Speed-check - Revision history

Kevin Wang at 17:13, 6 January 2022

2022-01-06T17:13:06Z

Ophir Lifshitz: intlinks

2021-05-12T19:32:24Z

intlinks

Ophir Lifshitz: speedrun

2021-05-12T19:27:30Z

speedrun

Chris Chiego: /* Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks */

2016-12-20T17:44:03Z

Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks

Chris Chiego: /* Users of Speed-Check Questions */

2016-12-20T07:46:12Z

Users of Speed-Check Questions

Chris Chiego: /* Examples of Speedchecks */

2016-12-20T07:45:09Z

Examples of Speedchecks

Chris Chiego: /* Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks */

2016-12-20T07:44:16Z

Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks

Chris Chiego: /* Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks */

2016-12-20T07:43:57Z

Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks

Chris Chiego at 07:43, 20 December 2016

2016-12-20T07:43:22Z

Chris Chiego at 07:38, 20 December 2016

2016-12-20T07:38:16Z

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 Speed-checks are usually [[bad quizbowl]] because they do not let players who know more about a topic demonstrate that they know more by buzzing earlier than players who know less.
 As the name implies, speed-check questions often merely reward players' '''buzzing speed''' (i.e. finger speed) on very well-known clues; such [[buzzer race]]s are very frustrating.
-In [[good quizbowl]], tossups use multiple clues to [[distinguish]] players' levels of knowledge.
+In "[[good quizbowl]]", tossups use multiple clues to [[distinguish]] players' levels of knowledge.
 ==Examples==
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ==Quasi-pyramidal speed-checks==
-It is possible to introduce elements of [[pyramidal]]ity (and thus [[good quizbowl]]) into speed-check questions. For instance:
+It is possible to introduce elements of [[pyramidal]]ity (and thus "[[good quizbowl]]") into speed-check questions. For instance:
 {{qq|Name this US President who hired “the Plumbers” and was responsible for the Saturday Night Massacre, which led to his impeachment and resignation in Watergate.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 Speed-checks are usually [[bad quizbowl]] because they do not let players who know more about a topic demonstrate that they know more by buzzing earlier than players who know less.
 As the name implies, speed-check questions often merely reward players' '''buzzing speed''' (i.e. finger speed) on very well-known clues; such [[buzzer race]]s are very frustrating.
-In [[good quizbowl]], tossups use multiple clues to distinguish players' levels of knowledge.
+In [[good quizbowl]], tossups use multiple clues to [[distinguish]] players' levels of knowledge.
 ==Examples==
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ANSWER: George '''<u>H. W. Bush</u>'''}}
-This question is bad because it merely asks a relatively trivial fact rather than anything [[important]] about the actual life or presidency of George H. W. Bush.
+This question is bad because it merely asks a relatively [[trivia]]l fact rather than anything [[important]] about the actual life or presidency of George H. W. Bush.
 {{qq|Who wrote ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''?
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 This question is bad because it does not differentiate between players who have more knowledge of the book itself (its characters, its importance, etc.) than just its title.
-(In fact, a player who knows that there are other books whose titles begin with "The Adventures of," such as ''The Adventures of Augie March'', might easily lose a buzzer race to a player who reflex-buzzed on "Adventures of" and only knew ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''.)
+(In fact, a player who knows that there are other books whose titles begin with "The Adventures of," such as ''The Adventures of Augie March'', might easily lose a buzzer race to a player who [[reflex-buzzed]] on "Adventures of" and only knew ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''.)
 Because they usually contain few clues, speed-checks also may lack a clear [[giveaway]] and thus lead to [[dead]] tossups, while a more pyramidal question could provide more clues and lead to increased [[conversion]]. For instance, in the George H. W. Bush example, a more pyramidal question might end with "the father of George W."
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 This is a very short question, but it contains:
-# Several clues in rough order from harder to easier
+# Several clues roughly [[pyramidal|in order from harder to easier]]
 # No misleading information or [[hose]]s
 # A clear sense of [[pronoun|what it is asking for]] (a US president) from the very start
-Though a longer pyramidal question would be more ideal, this question is still roughly pyramidal. For television shows that often prefer shorter questions, pyramidal speed-checks can be an acceptable compromise.
+Though a longer pyramidal question would be more ideal, this question is still roughly pyramidal. For [[televised tournaments|television shows]] that often prefer shorter questions, pyramidal speed-checks can be an acceptable compromise.
-==="Impossible speed-checks"===
+===As practice material and "impossible speed-checks"===
-A recommended technique for players who wish to study and improve the breadth of their knowledge
+A recommended technique for players who wish to [[study]] and improve the breadth of their knowledge
 is to write many speed-check-style questions as practice material.
 Because speed-checks are usually short tossups on very difficult answers,
@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 ==Incidence==
-Speed-check-style questions often appear in [[lightning round]]s, where it is usually more acceptable as they can test a number of related points of knowledge quickly without leading to the issues inherent with buzzer races.
+Speed-check-style questions often appear in [[lightning round]]s, where it is usually more acceptable as they can test a number of related points of knowledge quickly without leading to the issues inherent with [[buzzer race]]s.
