From <a href=http://www.umich.edu/~uac/mac/memorand.html target=new>http://www.umich.edu/~uac/mac/memorand.html</a> "3. Someone with perfect knowledge of the subject should usually know the correct answer first. Of course, that player may not have the courage to buzz-in first (or may be hung over from late night NTN, etc.), but questions should create conditions in which the most knowledgeable player is the one likely to answer the question first. In no event should knowledge be punished, though many of the best questions are more like puzzles that reward more than just "pure" knowledge." The example used for this is "Angry Raisins" (if you're curious, look at the page - it's not worth explaining here). "Talking bar of soap" is a perfectly legitimate clue - it's not a hose, and it leads to other, more substantive clues. I've been beaten to Simpsons questions that were cleverly worded before, and I don't feel some lack of entitlement if I get beat to a buzzer. Such "puzzle clues" may actually be better - you probably have a better chance of nailing a tossup if you've read the work than if you just memorized a list. Much as I hate on principal agreeing with Goss, his general idea may be right - while some issues are basic to all tournaments, maybe it's best that we realize that people are going to disagree on what subjects a packet should contain, how hard it should be, and what tossups should look like. There are enough schools hosting tournaments that a variety of approaches can - and should - be taken. While slap bowl and hoses almost certainly have no place in quizbowl, questions of eligibility, playoffs, and whether clue 1 or 2 should be placed first aren't worth worrying about if a variety of different tournaments will accomodate a variety of different preferences. If you disagree and are positive that one approach is better than any other, then you're probably best calling the UMd humor magazine Emmett mentioned and see if they'll do a feature on you. They'll probably happily oblige.
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