Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Old college threads.
Locked
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

This is your specific-question discussion for the 2015 DI SCT.
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
Victor Prieto
Auron
Posts: 1192
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Victor Prieto »

Can you please post the tossups on France (colonies in India) and Labour party? Both were examples of rather egregious early name drops.

Also can you post the toaster tossup, for reasons that I hope are self explanatory?

Lastly, can you please post the tossup on ethers? I buzzed in on the butterfly mechanism clue with epoxides, and was displeased to find that the answerline contained no instructions on what to do with epoxides, and so the moderator negged me.
Victor Prieto
Secretary, PACE
Tower Hill School '11 | Rice University '15 | Penn State University '21
Writer: NAQT (2019-present) | Writer, Editor: HSAPQ (2013-2016)
Member (and lots of other stuff): PACE (2015-present)
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 5 wrote:This country's colonial exploits in India are chronicled in the diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai. In the 18th century, this country's bases of power included the cities of Karaikal and Yanam on the east coast of the Indian subcontinent. Its territory in India was largely confined to Pondicherry as a result of its losses in the (*) Carnatic Wars. British officer Robert Clive fought against the influence of--for 10 points--what European power whose governor-general in India was Joseph-Francois Dupleix?
2015 DI SCT round 9 wrote:One candidate from this party was hurt by a headline in the Sun asking the last person leaving to "turn out the lights." This party had to deal with {strikes} during the "Winter of Discontent," which challenged James Callaghan. Its longest-serving prime minister oversaw the (*) Good Friday Agreement, declined to join the Eurozone, and intervened in Yugoslavia and Iraq. Tony Blair once led--for 10 points--what left-leaning British party currently in opposition to the Conservatives?
2015 DI SCT round 7 wrote:A version of this device that relied on a turning mechanism was invented by Lloyd Groff Copeman in 1913; that version dominated the market until Charles Strite patented the modern mechanism in 1921. The Sunbeam T20 was a pioneering fully automatic example of this device. An animated example of this device joins with Radio, Lampy, (*) Blanky, and Kirby in a 1987 children's movie named for a "brave little" one. For 10 points--name this household appliance in which bagels and bread "pop up" when done.

answer: _toaster_(s) (do not accept or prompt on "toaster oven(s)")
2015 DI SCT round 4 wrote:Aromatic types of these compounds are formed in the Ullmann condensation. Allyl vinyl types of these compounds undergo Claisen rearrangement, and cyclic ones are formed via a butterfly mechanism from the peroxidation of alkenes. They are formed by an SN2 reaction between an alkyl (*) halide and an alkoxide in the Williamson synthesis. For 10 points--name this type of organic compound in which an oxygen atom is bonded to two R groups, whose diethyl variant was once used as an anesthetic.

answer: _ether_s
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
Wynaut
Wakka
Posts: 197
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 3:34 am
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Wynaut »

Could I see the TUs on "the Andes" and "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"? I buzzed in on the "eyes of salt" clue and I want to know what the rest of the TU looked like. (a clue about potatoes, perhaps?)

As for the second one, I want to see the leadin clue to see if I still remember the scene that was described (I really did enjoy that TU though). EDIT: I do remember that scene now.

Oh, and could I also see the TU on "the Italian peninsula" asking for "this landmass?" It was apparently the subject of a protest at the Youngstown site. Although it didn't directly involve Michigan A, some MSU players stayed in our game room until the protest was resolved, which delayed the start of one of our games by a couple minutes.
Last edited by Wynaut on Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kenji Shimizu
University of Michigan '18
Summit Academy North High School '13
User avatar
vinteuil
Auron
Posts: 1454
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:31 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by vinteuil »

Wasabi wrote:Can you please post the tossups on France (colonies in India) and Labour party? Both were examples of rather egregious early name drops.
Same ("very easy leadin") with "Henry," "Niemeyer," "ellipse," and "inverting a matrix" off the top of my head (I'm sure there were others). This seemed like a recurrent problem.
Jacob R., ex-Chicago
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 10 wrote:The second-highest mountain in this range is named for the deposits of salt on glaciers that form "eyes." Three subregions of this mountain range, which are arranged by climate, are called "tropical," "dry," and "wet." The highest active volcano in the world is found in this range, which also contains the second-tallest of the (*) Seven Summits and the point on earth farthest from the Earth's center. For 10 points--what mountain range, which contains Chimborazo and Aconcagua, is found in South America?

