Can anyone help review my questions?

[harrisbender]

I am trying to apply to be an NAQT writer so I was hoping someone could help he review some questions I wrote. I wrote these a while ago so I already notice a few problems but I would love to get some feedback from an impartial reader. The tossups are around 400 characters to the difficulty should be around high school level but there may be some variance. Also I am pasting from a google doc so hopefully the formatting isn't too off. Thanks!



Bonuses
1. A Babylonian sculpture features the sun god Shamash holding a law code, For 10 points each.
Name the seated figure in the sculpture that receives the law code, a ring, and a staff. Answer: Hammurabi.
The sculpture is engraved with this type of writing system developed in Sumer that means “wedged shaped”. Answer: Cuneiform.
The sculpture is made of this Igneous rock that forms the columns at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Answer: Basalt.

2. Answer the following about ancient historians, for 10 points each.
Name this historian from Halicarnassus who was nicknamed “The Father of History” and chronicled the Greco-Persian Wars in The Histories. Answer: Herodotus.
Name this Roman historian who wrote Ab Urbe Condita Libri. In it he offers a demythisized account in which Romulus and Remus were raised by a prostitute. Answer: Livy or Titus Livius Patavinus.
The Roman historian Sallust wrote about this Roman senator's conspiracy to overthrow the senate. Answer: Catiline or Lucius Sergius Catilina.

3. Answer the following about 20th century German art, for 10 points each.
In Nazi Germany, modern art deemed unacceptable was put on display in this Munich art exhibition. Answer: Degenerate art exhibit or museum.
One the artists whose art was on display was Ernst Kirchner. A founding member of this expressionist art group. Answer: Die Brucke.
Name this other degenerate artist that was important to the New Objectivity movement and whose famous works include Der Krieg and The Skat Players. Answer: Otto Dix.

4. In the Divine Comedy, this man is Dante’s guide through hell, For 10 points each.
Name this Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid. Answer: Virgil or Publius Vergilius Maro.
The 9th circle and 4th round of hell is named after this sinner who is eternally chewed on by one of Lucifer’s mouths alongside Brutus and Cassius. Answer: Judas Iscariot.
Dante Alighieri is depicted in the painting Disputation of the Holy Sacrament by this Renaissance painter. Answer: Raphael or Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.

5. The HIV virus uses reverse transcriptase to produce DNA from RNA, for 10 points each.
Identify this type of virus. Answer: Retrovirus.
The HIV virus targets helper T cells, which when mature have this glycoprotein on their surface. Answer: CD4 protein.
HIV originated from this disease that was transferred from non-human primates to humans via zoonoses. Answer: SIV or Simian Immunodeficiency Virus.

Toss-ups
1.
During a scene in this film the protagonist drinks milk and eats strawberries with some traveling performers. In another scene a knight goes to a confessional where he talks to a priest about the futility of life. This movie ends with a Danse Macabre in which seven figures holding hands walk over a hill. It’s title is shared with a line in the book of revelations. For 10 points name this Swedish film about Antonius Block playing a game of chess with death. The Seventh Seal.
2.
Bob Dylan’s Bootleg series features a song about his last thoughts of this man. Some of this man’s works include The columbia collection and The Asch Recordings. This man gained the nickname “The Oklahoma Cowboy” and his wife helped to found the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease following his death. He who wrote “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS” on his guitar. For 10 points name this musician who wrote This Land is Your Land. Woody Guthrie.
3.
In a Franz Kafka short story an artist performs this act to entertain crowds until it eventually kills him. In Judaism this act is performed on the Tenth of Tevet and the seventeenth of Tammuz. This act was a tactic used by WSPU members such as Alice Paul. In Islam this act is performed from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. For 10 points name this act that was performed by Mahatma Gandhi as an act of peaceful protest. Fasting accept Hunger strike or not eating.
4.
This process can be used in the analysis of short tandem repeats which is the basis for DNA fingerprinting. This process is started by heating the reactants in a process called denaturation. This process is made possible by Taq Polymerase which is purified from thermophilic bacterium. Additionally Nucleotides, primers, and a template strand are used in this process that amplifies DNA. For 10 points name this technique discovered by Kary Mullis. Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR.
5.
This condition is caused by nondisjunction of the sex chromosomes during maternal or paternal meiosis I or during maternal Meiosis II. One symptom of this condition is Azoospermia. This condition can be diagnosed with an analysis of the patient’s karyotype. Symptoms include weaker muscles, greater stature and infertility. For 10 points name this syndrome that occurs in about one out of every 1000 males in which the individual’s sex chromosomes are XXY. Answer: Klinefelter’s Syndrome.

