By Mara Rizopulos

Firestone’s Academic Challenge team has impressively earned the top rank in its league, both on varsity and junior varsity. They have managed to outscore other participating schools, with varsity undefeated and junior varsity at only one loss. As of December there will not be any more meets, but coming up in the spring they expect to participate in invitationals.

Academic Challenge is a team-based event in which students compete against other schools by answering questions and receiving points for correct answers. There are 20 tossup questions within each game, with a break and opportunity for substitutes at the 10 question mark. Each tossup question is 10 points, but if a team buzzes and answers correctly before the “power mark”, indicated by an asterisk within the question, they receive 15 points. On the other hand, if a team buzzes early but answers the question incorrectly, they lose 5 points. After a tossup question is answered correctly, the team who answered receives bonus questions which means they are automatically given the first opportunity to answer. If they answer wrong, the question goes to the other team. The question topics range from math and science to politics, literature, and pop culture.

Can you answer these real academic challenge questions?

1. This man died of yellow fever while traveling to Trinidad to sign an anti-piracy agreement with the Gran Colombia government of Simón Bolívar [see-MOHN boh-LEE-var]. His flagship, the USS Lawrence, was destroyed at a battle fought near (*) Put-in-Bay. A battle flag reading ”don't give up the ship” was flown by—for 10 points—what naval commander, who reported that ”we have met the enemy and they are ours” after winning the Battle of Lake Erie?

Answer: Oliver Hazard Perry

2. A quarterback for this university won the 2003 Heisman [HYZ-man] Trophy. The following year, the second-place finisher in the Heisman voting was a running back from this university who went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings, (*) Adrian Peterson. This university won its seventh national title in 2000 under coach Bob Stoops. For 10 points—name this Big 12 university that plays home games in Norman and is nicknamed the “Sooners.”

Answer: University of Oklahoma

*Taken from NAQT Invitational Series #168 Packet 1