Question-specific discussion

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Question-specific discussion

Post by marianna »

This thread here is for discussion of specific questions! If there's a specific question you'd like to see, let me know and I'll post it up.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Things we're currently aware of:

Literature
- epic theater too early in Brecht tossup

History
- too difficult ambassadors of the UK tossup
- too difficult Secretary of the Navy tossup
- need to mention "first name" of Ferdinand Marcos in Ferdinand tossup
- prompt for assassination of Maximilian I in firing squad tossup
- vague clues in Richard I bonus
- prompt for Austrian-Prussian War in Seven Weeks' War bonus
- Manchurian Incident should at best be prompted in Mukden Incident bonus

Science
- need alternate answers for Golgi body tossup
- non-specific lead-in on log-log plotting for fractals tossup

Arts
- need to repeat "relative minor" for Mahler's Tragic in C major tossup
- Napoleon's coronation error in David painting bonus

Religion and Mythology
- ital needs to be nudged down in Rasta tossup
- easy leadin for Lakshmi tossup

Philosophy
- transparent social contract tossup
- too difficult aesthetics tossup
- too difficult Zhuangzi bonus

Soc Sci
- transparent Keynes tossup
- ambigious Taylor clue in inflation tossup
- difficulty cliff in memory tossup
- mand typo in Skinner tossup
- non-specific clues in Gestalt grouping bonus
- 0-6 typo in Kinsey scale bonus
Last edited by marianna on Sun May 19, 2013 11:50 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by czheng0708 »

Can you post the Secretary of Navy and Philadelphia Phillies tossup?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 4 wrote:8. One holder of this position was killed by the explosion of the Peacemaker gun, while another committed suicide by jumping out of a 16th floor window. The first official holder of this position was Benjamin Stoddert, and George Bancroft established a school using this position. Oil fields transferred by one holder of this position to Albert Fall were then leased to two businessmen in the Teapot Dome scandal, and Gideon Wells implemented the Anaconda plan from this office. For 10 points, identify this former cabinet position incorporated into the Defense Department following the tenure of James Forrestal, currently held by Ray Mabus.
ANSWER: Secretary of the Navy [accept Secretary of State, valet to John Tyler, or Chief of the Bureau of Construction prior to “suicide”] <ZZ>
Prison Bowl VI, Round 10 wrote: 10.The first relief pitcher to win the MVP award, Jim Konstanty, pitched for this team when they won the National League pennant in 1950. At one point, this team shared Shibe Park with another team in their city, and their career leader in innings pitched is Robin Roberts. More recently, in 1972 Steve Carlton won 27 games for this team, and in 1980 this team was led to a World Series victory by Mike Schmidt. In 2007, this team made an improbable comeback against the Mets to capture the NL East title. For 10 points, name this baseball team whose award winners in recent years have included Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Roy Halladay, a team that plays in the same city as the NFL’s Eagles.
ANSWER: Philadelphia Phillies [accept either underlined word] <Paul>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by ProfessorIanDuncan »

what is the discrepancy in the Gestalt bonus? because i think there might be vagueness in the part where it asks about the city where it was developed. A bunch of the psychologists who founded it worked together in frankfurt as well as berlin so i'm not sure if its vague or not.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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ProfessorIanDuncan wrote:what is the discrepancy in the Gestalt bonus? because i think there might be vagueness in the part where it asks about the city where it was developed. A bunch of the psychologists who founded it worked together in frankfurt as well as berlin so i'm not sure if its vague or not.
Prison Bowl VI, Round 10 wrote:9. This theory is normally used when considering the bottom-up approach to processing. For 10 points each:
[10] This theory claims that the whole is greater than its parts. Central to this theory is the law of pragnanz which claims that we try to find order and regularity in our sensations.
ANSWER: Gestaltism or Gestalt theory
[10] Gestalt psychologists claim that there are several laws governing how we perform this action. The law of common fate, symmetry, and closure all are generalizations of this phenomenon.
ANSWER: grouping
[10] Gestalt theory was started in this city by Carl Stumpf, Max Wertheimer, and Wolfgang Kohler, who formed their namesake school.
ANSWER: Berlin [or Berlin School] <WH>
It wasn't really a discrepancy, but the clues used in the grouping part all relate to vision.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by ProfessorIanDuncan »

thank you. and yes the berlin school removes all ambiguity from the third part as i had suspected.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by samus149 »