 Speed-check questions are used by [[Questions Galore]] and many [[televised tournaments|televised programs]], such as [[Battle of the Brains]] and [[It's Academic]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Speed-check''' questions are very short questions in quizbowl, usually one sentence or less than a line in length. Such questions are rarely [[pyramidal]] due to their length and are usually considered (especially when sloppily written) [[bad quizbowl]].
+'''Speed-check''' questions (or '''speedchecks''') are very short [[tossup]]s that are usually only one sentence or one line long.
-==Examples of Speedchecks==
+Speed-checks are usually [[bad quizbowl]] because they do not let players who know more about a topic demonstrate that they know more by buzzing earlier than players who know less.
-Speed-checks are usually [[bad quizbowl]] because they do not allow for players that know more about a topic to demonstrate that they know more by buzzing earlier than players who know less. As the name implies, speed-check questions often reward the winner of a [[buzzer race]] on a well-known clue, a frustrating experience that occurs far less frequently when there are multiple clues to distinguish players' levels of knowledge.
+As the name implies, speed-check questions often merely reward players' '''buzzing speed''' (i.e. finger speed) on very well-known clues; such [[buzzer race]]s are very frustrating.
-For instance, a speed-check might go:
+==Examples==
-...Name the 41st President of the United States. <br>
+{{qq|Name the 41st President of the United States.
-or
+ANSWER: George '''<u>H. W. Bush</u>'''}}
-Who wrote ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''? <br>
+This question is bad because it merely asks a relatively trivial fact rather than anything [[important]] about the actual life or presidency of George H. W. Bush.
-These questions would both be considered [[bad quizbowl]] speed-checks. The former is due to asking about a relatively trivial fact rather than anything important about the actual life or presidency of George H.W. Bush. The latter is due to not differentiating between players who have more knowledge of the book itself (its characters, its importance, its impact, etc.). In fact, a player who knows that there are other books that begin with "The Adventures of" (say, ''The Adventures of Augie March'') might easily lose a buzzer race to a player who reflex-buzzed on "Adventures of" and only knew ''Huck Finn''.
+{{qq|Who wrote ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''?
-Because they usually contain few clues, speed-checks also may lack a clear [[giveaway]] and thus lead to dead tossups while a more pyramidal question could provide more clues and lead to increased conversion. For instance, in the HW Bush example, a more pyramidal question might end with "the father of George W."
+ANSWER: Mark '''<u>Twain</u>'''}}
-==Quasi-Pyramidal Speedchecks==
+This question is bad because it does not differentiate between players who have more knowledge of the book itself (its characters, its importance, etc.) than just its title.
-It is possible to introduce elements of [[pyramidal]]ity into speedcheck questions. For instance:
+(In fact, a player who knows that there are other books whose titles begin with "The Adventures of," such as ''The Adventures of Augie March'', might easily lose a buzzer race to a player who reflex-buzzed on "Adventures of" and only knew ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''.)
-...Name the US President who hired "the Plumbers" and was responsible for the Saturday Night Massacre, which led to his impeachment and resignation in Watergate.
+Because they usually contain few clues, speed-checks also may lack a clear [[giveaway]] and thus lead to [[dead]] tossups, while a more pyramidal question could provide more clues and lead to increased [[conversion]]. For instance, in the George H. W. Bush example, a more pyramidal question might end with "the father of George W."
-ANSWER: Richard '''Nixon'''
+==Quasi-pyramidal speed-checks==
-This is a very short question, but it contains: <br>
+{{qq|Name this US President who hired “the Plumbers” and was responsible for the Saturday Night Massacre, which led to his impeachment and resignation in Watergate.
-a. Several clues in rough order from harder to easier <br>
-b. No misleading information or [[hose]]s <br>
+ANSWER: Richard '''<u>Nixon</u>'''}}
-c. A clear sense of what it is asking for (a US President) from the very start <br>
 Though a longer pyramidal question would be more ideal, this question is still roughly pyramidal. For television shows that often prefer shorter questions, pyramidal speed-checks can be an acceptable compromise.
-==Speedchecks in Bonus Rounds==
+==="Impossible speed-checks"===
-Speed-check-style questions often appear in [[lightning rounds]], where it is usually more acceptable for them to be used as they can test a number of related points of knowledge quickly without leading to the issues inherent with buzzer races.
+A recommended technique for players who wish to study and improve the breadth of their knowledge
-==Users of Speed-Check Questions==
+Speed-check questions are used by [[Questions Galore]] and many [[televised tournaments|televised programs]], such as [[Battle of the Brains]] and [[It's Academic]].
-Note that when mixed in with longer, more pyramidal questions (or other [[bad quizbowl]] questions such as [[hose]]s that force players to wait until the end of the question to figure out what it's even asking), speed-checks can be even more frustrating as it will never be quite clear to players if an opening clue will be a true [[lead-in]] or the end of the question.
+When mixed in with longer, more pyramidal questions (or other [[bad quizbowl]] questions such as [[hose]]s that force players to wait until the end of the question to figure out what it's even asking), speed-checks can be even more frustrating as it will never be quite clear to players if an opening clue will be a true [[lead-in]] or the end of the question.
 [[Category:Bad quizbowl]]

