question. That's all that I can think of right now.

[Stained Diviner]

Yes he should be.

[Eddie]

I haven't seen the question at hand, but considering LIST III's target difficulty, I'm of the opinion that anything that isn't Peirce/Dewey/James and their major works/ideas should be in power.

[Mewto55555]

12. One proponent of this philosophy attacked the pseudo-problems of analytic philosophy in Philosophy and the
Mirror of Nature; that man was Richard Rorty, who developed the “neo” version of it. One philosopher of this
movement discouraged “obscure conceptions” in “How to Make Our Ideas Clear,” and this movement’s most famous
text asks if a man ever goes around an unseen (*) squirrel while chasing it around a tree. For ten points, identify this
school of thought championed by CS Peirce and William James, which seeks to apply philosophy for practical purposes.
ANSWER: neopragmatism (accept word forms like “pragmatic”)
<MS>

I'm of the opinion Rorty is accurately placed (he's harder than how to make our ideas clear and everything thereafter, surely), and I think he's sufficiently hard you should definitely get a power for him (I mean, if you're at all knowledgeable on all but the most well-known clues of each answerline, you should probably be powering almost all of these questions).

[Eddie]

Are you sure "How to Make Our Ideas Clear" should be in the power? I'm of the opinion that putting it before the squirrel-and-tree clue makes it too easy for people to reflex buzz on the work's name. Plus, a quick search on QuizbowlDB shows that most questions on pragmatism put it just before the giveaway.

[Emil Nolde]

Oh wow, that's in power? It didn't get nearly that far in my room, but even if you are going for a medium-low degree of difficulty, I would most likely make power end with either "An eminent work in this movement was subtitled [*] "A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, yadda yadda yadda" or "An eminent work in this movement opens with the section "The [*] Present Dilemma in Philosophy". Those are both pretty good clues for the actual work Pragmatism, and the absolute easiest it should go would be "A leading figure of this movement wrote "The [*] Varieties of Religious Experience". Personally, I think the squirrel going around a tree, while funny, isn't as easy to uniquely identify and buzz on as How to Make Our Ideas Clear is, just because the work's purpose and title is so very matter-of-fact, which is something that generally characterizes pragmatism, and of course the fact that it is a really significant work. What I would do would be either to put clues that are important, but don't sound outwardly pragmatic (such as the squirrel or The Varieties of Religious Experience), or clues that do sound like they could come from pragmatism (such as the subtitle or name of the first chapter of the namesake work), but are just too obscure.


Also, not really that it is in any way explicitly necessary, but the question doesn't mention Dewey in any form, so yeah. If he had, where would you place him? He probably wouldn't be as obvious as Peirce or James.

[Eddie]

Personally, I think the squirrel going around a tree, while funny, isn't as easy to uniquely identify and buzz on as How to Make Our Ideas Clear is, just because the work's purpose and title is so very matter-of-fact, which is something that generally characterizes pragmatism, and of course the fact that it is a really significant work.

The point of the squirrel clue isn't to be funny; rather, it's the anecdote James used to describe what pragmatism was. Anyone that's either read Pragmatism or knows a good deal about James/pragmatism should be familiar with it, like how those well-versed in quantum mechanics should be familiar with Schrodinger's cat.

As for the "How to Make Our Ideas Clear" clue, if anyone is able to hear that work and make the connection that making ideas clear --> being pragmatic, he or she is probably familiar with what pragmatism is and would have buzzed at or before that clue anyways.

Also, not really that it is in any way explicitly necessary, but the question doesn't mention Dewey in any form, so yeah. If he had, where would you place him? He probably wouldn't be as obvious as Peirce or James.

It would be difficult to mention Dewey or Democracy and Education anywhere before the giveaway because people tend to memorize the most important works/thinkers of a certain philosophy without actually being familiar with what any of it means.

[Stained Diviner]

So far, the suggestions are that this question is supposed to have more clues that are more difficult than Rorty and “How to Make Our Ideas Clear,” and it's supposed to talk about Dewey, and it's supposed to have a few descriptions and subtitles for a while before it mentions any names or titles. It sounds like the description of a 12-line tossup.

Critics should keep in mind that when writing a high school philosophy toss-up, it is impossible to please everybody. On the one hand, if you use clues that require somebody to have read works or have actual deep knowledge, nobody buzzes in. On the other hand, if you use clues that are of central importance to the topic, then teams who read lots of packets have seen those clues before and get them based on shallow knowledge. On some third hand, teams that have not studied packets are going to miss the question pretty much no matter what clues you use. There are valid reasons why some people have called for less social science, and the problems with high school social science also apply to high school philosophy.