answer: _Andes_ Mountains
[The second-highest mountain in the Andes is Chile's Ojos del Salado.]
2015 DI SCT round 1 wrote:One character in this novel receives the mysterious instruction to "climb Petrin Hill" and is almost executed near a flowering chestnut tree. The central couple of this novel includes a wife who is described as a "child put in a bulrush basket" and a husband who works as a window-washer after the hostility of the (*) Communist party ends his career as a surgeon. The marriage of Tomas and Tereza is depicted in--for 10 points--what novel set during the Prague Spring, a work by Milan Kundera?
2015 DI SCT round 8 wrote:Historical invasions of this landmass were the subject of an eight-volume series by 19th-century historian Thomas Hodgkin. One invasion of this landmass was encouraged by both Etienne de Vesc and Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Julius II, and was undertaken by (*) Charles VIII in 1494. In 1942 Winston Churchill said that invading this landmass targeted Europe's "soft underbelly." The Battle of Monte Cassino took place during the Allied invasion of--for 10 points--what European peninsula?

answer: _Italy_ or _Italian_ peninsula (accept _Italian Republic_ or Repubblica _Italia_na; do not accept or prompt on more specific answers such as "Naples")
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

in the other thread vinteuil wrote:what I hope was a general-knowledge tossup on Gresham (that, at least with people I talked to, was very poorly received)
2015 DI SCT round 4 wrote:This uncle of Sir Francis Bacon lent his money and name to a free college with seven professors, one for each part of the Latin trivium and quadrivium; the Royal Society first met at that school. A principle named for this man can be generalized when studying the market for used cars, according to George Akerlof; that adage drew on this man's attempts to stem the use of (*) debased coinage. For 10 points--what finance minister of Queen Elizabeth I names the idea that "bad money drives out good"?

answer: Thomas _Gresham_ (accept _Gresham College_ or _Gresham's law_)
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Cheynem »

I found the toaster tossup fairly amusing--it has some fun clues about the animated film and some general invention history stuff. I would have avoided the giveaway and tried to find some ways to make the early clues more interesting, but the set-up and idea seemed fine to me.

Also, I don't get the beef on the Gresham tossup unless you subscribe to the belief that tossups on people in certain categories should only use clues from that category (something that I find seems to apply to some of the distro, but not all of it). I am not an economics person, but I have read things about Gresham and find those clues to be pretty decent ones.
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
User avatar
Adventure Temple Trail
Auron
Posts: 2754
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

The Gresham tossup was indeed GK:, and I intended for it to be a sort of "highbrow"/academic take on that category (as opposed to, say, toasters).
Matt Jackson
University of Chicago '24
Yale '14, Georgetown Day School '10
member emeritus, ACF
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 4 wrote:A French king of this name was elected king of Poland-Lithuania in 1573. An earlier French king of this name, who improved patent law by suggesting that patent applications contain descriptions of the invention, was a son of Francis I. The nickname "Green Gallant" was bestowed upon a king of this name who was killed by Francois (*) Ravaillac. For 10 points--give this first name borne by a French king who supposedly said that Paris was "well worth a mass" when he converted to Catholicism.
2015 DI SCT round 3 wrote:This architect designed a saucer-shaped museum that sits above a reflecting pool on a cliff in collaboration with Bruno Contarini. In 1943 he designed a controversial church consisting of four concrete parabolas. In 1960 this architect of the Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum and the Church of Saint (*) Francis of Assisi designed buildings in his country's capital based on plans by Lucio Costa. Le Corbusier co-designed the U.N. Headquarters with--for 10 points--what Brazilian architect?
2015 DI SCT round 12 wrote:Half of this figure is traced out by a Hohmann transfer. The mean and true anomalies are two in a set of three angular parameters that locate points on this shape. Rotating this shape about an axis produces a figure whose geodesics were characterized by Friedrich Bessel during work on the figure of the (*) Earth problem. Tycho Brahe's data on Mars led to an update of the Copernican model centering on these shapes. For 10 points--name this shape assigned by Kepler's first law to planetary orbits.
2015 DI SCT round 12 wrote:The Woodbury formula, which is sometimes named for this operation, can be derived from the blockwise method for this process. It can be done by augmenting the input with the identity, then row-reducing so that the original on the left becomes the (*) identity, but is impossible if row-reduction leaves a row of all zeroes. In general, given a matrix A, it produces a matrix B such that A times B is the identity matrix. For 10 points--name this process that is impossible for singular matrices.