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ANSWER: Richard '''Nixon'''
-This is a very short question, but it contains:
+This is a very short question, but it contains: <br>
-a. Several clues in rough order from harder to easier
+a. Several clues in rough order from harder to easier <br>
-b. No misleading information or [[hose]]s
+b. No misleading information or [[hose]]s <br>
-c. A clear sense of what it is asking for (a US President) from the very start
+c. A clear sense of what it is asking for (a US President) from the very start <br>
 Though a longer pyramidal question would be more ideal, this question is still roughly pyramidal. For television shows that often prefer shorter questions, pyramidal speed-checks can be an acceptable compromise.

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 Notable users of speed-check questions include [[Questions Galore]] and many televised programs, such as [[Battle of the Brains]] and [[It's Academic]].
-Note that when mixed in with longer, more pyramidal questions (or other [[bad quizbowl]] questions such as [[hose]]s, speed-checks can be even more frustrating as it will never be quite clear to players if an opening clue will be a true [[lead-in]] or the end of the question.
+Note that when mixed in with longer, more pyramidal questions (or other [[bad quizbowl]] questions such as [[hose]]s that force players to wait until the end of the question to figure out what it's even asking), speed-checks can be even more frustrating as it will never be quite clear to players if an opening clue will be a true [[lead-in]] or the end of the question.
 [[Category:Bad quizbowl]]