Welcome to “Quiz Central” on CMU Public Broadcasting!
“Quiz Central” is an academic competition that combines education and
entertainment. In any competition, situations occur which requires judgments and
interpretations to assure fairness and accuracy; therefore, decisions of the judge/producer
shall be final. As in any contest, a game shall not be replayed, even if the outcome could
have been altered by judgment errors.
THE RULES
1. “Quiz Central” is a question and answer game played between two teams of four
players each. (Three alternate players can also be selected by the participating
coach.)
2. Points are scored by correct answers to questions asked by the Host. Each
question has a pre-stated value.
3. The game is played in Five Rounds.
A. Round One: “Maroon and Gold Rush”. A two minute Rapid Fire
question round. The first player to signal, answers. Any wrong answers
will allow the opposing team to signal and answer the question. Correct
Answers are worth 10 points each.
B. Round Two: “Kick Off”. A combination of Toss-up and Bonus
questions. One Toss-up question will be asked with the team answering
correctly being awarded 10 points. This team will then be asked up to
three bonus questions, which will be worth 10 points apiece. Consultation
is allowed on bonus questions. Once a team incorrectly answers a bonus
question, we will again go back to a Toss-up for both teams.
C. Round Three: “The Perfect Ten”. A sixty second round where each team
will have a separate set of 10 questions from their choice of three
categories. (The team that is trailing on the scoreboard will have first
choice, if there is a tie at this point, a pre-game coin flip will determine
first choice.) After the sixty seconds is up, the opposing team will have
thirty seconds to answer all un-answered questions. The second team will
then choose from the remaining two categories and repeat the process.
Teams may confer in this round. All correct answers are worth 10 points.
D. Round Four: “The Homestretch”. A combination of Toss-Up and Bonus
questions. One Toss-Up question will be asked with the team answering
correctly being awarded 10 points. This team will then be asked up to
three bonus questions, which will be worth 10 points apiece. Consultation
is allowed on bonus questions. Once a team incorrectly answers a bonus
question, we will again go back to a Toss-up for both teams.
E. Round Five: “The Final Countdown”. A two minute Rapid Fire
question round. The first player to signal, answers. Any wrong answers
will allow the opposing team to signal and answer the question. Correct
Answers are worth 10 points each.
4. Substitutions are forbidden during the contest, but a team which advances to later
rounds may choose to replace one of its players with one of the designated
alternates in subsequent games. (WCMU-TV must be advised of any changes in
advance of taping.)
5. Questions requiring a person’s name as an answer may be correctly answered by
giving the person’s surname only, provided there are no others having the same
surname with whom the subject might be confused, if a surname and a first name
are given and the first name is incorrect but the surname is correct, the answer is
wrong.
6. In the case of an incomplete or imprecise answer, the judge or host may request a
more complete answer.
7. If, upon expiration of time, both teams have the same number of points, the tie is
broken in a sudden-death playoff. The first team to answer a question correctly in
overtime is declared the winner.
8. Decisions of the judge/producer shall be final. As in any contest, a game shall not
be replayed, even if the outcome could have been altered by judgment errors.
9. Challenges to the SCORING of the game may be lodged in the following
manner:
The coach must approach the host after the game is completed. If the coach does
not challenge the scoring of the game, then no challenge can be lodged.
If a challenge is lodged, the video tape of the show, and all written scoring notes
will be reviewed immediately. Coaches and team members from both teams are
welcome to stay in the studio during the review. However, it is not necessary for
the teams to stay to lodge the challenge.
If a discrepancy in the score is found during the review, the final score of the
game will be adjusted by the amount of points of the error only.
Example: If a 10 point question was attributed to the wrong team, and the final
score was first reported to be 280 to 240, the corrected score would become 270
to 250.
Should the adjustment in the score result in a tie game, the winner of an
untelevised Toss-up question, will be used to decide the competition.
Scores will be kept by the time-keeper/scorekeeper.
10. If a player continues, after three warnings, to speak too softly for the judge to hear
his/her answer, or to fail to speak into the microphone, his/her answer may be
discarded at the judge’s discretion.
11. Disciplinary Policy: Students and Coaches are expected to display appropriate
behavior while participating in “Quiz Central”. Students and Coaches and all
who participate or attend “Quiz Central” will abide by accepted standards for
public behavior and will treat each other and the program staff with respect and
courtesy. Behavior deemed inappropriate will be dealt with as follows: A first
offense will result in a warning to the coach of the school involved. Should a
second offense occur, the school involved will receive an immediate suspension
from “Quiz Central’ for the remainder of that season and also that of the next
school year.
12. Should a school withdraw from the program after the bracketing of teams has
occurred, the school may be banned from participating in “Quiz Central” the
following school year as well.