answer: _invert_ing a (square) _matrix_ (accept variations like _matrix inversion_; prompt on "invert(ing)" or "inversion")
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
kayli
Auron
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by kayli »

Can you post the tossup on cyclic groups? I'm pretty sure the first clue is true for Abelian groups as well.
Kay, Chicago.
User avatar
Fado Alexandrino
Yuna
Posts: 834
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Farhaven, Ontario

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Fado Alexandrino »

Can I please see the music tossups on the number 6 and Beethoven's 7th symphony?

If I recall correctly, the second clue in the '6' tossup was a fairly easy theory clue, something I had encountered in 10th grade music class.

The existence of the Beethoven's 7th symphony tossup surprised me. I believe John L. once told me that Beethoven's 7th wasn't quizbowl famous enough to be asked at regular difficulty. It's nice to see it finally show up, but was it too difficult for the field?
Joe Su, OCT
Lisgar 2012, McGill 2015, McGill 2019, Queen's 2020
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 1 wrote:In a finite group of this type with order ~n~, there is exactly one subgroup for each divisor of ~n~. A "fundamental theorem" states all finitely generated abelian groups are direct sums of this kind of group. Finite examples of this kind of group are isomorphic to the (*) integers modulo the group order; infinite ones are isomorphic to the integers. For 10 points--name this type of group in which each element is a power of a single generator, so in the finite case, they return to that "starting point."
2015 DI SCT round 10 wrote:The opening of Joseph Haydn's symphony of this number is often described as depicting a sunrise. It is the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad. Debate exists over the ordering of the second and third movements of Gustav Mahler's symphony of this number. Franz Schubert's symphony of this number has a (*) diminutive nickname to distinguish it from his "Great C Major" Symphony. For 10 points--give this number of Mahler's Tragic Symphony and Ludwig van Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
2015 DI SCT round 8 wrote:This symphony's finale uses a theme derived from its composer's setting of the song "Nora Creina." Its first movement opens with a poco sostenuto introduction and moves to a vivace in 6/8 time. Its second movement uses a quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter ostinato and uses a double variation scheme in A minor and 2/4 time. Richard (*) Wagner called this 1812 symphony the "apotheosis of the dance." For 10 points--name this Ludwig van Beethoven symphony that comes two before the "Choral" symphony.
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
kayli
Auron
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by kayli »

Alright, it looks like the word "exactly" makes it not true for Abelian groups. Not sure how that played as it seems like a rather soft distinction to be made.
Kay, Chicago.
User avatar
Ndg
Rikku
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Ndg »

bird bird bird bird bird wrote:
2015 DI SCT round 10 wrote:The opening of Joseph Haydn's symphony of this number is often described as depicting a sunrise. It is the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad. Debate exists over the ordering of the second and third movements of Gustav Mahler's symphony of this number. Franz Schubert's symphony of this number has a (*) diminutive nickname to distinguish it from his "Great C Major" Symphony. For 10 points--give this number of Mahler's Tragic Symphony and Ludwig van Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
Saying that '6' is "the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad" isn't quite right --- it can also be notated '6 3'. (The coincidental fact that Haydn wrote many, many symphonies led to a confused neg of "63". That was obviously partly my fault for not knowing the first clue, but I think it would be fair to stipulate that the answer is a single digit, since it doesn't really make any of the other clues more fraud-able.)
Andrew Nadig

Mannhiem Mannheim Manheim Township, 2005-11
Carnegie Mellon University, 2011-15
User avatar
vinteuil
Auron
Posts: 1454
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:31 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by vinteuil »