[Teddymons123]

I am trying to apply to be an NAQT writer so I was hoping someone could help he review some questions I wrote. I wrote these a while ago so I already notice a few problems but I would love to get some feedback from an impartial reader. The tossups are around 400 characters to the difficulty should be around high school level but there may be some variance. Also I am pasting from a google doc so hopefully the formatting isn't too off. Thanks!



Bonuses
1. A Babylonian sculpture features the sun god Shamash holding a law code, For 10 points each.
Name the seated figure in the sculpture that receives the law code, a ring, and a staff. Answer: Hammurabi.
The sculpture is engraved with this type of writing system developed in Sumer that means “wedged shaped”. Answer: Cuneiform.
The sculpture is made of this Igneous rock that forms the columns at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Answer: Basalt.

2. Answer the following about ancient historians, for 10 points each.
Name this historian from Halicarnassus who was nicknamed “The Father of History” and chronicled the Greco-Persian Wars in The Histories. Answer: Herodotus.
Name this Roman historian who wrote Ab Urbe Condita Libri. In it he offers a demythisized account in which Romulus and Remus were raised by a prostitute. Answer: Livy or Titus Livius Patavinus.
The Roman historian Sallust wrote about this Roman senator's conspiracy to overthrow the senate. Answer: Catiline or Lucius Sergius Catilina.

3. Answer the following about 20th century German art, for 10 points each.
In Nazi Germany, modern art deemed unacceptable was put on display in this Munich art exhibition. Answer: Degenerate art exhibit or museum.
One the artists whose art was on display was Ernst Kirchner. A founding member of this expressionist art group. Answer: Die Brucke.
Name this other degenerate artist that was important to the New Objectivity movement and whose famous works include Der Krieg and The Skat Players. Answer: Otto Dix.

4. In the Divine Comedy, this man is Dante’s guide through hell, For 10 points each.
Name this Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid. Answer: Virgil or Publius Vergilius Maro.
The 9th circle and 4th round of hell is named after this sinner who is eternally chewed on by one of Lucifer’s mouths alongside Brutus and Cassius. Answer: Judas Iscariot.
Dante Alighieri is depicted in the painting Disputation of the Holy Sacrament by this Renaissance painter. Answer: Raphael or Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.

5. The HIV virus uses reverse transcriptase to produce DNA from RNA, for 10 points each.
Identify this type of virus. Answer: Retrovirus.
The HIV virus targets helper T cells, which when mature have this glycoprotein on their surface. Answer: CD4 protein.
HIV originated from this disease that was transferred from non-human primates to humans via zoonoses. Answer: SIV or Simian Immunodeficiency Virus.