If you want a bunch of philosophy questions, some of them are going to be a lot like this one, and some of them are going to be worse.

[MorganV]

Minor error: Bonus 12 in packet 13 claims the Rubaiyat was translated by noted sunken ship Edmund Fitzgerald rather than poet Edward Fitzgerald.

[Kouign Amann]

Oh wow, that's in power? It didn't get nearly that far in my room, but even if you are going for a medium-low degree of difficulty, I would most likely make power end with either "An eminent work in this movement was subtitled [*] "A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, yadda yadda yadda" or "An eminent work in this movement opens with the section "The [*] Present Dilemma in Philosophy". Those are both pretty good clues for the actual work Pragmatism, and the absolute easiest it should go would be "A leading figure of this movement wrote "The [*] Varieties of Religious Experience". Personally, I think the squirrel going around a tree, while funny, isn't as easy to uniquely identify and buzz on as How to Make Our Ideas Clear is, just because the work's purpose and title is so very matter-of-fact, which is something that generally characterizes pragmatism, and of course the fact that it is a really significant work. What I would do would be either to put clues that are important, but don't sound outwardly pragmatic (such as the squirrel or The Varieties of Religious Experience), or clues that do sound like they could come from pragmatism (such as the subtitle or name of the first chapter of the namesake work), but are just too obscure.

"What would James Zetterman's personal opinion and sense of style say to do?" will not be a good standard for critiquing questions until James Zetterman earns some writing credentials. That tossup is fine.

[ProfessorIanDuncan]

If I remember correctly there was a velocity and a mass tossup. In the velocity de Broglie was mentioned towards the end of the question. In mass, it was mentioned in the first line. How do you justify that? Also, isn't that also a repeat question?

[Mewto55555]

19. Bonus: The Davisson-Germer experiment confirmed this theory by observing the scattering of electrons. For ten points each:
[10] Identify this principle of quantum mechanics that was partially illuminated by Einstein’s use of light quanta in his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
ANSWER: wave-particle duality (accept complementarity or anything close to behaving like a wave and particle)
[10] This French physicist’s namesake hypothesis states that any moving object has an associated wavelength that is inversely proportional to its momentum.
ANSWER: Louis-Victor-Pierre-Raymond, 7th duc de Broglie
[10] The de Broglie wavelength is inversely proportional to this vector quantity, the rate of change of an object’s position.
ANSWER: velocity (prompt on “v”or “speed”)
<EnC>

7. The de Broglie wavelength of a particle is equal to Planck’s constant divided by velocity times this quantity, and an object’s kinetic energy equals its momentum squared divided by two times this quantity. This quantity for sub-atomic particles is often measured in electronvolts divided by the speed of light squared, which can be derived from (*) Einstein’s famous equation.The force of gravity exerted by two objects is proportional to the product of this quantity for each object, and acceleration times this quantity equals force, according to Newton’s second law. For ten points, identify this quantity measured in kilograms and symbolized m.
ANSWER: mass (accept linear momentum before "velocity" is said)
<MS>

so yeah, there's a small repeat (when checking I stupidly only made sure the velocity part didn't conflict with the tossup, not realizing the momentum bit was given above). Anyway, it's in the first line because knowing the formula for the de Broglie wavelength (as opposed to just knowing the name) is of the proper difficulty to be a first line clue. Thanks for catching that repeat, I'll probably just replace "inversely proportional to its momentum" with something like "proportional to Planck's constant".

[ProfessorIanDuncan]

Fair enough. Maybe that's just my opinion because the de Broglie equation is legitimately the only formula i seem to know.

[rohitx15]

Do you think you could post the toss-up on Shiva? Thanks. :)

[Mewto55555]

18. This deity smeared ash on his head three times after his form of Tripurantaka fought three cities. This god is alternatively called Pashupati and resides as a yogi in Mount Kailash. The Ganges River flows through the matted hair of this rider of the bull Nandi, who burned the god of love to ashes. He is commonly depicted standing by a form of his wife named (*) Kali, or with a snake around his neck and a trident in his right arm. Often worshipped through a lingam, this god fathered Kartikeya and Ganesha with his wife Parvati. For ten points, name this Hindu destroyer god.
ANSWER: Shiva (accept Siva, Rudra, Nataraja, Neelkantha, or Shankara)
<KT>

[rohitx15]

Thanks so much :) and also, if it's not a problem, could you post the toss-up on "enzyme?"