Ndg wrote:
bird bird bird bird bird wrote:
2015 DI SCT round 10 wrote:The opening of Joseph Haydn's symphony of this number is often described as depicting a sunrise. It is the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad. Debate exists over the ordering of the second and third movements of Gustav Mahler's symphony of this number. Franz Schubert's symphony of this number has a (*) diminutive nickname to distinguish it from his "Great C Major" Symphony. For 10 points--give this number of Mahler's Tragic Symphony and Ludwig van Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
Saying that '6' is "the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad" isn't quite right --- it can also be notated '6 3'. (The coincidental fact that Haydn wrote many, many symphonies led to a confused neg of "63". That was obviously partly my fault for not knowing the first clue, but I think it would be fair to stipulate that the answer is a single digit, since it doesn't really make any of the other clues more fraud-able.)
I won't say that the ambiguity isn't real, but you like NEVER see "6-3" used unless it's following "7-4" or similar. Also, as you surely know, "6-3" means, and is said "six-three," not "sixty three."
Jacob R., ex-Chicago
User avatar
Ndg
Rikku
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Ndg »

vinteuil wrote: I won't say that the ambiguity isn't real, but you like NEVER see "6-3" used unless it's following "7-4" or similar. Also, as you surely know, "6-3" means, and is said "six-three," not "sixty three."
Like I said, my neg was mostly my stupidity. But I wouldn't necessary put it past the writers to try to pull something goofy like that.
Andrew Nadig

Mannhiem Mannheim Manheim Township, 2005-11
Carnegie Mellon University, 2011-15
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

I wrote the music tossup on "6", so two replies:
The United Stats of America wrote:If I recall correctly, the second clue in the '6' tossup was a fairly easy theory clue, something I had encountered in 10th grade music class.
I learned it at around that age too, but most people playing quizbowl did not learn figured bass in high school. In fact, I think you'll find that most quizbowlers never learned figured bass at all, and that this was probably only buzzed on by the very small percentage of people who understand music theory, which is exactly the small percentage of people I wanted that clue to reward.
Saying that '6' is "the figured bass abbreviation for a first-inversion triad" isn't quite right --- it can also be notated '6 3'. (The coincidental fact that Haydn wrote many, many symphonies led to a confused neg of "63". That was obviously partly my fault for not knowing the first clue, but I think it would be fair to stipulate that the answer is a single digit, since it doesn't really make any of the other clues more fraud-able.)
No, the clue is exactly right. 6-3 is the chord fully written out in figured bass notation, and is therefore not an abbreviation. 6 is the abbreviation. Likewise, for a first-inversion seventh chord, 6-5-3 would be the chord written out in full, and 6-5 would be the abbreviation.

Character space was limited, so I couldn't have specified that it was a single-digit number; and in any case, I had no reason to believe that someone would combine two single digits numbers into one entirely erroneous double-digit number.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Adventure Temple Trail
Auron
Posts: 2754
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

ThisIsMyUsername wrote:In any case, I had no reason to believe that someone would combine two single digits numbers into one entirely erroneous double-digit number.
Given that the only clue beforehand is about Haydn, who wrote approximately a zillion symphonies, "63" might not actually be an unreasonable guess from someone whose information store contains "has seen figured bass" and "Haydn wrote app'x. a zillion symphonies." But I too don't know who is in that set of people and don't want to prolong this much further.
Matt Jackson
University of Chicago '24
Yale '14, Georgetown Day School '10
member emeritus, ACF
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

Matthew Jackson wrote: Given that the only clue beforehand is about Haydn, who wrote approximately a zillion symphonies, "63" might not actually be an unreasonable guess from someone whose information store contains "has seen figured bass" and "Haydn wrote app'x. a zillion symphonies." But I too don't know who is in that set of people and don't want to prolong this much further.
Then you just don't understand how figured bass works. The numbers represent intervals. Unless you think that a triad contains an interval called a 63rd, there is nothing reasonable about saying 63.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Ndg
Rikku
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Ndg »