Could you post the tossup about the white dwarf in packet 1 and the bonus with Dijkstra's algorithm? The latter caused a bit of confusion in our room because nobody really knows how to say the guy's name. Maybe include some pronunciation key with the question?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 02 wrote:2. One type of these objects, abbreviated “C/O”, propagates a density wave and a Rayleigh-Taylor unstable fireball after accreting matter from a mass-transferring secondary star. These objects which undergo carbon detonation have DB, DA and carbon-oxygen varieties. The failure of electron degeneracy pressure to prevent the gravitational collapse of one of these objects occurs after it exceeds about 1.44 solar masses, known as the Chandrasekhar limit. These stars, formed from the cores of red giants, cannot undergo nuclear fusion. For 10 points, name these dense stellar remnants contrasted with similarly small “brown” and “red” stars.
ANSWER: white dwarf [prompt on “dwarf”] <SH>
I just noticed the prompt on dwarf while copy-pasting this for you. Since dwarfs are main sequence stars (how do astronomers come up with these things?), and white dwarfs aren't, that prompt will be deleted for future mirrors.
Prison Bowl VI, Round 07 wrote:2. If these entities are k-regular, every vertex is of the same degree k. For 10 points each:
[10] Name these mathematical constructs made up of vertices connected by edges. The Seven Bridges of Konigsberg problem can be reduced to one of these representations with four vertices and seven edges.
ANSWER: graphs
[10] Visiting every vertex of a graph can be done with depth-first or breadth-first types of these algorithms. The binary type of this kind of algorithm continually calculates a middle value in order to find an input value.
ANSWER: search algorithms
[10] This search algorithm named for a Dutch computer scientist finds the shortest path between vertices of a graph by calculating the path costs of every neighboring vertex at the current vertex.
ANSWER: Dijkstra’s search algorithm <WR>
Yes, a pronunciation guide will be added. Here's a Wikipedia audio file. It sounds like "DIKE-stra". Now we know!
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by czheng0708 »

Can you post the Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) tossup?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 09 wrote:6. One member of this family is told that he doesn’t understand children after spanking his niece for punching Francis. This family includes Jack, Alexandra, and a boy who destroys a row of camellias and is forced to read to the morphine-addicted Mrs. Dubose as punishment. Another member of this family lives up to his old nickname “One-Shot” by shooting a rabid dog. That character’s children are attacked by Bob Ewell and rescued by Boo Radley after his controversial defense of Tom Robinson. For 10 points, name this family that includes Jem, Scout, and Atticus, the central family of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
ANSWER: Finch family <MZ>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Banana Stand »

Could you post the Birth of Venus tossup?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 09 wrote:14. The central figure in this work is possibly based on Simonetta Vespucci. The bottom-left corner of this work displays cattails, while the right side of this painting contains three tall trees and an orange grove in the background, as well as a red-haired figure who extends a red, floral-patterned robe towards the title figure. On the left side of this painting, many roses fall around Chloris and Zephyr, who blow wind towards the title figure as she stands upon a clamshell and emerges from the sea. For 10 points, name this Botticelli painting which depicts the title Roman goddess of love.
ANSWER: The Birth of Venus [or Nascita di Venere] <WR>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Could you post the Ukraine tossup? Unless I'm mistaken, it used a lot of clues from the Primary Chronicle, which I doubt any high schooler would have the chance to read.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Sure, here you go:
Prison Bowl VI, Round 5 wrote:3. One politician from this nation accused President Kuchma of suppressing criticism by ordering the kidnapping of dissident journalists, thus triggering the Cassette Scandal. The Primary Chronicle recorded the history of a kingdom centered in this nation where the Khmelnytsky Rebellion occurred. A Hetmanate formed here was split among several nations, and one king from here promulgated the Rus Pravda legal code. In this country once ruled by Yaroslav the Wise, the Orange Revolution took place following the 2004 elections. For 10 points, identify this nation controlled at different times by the Cossacks and Kievan Rus.
ANSWER: Ukraine <ZZ>
I'll ask Zihan to address your concerns.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Blahhunter »