[Mewto55555]

15. One equation that models the behavior of these molecules divides the product of Vmax (“V sub max”) and S by the sum of Km (“K sub M”) and S, and that equation is part of the Michaelis-Menten kinetics describing these molecules. Their activity can be controlled via allosteric regulation and by (*) competitive and noncompetitive inhibitors. The induced-fit model is a more accurate variant of the “lock and key” model that describes how their active sites bond with substrates in order to lower the activation energy of a reaction. For ten points, name these proteins that catalyze biological reactions.
ANSWER: enzymes (prompt on “catalysts” until mentioned)
<BZ>

Not a problem!

[alinktothefuture]

7. The de Broglie wavelength of a particle is equal to Planck’s constant divided by velocity times this quantity, and an object’s kinetic energy equals its momentum squared divided by two times this quantity. This quantity for sub-atomic particles is often measured in electronvolts divided by the speed of light squared, which can be derived from (*) Einstein’s famous equation.The force of gravity exerted by two objects is proportional to the product of this quantity for each object, and acceleration times this quantity equals force, according to Newton’s second law. For ten points, identify this quantity measured in kilograms and symbolized m.
ANSWER: mass (accept linear momentum before "velocity" is said)
<MS>

That first clue was confusing, as when I heard it I thought of it as “h / v” times some quantity (which is what order of operations would imply), making me first think something along the lines of “one over mass.” I’d suggest rephrasing that as “The de Broglie wavelength of a particle is equal to Planck’s constant divided by the product of velocity and this quantity” or “The de Broglie wavelength of a particle is equal to Planck’s constant divided by the velocity divided by this quantity,” to make that clearer.

Also, the bonus part on quantum chromodynamics seemed out of place for high school (especially as a first part in a bonus series).

EDIT: Make wording clearer

[Off To See The Lizard]

EDIT:

Errors already found:David/Solomon

What was the problem with this tossup? I ask because a teammate of mine buzzed in with Solomon really early on and got negged.

[Mewto55555]

The original wording of it had cedars before "build a house", and both Solomon and David were sent cedars by Hiram of Tyre (but only David's was to build a house/palace, Solomon was for the temple). It has since been reversed to "To help him build a house, Hiram of Tyre sent this man cedar trees,"

[Beevor Feevor]

Could I see the bonus part on Tragic Prelude please? Thanks!

[Mewto55555]

9. Bonus: Answer the following about John Steuart Curry’s Tragic Prelude, for ten points each:
[10] The central man in Tragic Prelude in this historical figure, who stands in a Christ-like pose, holding a Bible and a gun. Behind him, a tornado rages as fire devastates the countryside.
ANSWER: John Brown
[10] Brown’s depiction in the painting looks very little like the actual man. Instead, it bears a striking resemblance to a Michelangelo sculpture of this biblical figure, made for Pope Julius II’s tomb, though it lacks the horns.
ANSWER: Moses
[10] John Brown’s windswept beard points towards one of these objects, rippling in the wind. One of these with fewer stars can be seen in Washington Crossing the Delaware, and the first one’s design is attributed to Betsy Ross.
ANSWER: an American flag (prompt on flag)
<MS>

I have already been made aware of the typo in the first part.

[UlyssesInvictus]

yeah, tragic prelude seems hard, but I'm okay with it leaning on the hard side, I guess

[Beevor Feevor]

Yeah, that question's way easier than I remembered, save the first part. Moses with horns is a fine middle part, I just distinctly remember missing it out of exhaustion and Matt Bollinger telling me the name of the painting, which made me think that it was the actual answer line. The question seems fine.

[Off To See The Lizard]

Could you please post the two tossups on Argentina, the common-link lit and history?