ThisIsMyUsername wrote:
No, the clue is exactly right. 6-3 is the chord fully written out in figured bass notation, and is therefore not an abbreviation. 6 is the abbreviation. Likewise, for a first-inversion seventh chord, 6-5-3 would be the chord written out in full, and 6-5 would be the abbreviation.
Okay, you're right. I didn't catch the subtlety of using 'abbreviation'. The point I wanted to make was merely that it sounds ambiguous when you're hearing the question being read at a mile a minute, and that saying "this digit" instead of "it" in that particular clue would help.
Andrew Nadig

Mannhiem Mannheim Manheim Township, 2005-11
Carnegie Mellon University, 2011-15
conker
Lulu
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:11 am

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by conker »

2015 DI SCT round 8 wrote:This symphony's finale uses a theme derived from its composer's setting of the song "Nora Creina." Its first movement opens with a poco sostenuto introduction and moves to a vivace in 6/8 time. Its second movement uses a quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter ostinato and uses a double variation scheme in A minor and 2/4 time. Richard (*) Wagner called this 1812 symphony the "apotheosis of the dance." For 10 points--name this Ludwig van Beethoven symphony that comes two before the "Choral" symphony.
I really didn't like this question. I know Beethoven's 7th somewhat well, and none of the clues were of any help until "1812 symphony." I find descriptions like "quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter" impossible to parse in real time, even though it is referring to an extremely recognizable motif. The same goes for descriptions of specific notes, like "G F-flat C-flat B-flat" (this wasn't a problem with this tossup, but other tossups that I've seen). Until we can expect moderators to sing or tap out rhythms, I'm not sure these types of clues are terribly helpful. Maybe there just isn't a good way to ask about the music in Beethoven's 7th....
Dennis Sun
Shanghai American School '06
Harvard '10
Stanford '15
User avatar
Ndg
Rikku
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Ndg »

conker wrote: I really didn't like this question. I know Beethoven's 7th somewhat well, and none of the clues were of any help until "1812 symphony." I find descriptions like "quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter" impossible to parse in real time, even though it is referring to an extremely recognizable motif. The same goes for descriptions of specific notes, like "G F-flat C-flat B-flat" (this wasn't a problem with this tossup, but other tossups that I've seen). Until we can expect moderators to sing or tap out rhythms, I'm not sure these types of clues are terribly helpful. Maybe there just isn't a good way to ask about the music in Beethoven's 7th....
I actually got this tossup from the rhythm clue, so it's not entirely impossible to parse. Admittedly, I had a slow moderator for that round, which helped. I will say that any rhythms more complex than this are almost never a good idea, but I thought this clue was okay.
Andrew Nadig

Mannhiem Mannheim Manheim Township, 2005-11
Carnegie Mellon University, 2011-15
Eddie
Rikku
Posts: 454
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:59 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Eddie »

Ndg wrote:
conker wrote: I really didn't like this question. I know Beethoven's 7th somewhat well, and none of the clues were of any help until "1812 symphony." I find descriptions like "quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter" impossible to parse in real time, even though it is referring to an extremely recognizable motif. The same goes for descriptions of specific notes, like "G F-flat C-flat B-flat" (this wasn't a problem with this tossup, but other tossups that I've seen). Until we can expect moderators to sing or tap out rhythms, I'm not sure these types of clues are terribly helpful. Maybe there just isn't a good way to ask about the music in Beethoven's 7th....
I actually got this tossup from the rhythm clue, so it's not entirely impossible to parse. Admittedly, I had a slow moderator for that round, which helped. I will say that any rhythms more complex than this are almost never a good idea, but I thought this clue was okay.
Hello, I was the writer of the Beethoven 7 TU. I used the rhythm clue because I thought it was both iconic enough that it should come up on a TU on Beet 7, and simple enough that people could parse it at game speed, since it's just two note lengths and not something complicated and unrecognizeable like "dotted eighth-sixteenth-eighth-dotted quarter" (example completely made up just now). I'd like to hear what other people thought about this clue.