Hi Jacob,
I only used the Primary Chronicle in the tossup as a clue of itself; the rest of the stuff is separate. The lead-in is from 2000, the Khmelnytsky and Hetmanate from the Cossack period. The Rus Pravda was by Yaroslav the Wise, and is in the Primary Chronicle, but I think Yaroslav at least is known outside of the Chronicle as being the most famous ruler of Kievan Rus. This tossup can undoubtedly be made easier however to better suit high school difficulty :).
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Blahhunter wrote:Hi Jacob,
I only used the Primary Chronicle in the tossup as a clue of itself; the rest of the stuff is separate. The lead-in is from 2000, the Khmelnytsky and Hetmanate from the Cossack period. The Rus Pravda was by Yaroslav the Wise, and is in the Primary Chronicle, but I think Yaroslav at least is known outside of the Chronicle as being the most famous ruler of Kievan Rus. This tossup can undoubtedly be made easier however to better suit high school difficulty :).
I thought I had read more clues from the Primary Chronicle (things from classes may just be running together now). For the most part, I thought that the set was fine (I'd love to send in a more detailed commentary, though-Marianna, if you would send me the set at my email ([email protected]) I'd be glad to provide some commentary on the set).
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Beevor Feevor »

Can you post the Brecht tossup? I remember hearing epic theater in the early part of the clue and not wanting to buzz in because I figured it would be too easy of a leadin for Brecht. I think Thomas from Blair thought the same, which lead to a buzzer race once we were definitely sure of the answer.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 10 wrote:17. This proponent of gestus and the alienation effect advocated for epic theater in a theoretical work. This author of numerous “learning-plays” and A Short Organum for the Theater wrote a play in which the Grand Duke is saved by Azdak. In that play, Azdak is appointed a judge and declares Michael’s mother to be Grusha. In another of his plays, the title character’s cart becomes lighter as the play progresses. After drawing slips of paper marked with crosses, Eilif, Kattrin, and Swiss Cheese are all killed in that play, which centers on Anna Fierling. For 10 points, name this German playwright of The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Mother Courage and Her Children.
ANSWER: Bertolt Brecht <MZ>
Sorry about that, epic theater definitely should have been moved down past Organum and Chalk clues. I hope that buzzer race didn't affect the final result of the game and I deeply apologize if it did.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Kafkaesque »

Could you post the Rastafarianism toss-up? I found the lead-in surprisingly easy (the oft-repeated diet clue).
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 4 wrote:4. Observers of this religion follow a diet called ital, and consumption of alcohol is discouraged. The Kebra Nagast, The Promise Key, and the Holy Piby are all important works of this religion. Eviston Matafale is regarded as a prophet in this religion, as is Marcus Garvey. The use of the pronoun “I” can refer to their chief deity, Jah. Grounation Day celebrates a visit by the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, who is regarded as an incarnation of God in this religion. For 10 points, name this religion popular in Jamaica, associated with marijuana, reggae music, and Bob Marley.
ANSWER: Rastafarianism [or Rastafari Movement] <PS>
Hmm. Ital is definitely an important part of Rasta, but I don't think it's terribly well-known. (A quick search for mentions of ital in Rasta tossups brings up a lead-in in 2008 QuAC and the second line in 2007 PACE NSC.)

This tossup was a shade easier than the average PB tossup, and a harder lead-in probably could have been inserted, but I don't think it's a problem for tossups to be first-lined once in a while. Was there a buzzer race in your room on the clue?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Beevor Feevor »

This one didn't really go that fast in my room, although I do remember hearing that clue before about Rasta before. Maybe it was because BHSAT had a Rasta tossup that mentioned a lot of the same stuff?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Oh you're right, it did come up in BHSAT. In retrospect, flipping the order of the first and second sentences is probably the best revision, so ital follows the Kebra Nagast and the Promise Key. Sorry about that.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Could you post the inflation tossup? I think it was from round 9.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 9 wrote:4. The Mundell-Tobin effect pertains to the increase in interest rates along with this process, and the Taylor rule claims that interest rate should be changed by a central bank alongside increases in this. The opportunity cost resulting from this phenomenon is called the shoe leather cost, and aggregate demand overcoming the potential output of an economy leads to the demand-pull variety. It is calculated by comparing two years’ Consumer Price Index. For 10 points, name this economic phenomenon that is defined as the rise in the price of goods over a period of time.
ANSWER: inflation <JL>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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While it really doesn't matter at this point, the Taylor rule clue is wrong/ambiguous. Both an increase in inflation or an increase in real GDP over potential GDP lead to increases in the Fed Funds rate.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Here's some detailed Commentary I have:

Round 2-The Britpop Bonus-this bonus seems harder than it needs to be (I'm not much of a trash person, but would it really have hurt to put like The Spice Girls as the easy part?).

