Scholars Bowl

Scholars' Bowl (also known as "quiz bowl" or "quizbowl") is an academic competition played in high school and college (although middle school students at Athens are welcome to join). It is similar to the popular TV game show Jeopardy! in that questions are read to competitors, who then buzz in to answer, but it differs in that quiz bowl questions are much more difficult and better-written than Jeopardy! clues, and cover mostly academic subjects, with some pop culture trivia included.

In a game of quiz bowl, two schools are each represented by a team of four players. The moderator or reader, begins to read a question, known as a tossup. Tossups are typically played in a style known as "pyramidal". Pyramidal tossups are generally several sentences long, beginning with a lead-incomposed of very difficult clues, and working down, with decreasing difficulty, until the giveaway, or the easiest clue. This format rewards players with deeper knowledge of the topic in question. 

There are several popular formats for quiz bowl competitions, including NAQT, PACE, and mACF. In the NAQT format, for example, players can buzz at any time during a tossup, and, if correct, get 10 points for their team. If the player gets the tossup before a certain point, they have gotten a power worth 15 points. However, if a player buzzes before the tossup has been read in its entirety and gets it wrong, their team loses 5 points (known as a neg) and nobody else on that player's team can answer (they are locked out). The team that gets the tossup correct receives a bonus worth 30 points, generally in three parts, each worth 10 points. Unlike on tossups, conferral is allowed between teammates on bonuses, and only that team can answer. For more information on quiz bowl formats, see the links below.

Athens typically competes in mostly NAQT tournaments with some Invitational tournaments on the schedule. These take place at local high schools and colleges.

For more information about specific formats of quiz bowl:

• NAQT
• PACE
• ACF

Sample Questions

[NAQT  Invitational Series #168 Packet 1 Tossup 1]

This character is called “a regular Belasco” by an acquaintance who is surprised to discover that the books in this manʹs library are real, rather than “nice durable cardboard.” This World War I veteran is observed gazing at a “single (*) green light” shining at the end of a dock in East Egg, as he pines for the unattainable Daisy Buchanan. For 10 points—what title character of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel is described as “great”?

answer: Jay Gatsby (or James Gatz or Jimmy Gatz; accept any underlined portion; accept The Great Gatsby)

[NAQT  Invitational Series #168 Packet 1 Bonus 2]

For 10 points each—answer the following about Philip the Handsome:

A. He married ”Joanna the Mad” to become king of this region. This kingdom united with Aragon [“AIR-uh-gone”] to form modern Spain.

answer: (Kingdom of) Castile (or Crown of Castile)

B. Philip became brother‐in‐law to Henry VIII [“the eighth”] after Henry married this woman, Joannaʹs sister and the first of Henryʹs six wives.

answer: Catherine of Aragon (or Catalina de Aragón; prompt on “Catherine”)

C. Philipʹs father‐in‐law was this king of Aragon who co‐presided over the end of the Reconquista [ray-kohn-KEES-tah].

answer: Ferdinand (or Fernando; accept Ferdinand II)

Why should I join AHS Quiz Bowl?