13. To be an eligible contestant, a student must be enrolled in his or her participating
school system at the time of the contest.
14. Should answers be interjected by the audience, the questions may be discarded at
the judge/host’s discretion. Teams may only consult during the Bonus and Perfect
Ten Rounds.
15. During the process of videotaping a game, questions may occasionally need to be
discarded due to obvious errors, production problems or for other reasons.
WCMU reserves the right to exercise this option in fairness to BOTH teams.
16. Players may not bring any reference materials into the studio. Notes, lists or any
pre-written materials are prohibited. Pencil and Paper are not necessary for “Quiz
Central”.
Response Time:
Toss-Up Questions
Once a player has buzzed in and has been identified by the host, the player is given
approximately three seconds to respond to Toss-Up Questions. Once the player has
begun his/her response, that player is allowed approximately ten seconds to complete
the response. A response that begins or is completed after the timer says the word
“TIME” is considered a wrong answer.
If any teammate of the first player to signal gives a response, the incident is treated as
a wrong answer and the question is offered to the opposing team.
If an opponent of the first player to signal gives a response, that response, right or
wrong, is ignored and the first player to signal is allowed to respond.
Bonus Questions
In a Bonus situation, players are encouraged to confer with his/her teammates. After
the complete bonus question is asked, the team captain has approximately five
seconds before the host will ask for the answer. Once they have begun the response,
the captain is allowed approximately ten seconds to complete his/her response. A
response that begins or is completed after the timer says the word “TIME” is
considered a wrong answer. The team captain may defer to a teammate if he/she
doesn’t know the pronunciation or answer of the question.
Speed Rounds
The questions involved require short answers given rapidly. In this round, once a
player has buzzed in and has been identified by the host, the player is given three
seconds to respond in full. A response that begins or is completed after the timer says
the word “TIME” is considered a wrong answer.
Rules and Regulations: “Maroon and Gold Rush”
1. Following the “Rapid Fire” format, all questions are “Up For Grabs”.
2. All first round questions will be worth 10 points. The first player to signal,
answers.
3. Players will be given three (3) seconds from the time the Host stops reading to
signal, and then must answer as soon as recognized. The Host should allow for a
natural pause, but not for stalling.
4. If an answer is incorrect, or comes after time has been called, the question is
turned over to the opposing team.
5. If a player confers with a teammate after the buzzer is signaled the answer does
not count, and the question is turned over to the opposing team.
6. If a player answers without being recognized, the answer does not count. It is the
same as a wrong answer. This rule is in effect to prevent players from answering
because they “think” they signaled first. That is not the same as actually signaling
first and the right of the player who really has signaled first must be protected.
7. On these questions, the first response given is the one that counts. Sometimes a
player will attempt to give more than one piece of information in his/her answer.
There are instances when such a response is acceptable. The Host and Judge must
distinguish whether the player has in fact pinpointed the answer or is just rattling
off a list of facts on a given subject.
8. Questions need not be repeated if they are completed for both teams. If the
question was not completed and the first team answers incorrectly, the question
will be reread from the spot of the original buzzer signal and the opposing team
will be given the opportunity to answer.
9. If the Host inadvertently gives an answer to a question without giving either team
a chance to respond, or without turning the question over, he takes the next
question in the stack and plays is according to the rules of the game as set forth.
10. If the period-ending tone sounds while the Host is asking a question, he will stop
and the period is finished. If the tone sounds during or after a player signals
readiness to answer, the player may give the answer to the question. If he/she is
correct, the period is over; if wrong, the opposing team is given the opportunity to
answer.
Rules and Regulations: “Kick Off” and “Homestretch”
1. The second round and the fourth rounds will consist of both Toss-Up Questions
worth 10 points and Bonus Questions worth 10 points apiece.
2. Once a team has answered a 10 point Toss-Up Question correctly, that team is
entitled to answer up to three bonus questions.
3. The team assigned the bonus questions will have five seconds to respond to each
bonus question. Should the five second bell sound indicating time prior to the
correct answer being given, the bonus round is ended and another Toss-Up
Question is given to both teams.
4. A teams Bonus round is ended upon the incorrect answer of one of the Bonus
Questions. Example: If the team does not answer Bonus Question Number One
correctly, the Bonus Round is over and a new Toss-Up Question is issued to both
teams. If the team answers the first Bonus Question correctly, they will be
entitled to the second Bonus Question, if the second is answered incorrectly, the
Bonus Round is over and a new Toss-Up Question is issued to both teams.
5. Should a team respond incorrectly to the Toss-Up Question after the bell signaling
the end of the Round, the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer
the Toss-Up Question. If they answer correctly, that team will be given the
opportunity to answer the Bonus Questions.
