Hose

A hose is considered the cardinal sin of quizbowl, as it specifically punishes players who possess uniquely identifying knowledge of the correct answer at the time the player buzzed. The most egregious kind of hose occurs when the vast majority of the question leads to one uniquely identifying answer, only to have the rest of the question shift to describe a completely different answer. Hoses can also occur when the leadin to the question is not uniquely identifying and a player buzzes in with a (correct) association with that clue only to be told that the question is looking for another (also correct) association. A player who falls victim to one of these situations is said to have "gotten hosed".

Hoses are one of the most prominent, though not most common, hallmarks of bad quizbowl. They are related to swerves.

Examples of Hoses

The Non-Uniquely Identifying Hose

The prime example of a hose is a question that, although it presents factually accurate information, does not uniquely specify the one answer being sought. For example:

...This man argued that AC power should be used over Edison's DC power. (*) For 10 points, name this inventor of a railroad air brake.
ANSWER: George Westinghouse

Someone who buzzes in at the star could reasonably assume that the answer could be Tesla, and in some formats be ruled incorrect despite the given answer being correct based on the information available.

The Non-Acceptable Identical Answer Hose

Very much related to a swerve, this is a question that puts a late restriction on an answer making an equivalent answer incorrect. For example:

....For 10 points, name this type of membrane this allows some kinds of molecules to pass through it while prohibiting others. We are looking for a 13-letter word.
ANSWER: semipermeable membrane

This question is bad because it punishes anyone who buzzes in with selectively-permeable membrane, partially-permeable membrane or differentially-permeable membrane, which depending on the given clues are basically identical terms. Questions that requires certain numbers of letters, syllables, or anything similar are most likely flawed.

The Factually Incorrect Hose

Consider the following question:

...He initiated a crusade against the Catholic Church called Kulturkampf as well as a war with Austria over Schleswig and Holstein. (*) For 10 points, who was the twenty-first president of the United States?
ANSWER: Chester A(lan) Arthur

Anyone who has any knowledge is going to buzz in at or before the (*) mark, say "Bismarck", and be stunned to find out that the question is looking for an American president. In most formats that practice good quizbowl, a reasonably competent moderator would realize that the entire question up to the point of the buzz talked about Bismarck, and just award points to the player who got hosed. However, under the rules of many high school state quizbowl associations, an answer of "Bismarck" would be marked incorrect, and there would be rules designed to prevent coaches from successfully challenging such a ruling.