Follow your nose

• From: cromero00 <cromero_at_cromero00.yahoo.invalid>
• Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 15:55:43 -0000
• Message-ID: <bv3d9v+esfn_at_...>

I believe Jordan's criticisms, especially his cited examples, of the 
Penn Bowl questions are unfair. I actually have the questions in 
front of me, so allow me to make my own cites. 

Jordan you complained about "hoses." 

That Wingfield toss-up began, "They live across the street from the 
Paradise Dance Hall," I think the pronoun 'they' disqualifies any 
confusion that could have been made for the title 'The Glass 
Menagerie'

That Danzig toss-up began, "Book three, written in astoundingly flat 
prose, follows the Grinder Walter Matem and his scarecrow-making 
buddy Eduard Amsel." Again I don't see the hose unless you thought 
that one of the trilogy's components was made of multiple books. 

And though I have not taken Quantum Physics, neither Davisson-Germer 
nor Franck-Hertz is extrordinarily difficult. Both are in the canon 
and have been answers before. I also believe that both are relatively 
important in the history of physics so maybe your crew of physicists 
should figure out what is in the quiz bowl canon, or just get your 
quantum teacher(s) to explain those experiements to you. 

As for the questions they were not without mistakes and the 
distribution may not have been ideal but considering the 
circumstances I believe Samer did a good job with what he had. I 
believe that anyone who is tempted to bitch about the question 
quality should take a moment to consider whether or not they have 
attempted to do it before, and hence have any idea of the magnitude 
of the job they are criticizing. I don't recall Dan Passner or Jordan-
Boyd Graber editting anything for the college level let alone 19 
packets for a event with >45 teams. 

Chris Romero