The International Quizzing Association USA Chapter is currently soliciting locations for the World Quzzing Championships to take place across the country on Satuday June 4th. If you or someone you know can serve as a proctor please send a message to iqausa@gmail.com - the event only requires a place to gather and take the test without reference resources (for example a library conference room, a coffee shop, local pub, university classroom, etc.) This event also serves as a warm up for the Trivia Championships of North America which take place July 8-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada (
www.tcona.com)
2011 WORLD QUIZZING CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE USA TAKES ON THE WORLD IN TRIVIA
On Saturday, June 4th 2011, game show contestants, trivia players, and other know-it-alls will gather at locations across the USA to test their wits against others across the globe during the World Quizzing Championships. The two-hour written test taken by individuals will cover popular and academic trivia in the areas of culture, entertainment, history, lifestyle, media, sport, science, and other worldwide topics. Questions included in the quiz are written by representatives in Belgium, Canada, Estonia, India, USA and the UK, with help from Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Norway. Additional countries that will be participating in the quiz include Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland.
What sort of questions will the competitors face, or more to the point, what wont be asked? This is the antithesis of a bar trivia night, it is instead a global quiz for a global audience. Dont expect questions about TV soap operas, local politics or other regional events. Do expect questions about mythology, the Olympic Games, Disney films, the Solar System, wildlife, and Nobel Laureates; in short, expect questions for which participants from Boston, Berlin, Beijing, or Buenos Aries might possibly know the answers. Sample questions, and more information can be found at
www.wqc2011.com and if you are interested in participating in the event or hosting a venue please contact iqausa@gmail.com or call 303-731-2775.
BACKGROUND
Each competitor faces the same questions (translated into their mother tongue in many cases) on the same day worldwide. There are 240 questions in eight categories, and two hours in which to answer them (divided into one hour halves with a break in between). At the end of the allotted time, the papers are marked and each quizzers' top seven category scores will be added together to find the winner. The categories [and general content areas] are a combination of academic and popular culture topics including:
Culture [Architecture, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Museums, Religion, Mythology]
Entertainment [Music (Classical, Blues, Film Score, Jazz, Rock, World), Ballet, Musicals and Operas, Radio, Television]
History [(<450AD),(450-1492),(1492-1900),(1900-date), Current Affairs, Explorations, Famous People, Civilizations]
Lifestyle [Costume, Design, Fashion, Food & Drink, Handicrafts, Health & Fitness, Human Body, New Age Beliefs, Products & Brands, Tourism]
Media [Movies [(1900-1980), (1980-2000)], (recent), Literature [(<1900),(1900-1980),(recent)], Poetry, Drama, Comics, Language]
Science [Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences, Fauna, Flora]
Sport [Track and Field, Team Sports, Motor Sports, Winter Sports, Games, Hobbies & Pastimes, Records]
World [Geography, Cities, Space, Technology, Transport, Inventions]
This is the 8th year the event has been held. The website with information about venues for this year can be found at
www.wqc2011.com. A history of the event can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Quizzing_Championships
