Curved yellow fruit

Curved yellow fruit refers to unnaturally easy giveaway clues, or questions that contain them. In the strictest sense, the preceding material must be sufficiently obscure, non-uniquely identifying, or convoluted that almost every buzz on the question will occur on this clue; thus, the entire text of the question reduces to one line that most elementary school kids would be able to answer.

A tossup on Pietro Mascagni that begins with five lines of incredibly difficult information and follows with "FTP name this composer of Cavalleria Rusticana" is not a curved yellow fruit question, since most people outside of opera circles and quizbowl have never heard of the work; rather, it is an extreme example of a difficulty cliff. On the other hand, a tossup on George Washington that begins with five lines of incredibly difficult information and ends "FTP name the first president of the United States" is a curved yellow fruit question, since most second-graders could answer that.

The original curved yellow fruit question was a 20-point, all-or-nothing bonus from CBI Nationals in 1996, which gave about a line of useless information before "FTP name this curved yellow fruit."

Potential writers of curved yellow fruit questions are encouraged to consult Weiner's Law #1 to discover the error of their ways.