Difference between revisions of "Interrupt penalty"

From QBWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(19 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
A '''neg''' is a penalty given to a player who has interrupted the question with an incorrect answer. Negs are used in all forms of collegiate quizbowl, including [[NAQT]] and [[ACF]], and in most forms of high school quizbowl. Some exceptions at the high school level include the PACE [[NSC]] format, [[Illinois Scholastic Bowl]], and the [[OAC]] format. The verb "to neg" (word forms: negged, negging, etc.) also refers to the act of answering a tossup incorrectly, regardless of whether doing so incurs a penalty or not. The term "interrupt" by itself can refer to the act of negging. Although this term is seldom used in colloquial speech, some official language still retains use of the phrase, most notably in NAQT stats keeping.
+
{{Rules of the game}}
 +
An '''interrupt penalty''' or '''neg''' is a penalty (almost universally 5 points) assessed to a player who has interrupted a [[tossup]] with an incorrect answer. Negs are used in all extant forms of collegiate quizbowl, including [[NAQT]] and [[ACF]] and in many forms of high school quizbowl. The verb "to neg" (word forms: negged, negging, etc.) can either mean incurring an interrupt penalty or any incorrect tossup answer regardless of whether it incurs a penalty.
  
In all known formats which deduct 5 points for negs, they only apply when the wrong answer is given by the first team to buzz on the question and the question has not yet been completed; the moderator then continues reading the rest of the question for the other team. If the question is over, or the other team is buzzing after the first team has already negged, or both, then there is no penalty for a wrong tossup answer.
+
In nearly all team-based formats that issue interrupt penalties, a penalty can only be incurred if the answer is (a) incorrect, (b) the first incorrect answer given, and (c) given before the end of the question has been read. As a result, there can only be one penalty per question. Wrong answers after the end, and ''second'' wrong answers, do not incur penalties. (At the [[IPNCT]], during group rounds, penalties are given for all incorrect answers before the end of the question.)
  
If you are playing a game of quizbowl and the other team has negged a tossup, it is usually strategically wise to wait until the moderator finishes reading the entirety of the rest of the tossup before buzzing in, so as to maximize one's chance of giving the correct answer. Buzzing in before the end in this situation is called [[vulturing]] and is considered bad etiquette.
+
If a team has negged, it is usually strategic for players on the other team to wait until the end of the tossup to attempt buzzing so that they get more information. The major exceptions are when [[timed play|time]] is running low and the latter team is slightly behind, or when [[powers]] are available and the game is so close that the (usually) 5-point difference between getting power and not getting power could affect the outcome of the game. Answering a tossup after a neg but before the tossup is over is called '''[[vulching]]''' (short for '''vulturing'''), and doing so for power is called '''power vulching'''.
  
[[It's Academic]] and [[Panasonic]] use a different system, in which the entire value of the tossup is lost by answering incorrectly at any time and [[Bounceback|the other teams are not allowed to buzz on that question]].
+
==Variations==
  
==How to avoid negs==
+
[[Science Bowl]] and [[National Ocean Sciences Bowl|Ocean Bowl]] assess a 4-point penalty (the same value as a tossup) for any incorrect answer. Science Bowl notably adds the penalty to the other team's score, rather than subtracting it. Additionally, after the first wrong answer, the moderator must re-read the question in its entirety for the other team.
* Buzz only on clues you absolutely know, don't make wild guesses
 
* Make sure you know what the question is asking for, i.e. if the questions ask for "this author" don't say the name of a work
 
  
===Forum Discussion===
+
In some TV-style formats like [[It's Academic]], answering incorrectly prevents other teams from attempting to answer that  question. The penalty is often the full value of the question. This is not usually called a neg (at least not without qualification).
 +
 
 +
==History==
 +
(source: College Bowl Valhalla Facebook page, authored by [[Tom Michael]]?)
 +
 