6. Consultation among team members is allowed during the Bonus Round.
7. All answers in the Bonus Round must be given by the team captain. The captain
need not be recognized by the Host before responding. The team captain may
defer to a teammate to answer a question if needed.
Rules and Regulations: “The Perfect Ten”
1. The Round begins with the team having the lowest score. If the score is tied, the
team which won the coin toss prior to the game begins the round.
2. The electronic response system is not used during this round.
3. The team may select from one of four categories (which vary from game to game)
from which its questions will be drawn.
4. Each question if worth 10 points.
5. Consultation among team members is allowed during this round.
6. All answers must be given by the team captain or deferred to teammate.
7. The captain need not be recognized by the Host before responding.
8. The captain may respond before the Host has completed a question.
9. After the 60 seconds has expired, the opposing team will have 30 seconds to
answer any questions the first team missed or did not answer, even if they were
not read in the 60 seconds.
10. After the second team has finished responding to the questions left from the first
team, the second team will select from the two remaining categories and play the
60 second round. Then the first team will be given 30 seconds to answer any
missed questions as well as those not read or passed on.
11. The team is playing against the clock in this round. The Host will give the team
an indefinite period of time to answer each question. If the team does not know
the answer, the captain must refuse the question by saying “PASS” before the
Host will turn to the next question.
Rules and Regulations: “The Final Countdown”
1. Following the “Rapid Fire” format, all questions are “Up For Grabs”. The team
that leads at the end of “The Final Countdown” is the winner.
2. All final round questions will be worth 10 points. The first player to signal,
answers. If an incorrect response is given, the rest of the question will be
read for the individuals on the opposing team. If they answer correctly they
will receive the ten points.
3. Players will be given three (3) seconds from the time the Host stops reading to
signal, and then must answer as soon as recognized. The Host should allow for a
natural pause, but not for stalling.
4. If an answer comes after time has been called, it doesn’t count.
5. If a player answers without being recognized, the answer does not count. It is the
same as a wrong answer. This rule is in effect to prevent players from answering
because they “think” they signaled first. That is not the same as actually signaling
first and the right of the player who really has signaled first must be protected.
6. On these questions, the first response given is the one that counts. Sometimes a
player will attempt to give more than one piece of information in his/her answer.
There are instances when such a response is acceptable. The Host and Judge must
distinguish whether the player has in fact pinpointed the answer or is just rattling
off a list of facts on a given subject.
7. If the Host inadvertently gives an answer to a question without giving either team
a chance to respond, or without turning the question over, he takes the next
question in the stack and plays is according to the rules of the game as set forth.
8. A bell will sound at the end of this round. If a question is being asked and no one
has signaled, the game is over. If a player signals before the bell sounds, that
player’s answer will be accepted and points will be added or subtracted
accordingly.
9. In the event of a tie at the end of this round, the Host will ask a tie-breaking, TossUp question. For the tie-breaker, a wrong answer is NOT penalized, as in Rounds
Two and Four; the question is read again to the opposing team. The first team to
give a correct answer wins the game.
Quiz Central: The Tournament
A Maximum of 48 teams are participating in “Quiz Central” this season. We have
split the teams up into Four divisions (Red, White, Blue, Gold) based on school size. The
largest schools make up our “Red” Division, the smallest schools make up our “Gold”
Division, and the schools in-between make up the “ Blue and White” Divisions.
“Quiz Central” producers will determine the first round match-ups for each Division.
The tournament will then play out in a structured twelve team bracket until each Division
crowns a champion. With the 48 team bracket there will be three teams advancing to the
division final day. The team with the highest point total in their first two games will get a
bye to the championship game while the other two teams play a semi final game to reach
the final. If two or more teams have the same point total, the second tie breaker will be
the total margin of victory for the teams first two games combined. If two or more teams
are still tied, a coin toss will be administered by the executive producer to determine the
team that will receive the bye.
The matchups for the Grand Championship Semi-Finals will be determined by the
average points scored during the regular season games. The #1 seed will play the #4 seed
in the first Semi Final and the #2 seed will play the #3 seed in the second Semi Final.
In the case when a team that has confirmed their participation on “Quiz Central” and they
are not at the studio for their taping time, a reasonable amount of time will be used to
wait for the team to arrive, a courtesy call to the coach will be made to find out the nature
of the delay, and the producer will make a decision on when to award a “forfeit” to the
team that is waiting to play. A forfeit will advance the winning team to the next game as
if the game had been played and won. There will be no score awarded to be used as an
average score in potential placement in the final four round.
In the case when a team has school cancelled and cannot make the trip because of school
rules, an agreeable makeup day will be discussed with their opponent and a full attempt
will be made to make the game up at a later date. If no date is found to work for both
schools and for WCMU, the team that had to cancel the date will have to forfeit the
game.