Also, was anyone able to buzz on the Poco sostenuto - Vivace clue? I used it because I thought the combination of tempo markings was rather unique (I can't think of anything else famous written in Poco sostenuto tempo) and the slow introduction scheme was unusual for Beethoven.
Eddie
he/him/his/hine
UCSD, UCLA
User avatar
theMoMA
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 5993
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:00 am

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by theMoMA »

Shan Kothari buzzed on the rhythm clue, after seemingly registering (but not being able to place) the first clue.
Andrew Hart
Minnesota alum
User avatar
Fado Alexandrino
Yuna
Posts: 834
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Farhaven, Ontario

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Fado Alexandrino »

Dmitri Shostakovich wrote:Also, was anyone able to buzz on the Poco sostenuto - Vivace clue?
I got the tossup here off of a guess. I wouldn't have buzzed if you hadn't mentioned it was in 6/8 because I don't pay attention to tempo markings (Even though I once bought the score from a used book store). Slow-fast is common, but the faster part in 6/8 is a characteristic of Beethoven's 7th, so I guessed that. I don't know what the general stance is on tempo clues, but I think they disadvantage people who don't study classical music and only listen.
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote:and the slow introduction scheme was unusual for Beethoven.
A few other Beethoven works I like have slow intros in their first movement.
conker wrote: I find descriptions like "quarter-eighth-eighth-quarter-quarter" impossible to parse in real time, even though it is referring to an extremely recognizable motif. The same goes for descriptions of specific notes, like "G F-flat C-flat B-flat" (this wasn't a problem with this tossup, but other tossups that I've seen).
ACF Fall had a sequence of notes clue that told the moderator to read it slowly, which helped me sing it in my head real time rather than trying to parse it and listen to the rest of the tossup at the same time. I guess NAQT can't do this because of time constraints?
Joe Su, OCT
Lisgar 2012, McGill 2015, McGill 2019, Queen's 2020
User avatar
vinteuil
Auron
Posts: 1454
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:31 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by vinteuil »

The United Stats of America wrote:
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote:Also, was anyone able to buzz on the Poco sostenuto - Vivace clue?
I got the tossup here off of a guess. I wouldn't have buzzed if you hadn't mentioned it was in 6/8 because I don't pay attention to tempo markings (Even though I once bought the score from a used book store). Slow-fast is common, but the faster part in 6/8 is a characteristic of Beethoven's 7th, so I guessed that. I don't know what the general stance is on tempo clues, but I think they disadvantage people who don't study classical music and only listen.
I got it at that clue. There aren't many composers who use "Poco sostenuto" as a tempo marking (although: viz. Brahms 1).
Jacob R., ex-Chicago
User avatar
ProfessorIanDuncan
Wakka
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by ProfessorIanDuncan »

Can I see the Honduras tossup? I want to see the exact wording on one of the clues
Alec Vulfson
Irvington High School '13
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 2 wrote:In 1981 John Negroponte became U.S. ambassador to this country, where he was accused of covering up the ELACH death squad. Ramon Villeda Morales was overthrown in a 1963 coup led by Oswaldo Lopez Arellano in this country, for which O. Henry originally coined the term (*) "banana republic." In 1960 Nicaragua ceded this country the northern part of the Mosquito Coast. A 2009 coup overthrew Manuel Zelaya in--for 10 points--what Central American country led from Tegucigalpa?
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
Victor Prieto
Auron
Posts: 1192
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Victor Prieto »

There was a bonus that went NMR spec/lattice/90º. I got the last part when it was read to me after the tournament, but I'm of the opinion that the top 10% of the SCT field would not know 90º. Eric didn't get it, although Stephen Eltinge said he would have converted it if his team had gotten it.
Victor Prieto
Secretary, PACE
Tower Hill School '11 | Rice University '15 | Penn State University '21
Writer: NAQT (2019-present) | Writer, Editor: HSAPQ (2013-2016)
Member (and lots of other stuff): PACE (2015-present)
User avatar
Wynaut
Wakka
Posts: 197
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 3:34 am
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Wynaut »