[Mewto55555]

7. One author from this country wrote a novella in which Dalmacio Ombrellieri leads The Fugitive to a two-sunned island home to Faustine and The Invention of Morel. That author, Bioy Casares, shows an encyclopedia article to another author from this country in the short story (*) “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbus Tertius.”. That author wrote a short story in which Richard Madden pursues the German spy Yu Tsun and included in his collection Ficciones, “The Garden of Forking Paths.” For ten points, name this country home to Jorge Luis Borges, the setting of Manuel Puig’s The Buenos Aires Affair.
ANSWER: Argentina
<MS>

6. One general from this country led a campaign called Conquest of the Desert, which resulted in a victory over the Mapuche people. Its presidents have included Bernardino Rivadavia and Leopoldo Galtieri, while one of its governors was Juan Manuel de Rosas. Jorge Videla became the leader of this country after overthrowing (*) Isabel, whose husband had led the descamisados and married Eva Duarte. This country experienced the Dirty War and invaded some South Atlantic islands in 1982, which sparked a war with the United Kingdom. For ten points, identify this country which fought the Falklands War and was once led by Juan Peron.
ANSWER: Argentina (or Argentine Republic)
<JD>

[UlyssesInvictus]

Now that I've seen the full Argentina lit question, Tlon--- should probably be in power, and there's probably no reason to give that much clue space to Bioy Casares, who is simply pretty hard just as a name drop (I'm not very firm on that latter point, though, especially since I like seeing him come up)

[tgaddy]

Could you please post the tossup on Marriage of Figaro? Thanks a lot!

[Mewto55555]

15. One character in this opera vows to help Marcellina enforce punishment for a defaulted loan in “La vendetta”, and while measuring the space for his bridal bed, the title character of this opera sings the duet “Cinque, dieci, venti, trenta” with his fiancée. This opera was the first of three collaborations with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, and sees the music teacher Basilio spread rumors about (*) Cherubino’s affections for Countess Rosina, who disguises herself as Susanna to fool her husband. Count Almaviva’s amorous intents are the subject of, for ten points, what Mozart opera, which takes place after the events of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville?
ANSWER: The Marriage of Figaro (accept Le Nozze di Figaro)
<HX>

[Matt Weiner]

A little too public specific question discussion: https://twitter.com/gallifreybound/stat ... 0992570368

[Urech hydantoin synthesis]

A little too public specific question discussion: https://twitter.com/gallifreybound/stat ... 0992570368

That's not part of LIST, but rather a trash packet written by two Ladue players several hours before the tournament (to be played at lunch)

[Sniper, No Sniping!]

The third part of the Aida bonus claimed Aida and Radames were "buried alive" as the way they die, if I'm not mistaken? I'm pretty sure they are crushed to death, or at least that's how I remember it when I saw it performed. I also got this inference because the aria "la fatal piedra sovra me is chiuse" translates into something like "the fatal stone is above us".

I may be wrong however, but great set! Definitely enjoyed getting to play it.

[Mewto55555]

Everything I can see (like the top few legit results on google search for "aida plot") seems to indicate it is burial alive and that the stone in question is the one used to seal up the entrance.

[vinteuil]

Yes, they are buried alive.

[Sniper, No Sniping!]

Everything I can see (like the top few legit results on google search for "aida plot") seems to indicate it is burial alive and that the stone in question is the one used to seal up the entrance.

Sounds pretty concise, thanks for the clarification! (Also really liked the hard parts of the lit/arts bonuses).

[pajaro bobo]

Could I see those two tossups on "blue" and "light"?

[Mewto55555]

2. The Rubaiyat describes “the sultan’s turret” caught in a noose of this stuff, and “September 1, 1939” mentions “ironic points of” it. “My Last Duchess” describes the “dropping of” one kind of this entity “in the West,” and the narrator of a Robert Frost poem has “outwalked the furthest” one. “Dover Beach” claims the world “hath neither joy, nor love, nor” this stuff, and Milton’s “On His (*) Blindness” begins “when I consider how” it “is spent.” For ten points, identify this entity which Dylan Thomas tells us to “rage, rage against the dying of,” the word for which is used to describe a charging brigade in a Tennyson poem.
ANSWER: light (accept elaborations like “the furthest city light” or daylight)
<MS>


6. A Paul Eluard poem notes that, like an orange, the Earth is this color. This color also appears in the title of a novel whose protagonist is courted by Stephen Smith and Henry Knight; that work is about Elfride Swancourt. In another novel, Cholly rapes the protagonist Pecola Breedlove, who wishes for a body part of this color. This is the color of a hotel owned by (*) Scully in a Stephen Crane story, and Thomas Hardy and Toni Morrison wrote novels titled after this color of eye. For ten points, identify this color of a beard possessed by a fairy tale character who murdered all of his wives.
ANSWER: blue (or bleu or bluest)
<MS>

[Urech hydantoin synthesis]

I think it's probably safe to publicize this discussion.