Toss-ups
1.
During a scene in this film the protagonist drinks milk and eats strawberries with some traveling performers. In another scene a knight goes to a confessional where he talks to a priest about the futility of life. This movie ends with a Danse Macabre in which seven figures holding hands walk over a hill. It’s title is shared with a line in the book of revelations. For 10 points name this Swedish film about Antonius Block playing a game of chess with death. The Seventh Seal.
2.
Bob Dylan’s Bootleg series features a song about his last thoughts of this man. Some of this man’s works include The columbia collection and The Asch Recordings. This man gained the nickname “The Oklahoma Cowboy” and his wife helped to found the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease following his death. He who wrote “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS” on his guitar. For 10 points name this musician who wrote This Land is Your Land. Woody Guthrie.
3.
In a Franz Kafka short story an artist performs this act to entertain crowds until it eventually kills him. In Judaism this act is performed on the Tenth of Tevet and the seventeenth of Tammuz. This act was a tactic used by WSPU members such as Alice Paul. In Islam this act is performed from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. For 10 points name this act that was performed by Mahatma Gandhi as an act of peaceful protest. Fasting accept Hunger strike or not eating.
4.
This process can be used in the analysis of short tandem repeats which is the basis for DNA fingerprinting. This process is started by heating the reactants in a process called denaturation. This process is made possible by Taq Polymerase which is purified from thermophilic bacterium. Additionally Nucleotides, primers, and a template strand are used in this process that amplifies DNA. For 10 points name this technique discovered by Kary Mullis. Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR.
5.
This condition is caused by nondisjunction of the sex chromosomes during maternal or paternal meiosis I or during maternal Meiosis II. One symptom of this condition is Azoospermia. This condition can be diagnosed with an analysis of the patient’s karyotype. Symptoms include weaker muscles, greater stature and infertility. For 10 points name this syndrome that occurs in about one out of every 1000 males in which the individual’s sex chromosomes are XXY. Answer: Klinefelter’s Syndrome.

Welcome to the forums!

1. A Babylonian sculpture features the sun god Shamash holding a law code, For 10 points each.
Name the seated figure in the sculpture that receives the law code, a ring, and a staff. Answer: Hammurabi.
The sculpture is engraved with this type of writing system developed in Sumer that means “wedged shaped”. Answer: Cuneiform.
The sculpture is made of this Igneous rock that forms the columns at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Answer: Basalt.

I would rewrite the first part to. “A sculpture depicting this man receiving a tablet from the Sun God Shamash For Ten Points each. This this Babylonian lawgiver who created a namesake Code.

That sculpture is engraved with this type of writing system invented by the Sumerians. It’s name literally translates to “wedged shape.” The third part is fine.

2. Answer the following about ancient historians, for 10 points each.
Name this historian from Halicarnassus who was nicknamed “The Father of History” and chronicled the Greco-Persian Wars in The Histories. Answer: Herodotus.
Name this Roman historian who wrote Ab Urbe Condita Libri. In it he offers a demythisized account in which Romulus and Remus were raised by a prostitute. Answer: Livy or Titus Livius Patavinus.
The Roman historian Sallust wrote about this Roman senator's conspiracy to overthrow the senate. Answer: Catiline or Lucius Sergius Catilina.

Don’t start the bonus with “Answer some questions”. Instead give a lead in to the first answer line such as “This man recounted the rise of Darius I and the Greco Persian Wars . For Ten Points each.” The second bonus should be written more like “In his work Ab Urbe Condita Libri, this Roman historian wrote that Romulus and Remus were raised by a prostitution rather than a she wolf. This writer was also friends with the empower Augustus

The third part is fine.

Bonus three has the same problems as bonus two.

From the lead in bonus five isn’t very clear. Maybe instead you could put “HIV, one of these types of viruses,, can use reverse transcription to produce DNA from RNA For Ten Points Each”

I’m not very good at toss up writing so I can’t comment on those.

I hope I am able to help.

[harrisbender]

Thanks!

[setht]

I am trying to apply to be an NAQT writer so I was hoping someone could help he review some questions I wrote.[/i][/b]

A quick reminder: the sample questions people send in when applying to become NAQT writers cannot include questions that have been seen by anyone other than the writer. I think writing questions and getting feedback is very helpful for aspiring writers, so I encourage people who want to work on their question-writing skills to seek out feedback. But when you're gearing up to apply to become an NAQT writer, you need to write the sample questions on your own and not show them to anyone else.