Could I see the TU on the Congo River? I remember buzzing on "Malebo Pool" even though a lot of the clues sounded familiar (like the okapi one).
Kenji Shimizu
University of Michigan '18
Summit Academy North High School '13
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 11 wrote:This river surrounds the upper part of the Cuvette Centrale basin. The decaying Inga I and Inga II hydroelectric dams draw power from this river, whose drainage basin includes the Ituri rainforest, the only refuge of the okapi. This river is navigable below the seven-cataract (*) Boyoma Falls. The Lualaba feeds into this river, which widens into the Malebo Pool abutting two national capitals. For 10 points--what second-longest African river divides Brazzaville from Kinshasa?

answer: _Congo_ River (accept _Zaire_ River)
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
kayli
Auron
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by kayli »

Could I see the wine question?
Kay, Chicago.
User avatar
Important Bird Area
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 6113
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Important Bird Area »

2015 DI SCT round 15 wrote:Michael Egan specializes in authenticating this product and has worked with producer Opus One on security measures. Rudy Kurniawan was discovered to have sold fraudulent examples of this product after Bill Koch initiated an investigation. Fraud in the market for this product has been driven by wealthy Chinese consumers, as chronicled in the 2013 documentary (*) Red Obsession. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is a commonly counterfeited type of--for 10 points--what product often produced in Bordeaux?

answer: (red) _wine_ (accept more specific answers such as _French wine_ or _expensive wine_)
Jeff Hoppes
President, Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance
former HSQB Chief Admin (2012-13)
VP for Communication and history subject editor, NAQT
Editor emeritus, ACF

"I wish to make some kind of joke about Jeff's love of birds, but I always fear he'll turn them on me Hitchcock-style." -Fred
User avatar
naan/steak-holding toll
Auron
Posts: 2515
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:53 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by naan/steak-holding toll »

I didn't play the set, but I'll agree with the comments upstream that those history questions have some really easy early clues - not only does the Labor tossup tell folks it's a British Party (assuming they've heard of the Sun, which is a well-known newspaper) but the Winter of Discontent is super-famous! Also, putting the name "Giuliano della Rovere" in power for a tossup whose answer is "Italy" seems questionable, though I guess a lot of Italians have advocated invasions of a lot of places. This happened with a number of history questions during last year's SCT set as well, and I think it's something worth looking out for in the future.

I'd also like to give Matt Jackson props for that Gresham tossup. Gresham College lectures are available on Youtube and are totally cool - people should go check them out! The reference to "A Market For Lemons" is a great clue, too.
Will Alston
Dartmouth College '16
Columbia Business School '21
User avatar
theMoMA
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 5993
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:00 am

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by theMoMA »

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea wrote:I didn't play the set, but I'll agree with the comments upstream that those history questions have some really easy early clues - not only does the Labor tossup tell folks it's a British Party (assuming they've heard of the Sun, which is a well-known newspaper) but the Winter of Discontent is super-famous! ... This happened with a number of history questions during last year's SCT set as well, and I think it's something worth looking out for in the future.
You are a person who knows many history clues. SCT is a regular-difficulty, length-limited set for teams across the country. Putting that together, some lead ins and early-middle clues will be very buzzable, and might even seem easy, to you. A few clues may have even been too easy for their location, but I promise you that this was not a systematic attempt to litter the set with stock clues by Matt, John, and me. We also know a fair number of history clues! But different people know different stuff and think different things are easy. And more importantly, buzzable clues are going to come up in 500-character regular-difficulty questions, even in the earliest parts of those questions. This is by design, and is not contrary to SCT's dual mission to select the best teams for ICT and provide a fair and fun playing experience for the entire spectrum of DI teams.
Also, putting the name "Giuliano della Rovere" in power for a tossup whose answer is "Italy" seems questionable, though I guess a lot of Italians have advocated invasions of a lot of places.
I think the second half of your sentence did a good job explaining why that clue worked. That, and people don't advocate others invading their own landmasses all that often. Any buzzes with "Italy" on the mere fact of an Italian name were, in my mind, unwise.
Andrew Hart
Minnesota alum
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: Question-specific discussion: 2015 Division I SCT

Post by Cheynem »

The Labour tossup seems like it would have benefited from removing the very early mention of the "Sun" which narrowed the answer space down considerably (although, even then, there are several possibilities). Other than that, it seems fine.
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
Locked