Round 2-The Don Quixote bonus. This bonus was pretty cool. Nice job.

Round 3-Aesthetics tossup. Not really sure what to think of this. I thought it was a well-executed idea, but that it may also be too hard.

Round 4-I really liked the gold in art tossup.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Euler's Constant wrote:While it really doesn't matter at this point, the Taylor rule clue is wrong/ambiguous. Both an increase in inflation or an increase in real GDP over potential GDP lead to increases in the Fed Funds rate.
The first clue, the Mundell-Tobin effect, points unambiguously to inflation. I've never taken an econ class, but how I'm understanding your protest is that the second clue points to 1) inflation and 2) change in real GDP vs potential output. The pronoun mentioned is "this process", so GDP isn't an acceptable answer. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that the Taylor clue was an ambiguous and confusing clue that should have been chopped/reworded. Sorry about that.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi wrote:Round 2-The Britpop Bonus-this bonus seems harder than it needs to be (I'm not much of a trash person, but would it really have hurt to put like The Spice Girls as the easy part?).
Prison Bowl VI, Round 2 wrote:7. For 10 points each, answer the following about Britpop.
[10] This Britpop song from Blur’s self-titled album includes the lines “I got my head checked” and “Pleased to meet you”. Its raucous chorus sees Damon Albarn yell “Woo-hoo!”.
ANSWER: “Song 2
[10] At the height of Britpop, Blur clashed with this band whose members include the Gallagher brothers. Their songs include “Rock ‘N’ Roll Star” from Definitely Maybe and “Wonderwall” from [What’s the Story] Morning Glory.
ANSWER: Oasis
[10] Oasis was signed to Creation Records, which had earlier signed this shoegaze band. Andy Bell, who became the bassist for Oasis, sang “You seem to come and go” in “Vapour Trail”, a track from their debut album Nowhere.
ANSWER: Ride <MZ>
The Spice Girls aren't Britpop. I only have room-by-room stats for our site and VTech, but that bonus averaged 12.7 ppb across 15 rooms. "Song 2" is Blur's best-known song, and it's often played on the radio and featured in TV shows/commercials. I've heard tossups on Oasis before, and they're quite well-known for their feud with Blur (last.fm shows 3 million listeners). I'll admit that Ride is a bit rough for a hard part (1 team 30'd across 15 rooms), but they're one of the biggest names in shoegaze. Last.fm shows 258k listeners.
The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi wrote:Round 2-The Don Quixote bonus. This bonus was pretty cool. Nice job.
Thanks!
The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi wrote:Round 3-Aesthetics tossup. Not really sure what to think of this. I thought it was a well-executed idea, but that it may also be too hard.
Prison Bowl VI, Round 3 wrote:3. A work in this field analyzes the “truth-content” of the “social antithesis of society.” That work by Theodor Adorno draws upon an essay in this field that discusses the decline of aura in the age of mechanical reproduction, written by Walter Benjamin. Another work in this field emphasizes the need for “free play” and defines disinterested, universal, purposive without definite purpose, and necessary moments. The subject of Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment, this field was also discussed in relation to the fusion of the Apollonian and Dionysian in The Birth of Tragedy. For 10 points, name this field of philosophy concerned with the nature of art and beauty.
ANSWER: aesthetics <MZ>
Our philo was turning into a bunch of old British men and their works, and since philo tends to be badly converted anyway, I tried to mix it up with a easily-convertable answer line. It was converted in 85% of 20 rooms, but I agree, this was definitely a rougher tossup than our intended difficulty. In retrospect, everything could be moved up 2 lines, so the Adorno could be cut entirely, Critique of Judgment clues could make up the first half, and Birth of Tragedy clues could make up the second half. Sorry about the difficulty on this one.

quick edit: Whoops, 85% of 20 rooms, not 15 rooms.
The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi wrote:Round 4-I really liked the gold in art tossup.
Glad to hear it.
Last edited by marianna on Sun May 19, 2013 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by jabekens »