 +
The history of negs traces back to the ''College Quiz Bowl'' radio show.
 +
 
 +
Originally, players were allowed to interrupt toss-up questions. The frequency of interrupted questions surprised the producers and host Allen Ludden. After the first few shows, the rules were changed to require teams to wait for the toss-up to be read before signaling—with correct answers given before the question was finished not counted. By January 16, 1954, interruptions were reintroduced and the neg was in effect.
 +
 
 +
The first neg was awarded to [[Brown]], on the January 9, 1954 episode of ''College Quiz Bowl''. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxMnZd8Pe5M Video of the Jan. 2, 1954 match between Brown and Michigan, before the initial rule change.]
 +
 
 +
==Forum discussion==
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=11189&p=210026 ''Negs and How to Avoid Them'']
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=11189&p=210026 ''Negs and How to Avoid Them'']
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=13940&p=254566 ''Aggressive Buzzing'']
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=13940&p=254566 ''Aggressive Buzzing'']
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=14251 ''On the proper method to stop negging so much'']
 
* [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=14251 ''On the proper method to stop negging so much'']
  
==See Also==
+
==See also==
 
* [[Jared Sagoff]]
 
* [[Jared Sagoff]]
 
* [[Nathan Freeburg]]
 
* [[Nathan Freeburg]]
 
* [[Ryan Westbrook]]
 
* [[Ryan Westbrook]]
* [[Vulturing]]
 
  
 
[[Category:Quizbowl basics]]
 
[[Category:Quizbowl basics]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]

Latest revision as of 09:19, 20 October 2021

The Rules of the Game

An interrupt penalty or neg is a penalty (almost universally 5 points) assessed to a player who has interrupted a tossup with an incorrect answer. Negs are used in all extant forms of collegiate quizbowl, including NAQT and ACF and in many forms of high school quizbowl. The verb "to neg" (word forms: negged, negging, etc.) can either mean incurring an interrupt penalty or any incorrect tossup answer regardless of whether it incurs a penalty.

In nearly all team-based formats that issue interrupt penalties, a penalty can only be incurred if the answer is (a) incorrect, (b) the first incorrect answer given, and (c) given before the end of the question has been read. As a result, there can only be one penalty per question. Wrong answers after the end, and second wrong answers, do not incur penalties. (At the IPNCT, during group rounds, penalties are given for all incorrect answers before the end of the question.)

If a team has negged, it is usually strategic for players on the other team to wait until the end of the tossup to attempt buzzing so that they get more information. The major exceptions are when time is running low and the latter team is slightly behind, or when powers are available and the game is so close that the (usually) 5-point difference between getting power and not getting power could affect the outcome of the game. Answering a tossup after a neg but before the tossup is over is called vulching (short for vulturing), and doing so for power is called power vulching.

Variations

Science Bowl and Ocean Bowl assess a 4-point penalty (the same value as a tossup) for any incorrect answer. Science Bowl notably adds the penalty to the other team's score, rather than subtracting it. Additionally, after the first wrong answer, the moderator must re-read the question in its entirety for the other team.

In some TV-style formats like It's Academic, answering incorrectly prevents other teams from attempting to answer that question. The penalty is often the full value of the question. This is not usually called a neg (at least not without qualification).

History

(source: College Bowl Valhalla Facebook page, authored by Tom Michael?)

The history of negs traces back to the College Quiz Bowl radio show.

Originally, players were allowed to interrupt toss-up questions. The frequency of interrupted questions surprised the producers and host Allen Ludden. After the first few shows, the rules were changed to require teams to wait for the toss-up to be read before signaling—with correct answers given before the question was finished not counted. By January 16, 1954, interruptions were reintroduced and the neg was in effect.

The first neg was awarded to Brown, on the January 9, 1954 episode of College Quiz Bowl. Video of the Jan. 2, 1954 match between Brown and Michigan, before the initial rule change.

Forum discussion

See also