Sample Questions………
Toss Up’s1. In July 2002 the Smithsonian unveiled an exhibit on this phenomenon, just days
after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it had
returned to the Pacific. For 10 points-what is this periodic climate inversion
named for the Spanish for “the boy”?
Answer: El Nino
2. Seven was the first three-man American crew in space. Eight was the first
manned lunar orbit. Ten was the dress rehearsal that came within 10 miles of the
lunar surface. All of these missions were part of- for 10 points- what NASA
program that put the first men on the moon?
Answer: Apollo
3. He owns the only copy of the Magna Carta outside of England. In July 2002 he
testified before the California Senate that his company did not assist energy
companies in manipulating the market. He founded that company after selling
Electronic Data Systems to GM in 1984, leaving him with the money to fuel his
presidential aspirations. For 10 points-name this third-party candidate in 1992
and 1996.
Answer: Henry Ross Perot
4. The type derived from animal bones, boneblack, requires the addition of acid to
remove calcium. The type made from coconut shells absorbs gas impurities well.
What type of carbon-for 10 points-is sometimes used in an activated form, and
more frequently used in barbeques?
Answer: charcoal
5. He became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1921, 17 years after being
governor of the Philippines and less than nine years after his term as president.
For 10 points-name this onetime protégé of Teddy Roosevelt, famous as the
heaviest U.S. president.
Answer: William Howard Taft
6. His brother Ben went to Alaska to find his fortune, and his affair with a woman in
Boston causes his son to lose an athletic scholarship. For 10 points-name this
husband of Linda and father of Biff and Happy in Arthur Miller’s Death of a
Salesman.
Answer: Willy Loman
Bonus Questions….
1.
For 10 points each-name these terms from aeronautics:
A. This force acts against gravity to raise a plane’s altitude.
Answer: lift
B. This force acts against a planes engine thrust; it’s caused by the impact of
air on the plane.
Answer: drag
C. This usually undesirable rotation of a plane is controlled by its rudder.
Answer: yaw
2.
For 10 points each-give the diminutive names of these literary characters:
A. The last sentence of a Dickens novel repeats his catchphrase: “God Bless
us, every one!”
Answer: Tiny Tim Cratchit
B. This E.B. White title character has an ardent, cross-species devotion for a
bid named Margalo.
Answer: Stuart Little
C. This tragic Steinbeck character wants nothing but a rabbit hutch and to
“live off the fatta the lan’. “
Answer: Lennie Small
3.
Answer these questions about major earthquakes, for 10 points each:
A. What major U.S. city was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in April
1906?
Answer: San Francisco, California
B. The deadliest recorded earthquake and the three deadliest of the 20th
century, all occurred in what country?
Answer: China
C.
What European capital city on the Iberian Peninsula was struck by a major
quake in 1755?
D.
Answer: Lisbon
The Perfect Ten Round…..
Name these people associated with assassinations….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
This Jordanian shot Robert Kennedy in 1968…..Sirhan Sirhan
Charles Guiteau killed this president…….James Garfield
He was killed by Ramon Mercader in Mexico in 1940…..Leon Trotsky
He assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914…..Gavrilo Princip
She was killed by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984….Indira Gandhi
6. Charlotte Corday killed him while he was in the bath….Jean Marat
7. Mark David Chapman killed this performer in December 1980……John Lennon
8. Sheriff Pat Garrett killed this notorious outlaw in 1881….Billy the Kid
9. This Egyptian president was killed during a parade in 1981….Anwar Sadat
10. The Spanish killed this Incan emperor by strangulation…..Atahualpa
Scholarship Information:
Central Michigan University will award each division championship team up to seven (7)
$4,000 two year scholarships to be used by an incoming freshman who will live in the
residence halls at Central Michigan University. The coach of the team will choose the up
to seven members of his/her team and supply WCMU the names of those award
recipients. The scholarships will be split evenly between the first two years of the
incoming students living in the residence halls at CMU ($2,000 for the first year, $2,000
for the second year). If a student is on a division championship team a second time
during their “Quiz Central” career, there will be an additional Quiz Central scholarship
awarded to this individual of $1,000 more for each year. ($3,000 for the first year, $3,000
for the second year, cumulative total of $6,000 for a two year stay in the residence halls
will be the maximum award). These awards are above and beyond and stackable with
any other awards the student might receive from CMU.
THE RECIPENT OF THE QUIZ CENTRAL AWARD :
MUST LIVE IN THE CMU RESIDENCE HALLS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THIS
AWARD,
MUST ENROLL AS A FULL-TIME STUDENT EACH SEMESTER,
MUST PASS 30 NEW CREDIT HOURS EACH ACADEMIC YEAR AND
MUST MAINTAIN A MINIMUM CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF
3.25 IN ALL CMU CLASSES.