ESU #11 ACADEMIC QUIZ BOWL
FACT SHEET AND RULES FOR COMPETITION
1. The Academic Quiz Bowl Competition is between two teams of six players -- a captain and five other members. Four alternate players are allowed. The players on each team must be from the same school.
2. A team is not required to use the same six players for each different match during tournament play, but substitutions during a match are forbidden. Alternates can enter play only at the beginning of a new match during a tournament. There is no limit on the number of alternate members, however, awards for only six team members plus four alternate members for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams at the Competition will be provided.
3. Points are scored by correct answers to questions. Each question has a pre-stated value. The questions will range from the trivial to the profound and cover all areas of academic knowledge.
Questions will cover the following categories:
Social Studies: American and World History, Government, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Law
Language Arts: English (Spelling), Literature, Grammar, Vocabulary
Science: Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Geology, Biology, Physical Science, Health and Astronomy
Mathematics: Formulas, Terms, Time, Geometry, Square & Cubes, Algebra, Measurement, Computers
Art and Music
Sports
Current Events
4. The team captain must be in position number 3.
5. Two types of questions are used during a match: toss-up and bonus (follow-up).
10 points = correct answer to toss-up questions.
5 points = correct answer to bonus questions.
There will be 12 toss-up questions per match; these are generally considered to be “easier questions”. These will be followed by “bonus” questions to be given to the team correctly answering the toss-up; these are generally considered to be “more difficult”.
6. After the toss-up question is given, 15 seconds will be allowed for any team member to respond. To answer a toss-up question, a player must be the first to signal by pushing his/her signal switch of the Electronic Control System before the 15 second time has ended. Team members will stand or kneel with hand beside or above signal switch. A team member’s finger may be touching the button. There cannot be any conferring among team members during a toss-up question response. No one on either team may ask for a repeat of a toss-up.
7. The toss-up process consists of four (4) parts - the question, the signal, the recognition of the player by the Bowl announcer, and the answer. If a player gives the answer without either of the two middle parts, the answer is treated as an incorrect answer. In other words, the player must wait until his/her school name and position number is completely called before giving the answer.
8. A team member giving a correct toss-up answer entitles the team to a bonus question. The team members have 15 seconds to confer on bonus questions before the answer is given - discussion is allowed. The answers to bonus questions MUST be given by the team captain either before or immediately after the end of the 15 second time. Answers from other team members are treated as incorrect answers. Any team member from the team receiving a bonus question may ask for a repeat of the bonus question as long as it takes place during the 15 second conferring time. The moderator will stop reading the repeat of the question at the end of the 15 second period.
9. When a player gives an incorrect answer to a toss-up question, the question will be read again and the other team then has 15 seconds to answer by the normal sequence of signaling, being recognized and answering. If neither team gives the correct answer, the next question will be read.
10. If a team presses the signal switch of the Electronic Control System before the toss-up question has been completely read, the Moderator will stop reading the question at the point of interruption. If the question is answered incorrectly, the question will be repeated for the other team and they may answer the question for the full points.
11. Once a team member has been recognized to give the answer to a toss-up question or when the bonus answer from the team captain is called for, the team member must begin to give the answer according to the estimated two second rule (within two seconds of being recognized).
12. The first answer spoken will be the answer that is considered (even if a changed answer is a correct response). If the answer is in the form of a proper name, first and last names should be given such as John F. Kennedy or Ted Kennedy unless giving only the last name or first name is enough of an answer to decide its correctness (such as Napoleon, or Churchill). Even a middle initial or some other identifying factor may be necessary if two people have the same first and last name.
13. No calculators, paper and pencil, resources, etc. are to be used during Competition unless provided by the tournament officials. If paper and pencil are provided, team members may use them during bonus math questions only, when the moderator indicates use is appropriate. Pencil and paper are never allowed during toss-up questions.
14. Decisions of the tournament judge will be final. The official declaration of the outcome of the match shall be irrevocable. As in any contest, a match shall not be replayed - even if the outcome could have been altered by judgment errors.
15. If a team feels that a challenge is necessary, the team captain is the only one who may make the challenge and must make the challenge at the time of the answer (before the next question is given). Team members competing at the time of the challenge may tell the captain to challenge. Be sure that you have a legitimate challenge as each challenge lengthens the day. There shall be no questions raised by anyone except the team captain, moderator, or officials. The decision of the judge will be final.
16. In case of a tie at the end of a round a toss-up question will be used. The first team to correctly answer the toss-up question will win the round.
17. Violations of the rules (such as consulting after pressing the signal button, or blurting out an answer before being recognized) will disqualify a team on that question and
(A) on the toss-up question the other team will be given the option of answering the question for the full point value.
(B) on the bonus question, no points will be awarded.
18. The match will be stopped if there is no way for the team behind to win the match. The round will be stopped if the following differences in team scores occur:
(Does not apply to Round Robin Tournaments)
After 11th bonus question 20 points
After 10th bonus question 35 points
After 9th bonus question 50 points
After 8th bonus question 65 points
19. In the event that a student requires additional accommodations in order to fully participate, appropriate accommodations will be made with every effort to ensure equal advantage to all participants. The decisions for accommodation will be the responsibility of the judges. The decision of the judges will be considered final.
DESCRIPTION OF OFFICIALS
The Academic Quiz Bowl is played under the supervision of these officials: Moderator, Announcer/Timer, Content Judges, Scorer and Procedural Judge, whose duties are as follows:
Moderator: is in general charge of operations and asks questions.
Timer: observes players during asking of questions so he/she may properly identify and announce the name of the school who first signals readiness to reply to each toss-up question. He/she also turns the Electronic Control System on and off. The timing system is built into the Electronic Control System and automatically locks out the system at the end of the 15 second time period.
Content Judges: are familiar with all questions and answers and ready to rule, upon request, on any variables in answers that may be accepted.
Procedural Judge: observes play to guard against illegal procedures, such as prompting, team conferences when disallowed, or inappropriate challenges made by anyone other than team captain.
Scorer: has the responsibility to keep the team score throughout a match.
All Officials: will closely observe to assure against illegal procedures by players or spectators during the match.