The Jeopardy Effect

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'149048\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 02:14 PM\']
Veering, Why aren't other questions acceptable as J! responses?  "Grant's Tomb?" is a valid question, but unacceptable.
[/quote]

I've always understood that a response that is already a question is acceptable (Example:  "What's up, Doc?" is an acceptable response for "Bugs Bunny first spoke this catch phrase in 1940's 'A Wild Hare'", "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" to "This was the last Bee Gees number one single before they went disco").  I assume that the rationale has always been that inflection is not enough--if it was, everyone would give their responses that way.

[mmb5]

[quote name=\'rebelwrest\' post=\'149050\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 03:22 PM\']
I concur with Matt on this one.  I just participated in a Regional College Bowl tournament and one person on my team phrased his answer in the form of a question and got a tiny chuckle.  There was no penalty given in the process for phrasing it in the form of a question.
[/quote]
However, if I was moderating, and you gave an answer to a title with Jeopardy phrasing, you would be wrong, since you just gave me an incorrect title.

Since I so rarely do newbie/low-level competitions anymore, I would have to say I haven't seen this in years.  High school coaches can drill this out of the player pretty quickly.


--Mike

[Ian Wallis]

I assume that the rationale has always been that inflection is not enough--if it was, everyone would give their responses that way.

I also remember one contestant, not too long ago, was struggling to find the answer (in what might have been a Daily Double) and said "...is it xxx?"  Alex hesitated for a second and stated since he did phrase it as a question they'd give it to him.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149056\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 04:06 PM\']However, if I was moderating, and you gave an answer to a title with Jeopardy phrasing, you would be wrong, since you just gave me an incorrect title.[/quote]
With the utmost respect to Mr. Burger, if the intent (and the mistake) is clear, I don't see why a title ought to be treated any differently than any other answer.  I can't imagine ruling against a player who used the bad phrasing under any circumstances, though truth be told, QuizBusters is for the most part an example of the "low-level" competitions Mike's talking about, so being liberal is probably a good thing.

Still, this could be our answer.  Even though the College Bowl rules don't specifically address the "Jeopardy Effect" (and for that matter, neither do the NAQT rules), an individual moderator might interpret existing rules in such a way as to rule against a player who did it.  rollercoaster87 may have witnessed something like that at a competition and understood it to mean that there was a standardized rule in place.

[Jeremy Nelson]

I play for the Honda Campus All Star Challenge (run by the College Bowl Company). We have been told on numerous occasions that answering in the "Jeopardy format" would be counted wrong. I just had a second to read through the rules. It does not say anything about being penalized for answering in that format, so I apologize for the error. We're going to nationals in two weeks, so I thank you for bringing this to my attention (which, as a captain, I should have verified on my own beforehand).

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'149066\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 05:30 PM\']
We have been told on numerous occasions that answering in the "Jeopardy format" would be counted wrong.
[/quote]
I guess my last question would be:  By whom?  Because if it's a tournament organizer or some other official, then you'd better pay attention, since that might be a "house rules" thing that you're going to have to deal with.  If it was your coach, maybe that's the way (as Mike suggested) that he's chosen to break you of the habit.

Keep in mind that if Mike would rule you wrong in certain circumstances (i.e. titles) then there might be other moderators who would do the same, or something similar.  I still maintain that it's an awfully picky thing to do, but in the end, not giving into the "Jeopardy Effect" is probably going to be your best defense.

[mmb5]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'149065\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 05:16 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149056\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 04:06 PM\']However, if I was moderating, and you gave an answer to a title with Jeopardy phrasing, you would be wrong, since you just gave me an incorrect title.[/quote]
With the utmost respect to Mr. Burger, if the intent (and the mistake) is clear, I don't see why a title ought to be treated any differently than any other answer.  I can't imagine ruling against a player who used the bad phrasing under any circumstances, though truth be told, QuizBusters is for the most part an example of the "low-level" competitions Mike's talking about, so being liberal is probably a good thing.

[/quote]
Actually, I would consider Quizbusters mid-level.  Low-level is either an IM tournament or a charity tournament, situations where the players generally don't play regularly and their only exposure to a Q&A format game is probably Jeopardy!.  What I'm about to say may eliminate any chance I have to be a substitute host when Matt can't fit in a QB taping session when Channel 47 starts Mid-Michigan Morning with Matt starting with the May sweeps.

Backhandedly, the NAQT rules address it under I-1-3 (remember, a lawyer wrote this):

Extraneous information preceding a response is disregarded (e.g., What is a wombat? or They're all Californians), unless the moderator determines that the extraneous information was given in an unsporting attempt to delay the game

So, the Jeopardy style in *most cases* is OK.  

However, I-1-12

Titles of works must be exact, except that leading articles may be omitted

is where I would have to get picky on the title.  Not that I'm terribly thrilled with the inconsistency between this and what's above, but if leeway in titles has to be given here, it would have to be given in other instances.  Sorry if I sounded a little too gleeful in a previous post that I would be happy to call anyone wrong.  I hate doing that.

Like most things in life, we have to have 30+ exceptions to the rule since "there was an incident", and even I don't agree with every rule that I would have to enforce during a game (like #24).

For the players on the board, remember the simple rule, don't answer anymore than you have to.


--Mike

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149075\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 10:47 PM\']
Actually, I would consider Quizbusters mid-level.  [/quote]
Clearly, you have not seen many early-round games.
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149075\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 10:47 PM\']
What I'm about to say may eliminate any chance I have to be a substitute host when Matt can't fit in a QB taping session when Channel 47 starts Mid-Michigan Morning with Matt starting with the May sweeps.[/quote]
Don't worry, thirty years from now when I go in for my triple-bypass surgery, I'll make sure you're on the guest-host list.

Right after Hondo.

[mmb5]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'149097\' date=\'Mar 27 2007, 05:28 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149075\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 10:47 PM\']
Actually, I would consider Quizbusters mid-level.  [/quote]
Clearly, you have not seen many early-round games.[/quote]
I've done many a JV high school game, including one 12-question mini-game that had to go into overtime because we were tied at 0.
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'149097\' date=\'Mar 27 2007, 05:28 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'149075\' date=\'Mar 26 2007, 10:47 PM\']
What I'm about to say may eliminate any chance I have to be a substitute host when Matt can't fit in a QB taping session when Channel 47 starts Mid-Michigan Morning with Matt starting with the May sweeps.[/quote]
Don't worry, thirty years from now when I go in for my triple-bypass surgery, I'll make sure you're on the guest-host list.

Right after Hondo.
[/quote]
As long as I'm before Skubick.


--Mike