In the Ferdinand tossup, I thought it could have been a hose putting in the clue about Ferdinand Marcos, because I'm sure at least 1 team in the nation heard People's Power Revolution, instinct buzzed not realizing it wanted a first name, and said "Marcos."
On a similar note, the music tossup on C was a bit misleading with the Mahler clue talking about the Tragic Symphony, which is in A minor, which could very possibly trip up some teams.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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jabekens wrote:In the Ferdinand tossup, I thought it could have been a hose putting in the clue about Ferdinand Marcos, because I'm sure at least 1 team in the nation heard People's Power Revolution, instinct buzzed not realizing it wanted a first name, and said "Marcos."
"First name of a person overthrown in the People Power Revolution" should definitely be the phrasing. I'm sorry for any negs that happened there. Our apologizes if this affected any games.
jabekens wrote:On a similar note, the music tossup on C was a bit misleading with the Mahler clue talking about the Tragic Symphony, which is in A minor, which could very possibly trip up some teams.
The tossup did mention "in this key's relative minor" while describing the Tragic, but it should have been repeated again in the next line to dispel any confusion. Again, I hope this didn't affect any games and I'm really sorry if it did. Things like this shouldn't have slipped through the cracks, and we'll definitely do our best to catch them with extra-thorough editing next year.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Kafkaesque »

There actually wasn't a buzzer race in my room because of some strange circumstances. Noah Cowan's buzzer broke right after that clue (the cord fell out), and he started fumbling with the buzzer while simultaneously shouting "buzz!" However, I was shocked that the answer was indeed Rasta because I'd thought the diet clue was pretty easy. Here are the instances of Ital on quizbowldb:

-1st line 2008 QuAC
-2nd/3rd line 2008 ACF Fall
-2nd/3rd line 2009 MUT
-1st/2nd line 2008 NSC
-5th line 2009 Chicago Open
-1st line 2010 GDS Ben Cooper Memorial
-3rd/4th line 2010 ACF Nationals
-1st/2nd line 2008 4Q1 HSAPQ
-1st line 2009 4Q1 HSAPQ
-2nd line 2009 4Q2 HSAPQ
-1st line 2010 Fall Novice
-3rd line 2010 NASAT
-1st/2nd line 2009 HSAPQ Tournament 8

So 13 out of the available 15 questions mention Ital. I'd say that's pretty common.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by marianna »

Kafkaesque wrote:There actually wasn't a buzzer race in my room because of some strange circumstances. Noah Cowan's buzzer broke right after that clue (the cord fell out), and he started fumbling with the buzzer while simultaneously shouting "buzz!" However, I was shocked that the answer was indeed Rasta because I'd thought the diet clue was pretty easy. Here are the instances of Ital on quizbowldb....
So 13 out of the available 15 questions mention Ital. I'd say that's pretty common.
Right, so I still think the proper solution to this problem is flipping the order of the first two sentences. I'm not trying to argue that ital is an uncommon clue, just that it is a hard one. Precedence seems to support that, judging by your list. I'm sorry buzzer races occurred when it was a lead-in, but I don't see why ital should come any later than Eviston Matafale or Marcus Garvey.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Kafkaesque »

I agree with your solution; I suppose it's just an easier question. Maybe the diet clue just sticks out for me because I've gotten Rasta with that clue multiple times.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Could you post the Bradbury tossup? Thanks.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 4 wrote:19. In one of this writer’s short stories, Peter and Wendy sacrifice their parents to some simulated lions in the Nursery, and in another, two men construct a haunted house and kill book-burners in homage to various works of fiction. This author of “The Veldt” included “Usher II” in a collection about the colonization of the Red Planet, The Martian Chronicles. He created a character who is compared to an English professor and is hit by a speeding car. In that novel, Mildred refuses to call in sick after the protagonist vomits from the smell of kerosene, and Captain Beatty orders Guy Montag to burn his house down. For 10 points, name this science fiction author of Fahrenheit 451.
ANSWER: Ray Bradbury <WD>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by blizzard »

