View source for ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE

'''"ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE"''' was a catchphrase that was used for two purposes:

*To sarcastically note that a [[question]] on an easy [[answerline]] in an [[ACF]] packet was good. For example, a well-constructed, [[pyramidal]] [[tossup]] on "Charles Dickens," "carbon dioxide," or "France" could have been met with a (sarcastic) acclamation of "ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE." It is possible to acclaim a significant percentage of ACF tossups in this way.

*To mock people who complained about [[ACF]]-format questions being difficult in comparison to other formats. This line of argument was considered unworthy of serious consideration for two reasons:
# There are multiple ACF tournaments at a variety of [[difficulties]]; additionally, the [[modified ACF]] [[format]] of questions spans a wide range of difficulty levels. It would be foolish to say that the [[Maryland Classic]], an ACF-format high school tournament, is of a higher difficulty than the [[NAQT ICT]]. Thus, individuals who made blanket statements about the difficulty of "ACF" or "NAQT" questions were typically considered to have little knowledge of how quizbowl works.
# Official ACF tournaments, such as [[ACF Regionals]], have historically been comparable or even lesser difficulty than their counterparts, such as [[NAQT Sectionals]], in other formats, statistically speaking.

It is unknown if the actual phrase "ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE" was ever spoken in earnest, or if it was coined by ACF supporters as a shorthand for the various accusations about "ACF difficulty" that certainly were made.

This phrase is no longer in common usage.

[[Category: Ideologies]]
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