Could you also post the Ezra Pound and Alexander II questions?
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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Prison Bowl VI, Round 2 wrote:4. In a poem by this writer, the title character has abided “bitter breast-cares”. Lady Valentine meets another of his characters, whose “true Penelope was Flaubert” and seeks to “resuscitate the dead art / Of poetry”. Along with translating “The Seafarer”, this poet of Hugh Selwyn Mauberley described “the apparition of these faces” as “petals on a wet, black bough” in “In a Station of the Metro”. He drew from his translations of Chinese poetry in a “cryselephantine poem of immeasurable length” that includes “Rock Drill” and a section written during his imprisonment in Pisa. For 10 points, name this Imagist poet of The Cantos.
ANSWER: Ezra Pound <MZ>
Prison Bowl VI, Round 7 wrote:20. This ruler was able to secure the non-intervention of other European powers as a result of the brutal crushing of the April Uprising, and was able to reach favorable peace terms in the Treaty of San Stefano. Finland began to use the markka as currency thanks to his encouragement, and he repudiated Article 11 of the Paris Peace Treaty by rebuilding the Black Sea Fleet. He signed the Loris-Melikov Constitution and had formulated a plan for a Duma, though he may be better known for ordering the allotment of land to a certain class of people. His reign ended as a result of a bomb attack by the People’s Will group. For 10 points, name this reforming Russian Czar who issuing a decree emancipating the serfs in 1861.
ANSWER: Alexander II <AM>
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Re: Question-specific discussion

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The set is now publicly available here.
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by Eddie »

Round 15, Tossup 5 wrote: 5. This language’s formal second-person singular pronoun derives from an obsolete phrase meaning “your mercy,” and informal second-person plural conjugations can be changed to singular ones by removing a palatal semivowel ending. That plural pronoun is only regularly used in its mother country, vosotros. Expressing an obligation in this language is often done with the forms hay que plus infinitive and tener que plus infinitive, and it contains two verbs that mean “to be,” ser and estar. For 10 points, name this language spoken in Cuba and Argentina, containing words such as “gracías” and “hola”.
ANSWER: Spanish language or español [accept Castilian or castellano] <WR>
Is the "informal second-person plural" referring to the vosotros or ustedes conjugation? I'm pretty sure vosotros is considered the informal pronoun in fatherland Spain whereas ustedes is considered the informal pronoun in much of Latin America since vosotros isn't used there. Either way, I don't think any of those conjugations have palatal semivowel endings (-áis, -éis, -ís, -an, -en). In fact, I'm almost positive there isn't a single conjugation in Spanish that ends in a palatal semivowel, which in Spanish would be represented as a double-l or a y, or in some regional dialects, the h in "ahí."
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Re: Question-specific discussion

Post by marianna »

kibinai wrote:
Round 15, Tossup 5 wrote: 5. This language’s formal second-person singular pronoun derives from an obsolete phrase meaning “your mercy,” and informal second-person plural conjugations can be changed to singular ones by removing a palatal semivowel ending. That plural pronoun is only regularly used in its mother country, vosotros. Expressing an obligation in this language is often done with the forms hay que plus infinitive and tener que plus infinitive, and it contains two verbs that mean “to be,” ser and estar. For 10 points, name this language spoken in Cuba and Argentina, containing words such as “gracías” and “hola”.
ANSWER: Spanish language or español [accept Castilian or castellano] <WR>
Is the "informal second-person plural" referring to the vosotros or ustedes conjugation? I'm pretty sure vosotros is considered the informal pronoun in fatherland Spain whereas ustedes is considered the informal pronoun in much of Latin America since vosotros isn't used there. Either way, I don't think any of those conjugations have palatal semivowel endings (-áis, -éis, -ís, -an, -en). In fact, I'm almost positive there isn't a single conjugation in Spanish that ends in a palatal semivowel, which in Spanish would be represented as a double-l or a y, or in some regional dialects, the h in "ahí."
Hey, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The informal second-person plural is referring to vosotros. If I remember correctly, informal and formal second-person plural are indistinguishable in Latin America since they're both ustedes.

You're correct, Spanish conjugations don't end in palatal semivowels. Where that clues comes from is that vosotros conjugations contain a palatal semivowel that can be taken out to get the vos conjugation. For an example, vosotros compráis --> vos comprás, where the i is the vowel adding the syllable. The tossup should read "removing a palatal semivowel from the ending". Sorry about that and thanks for pointing that out!
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