Spelling tossups and whatnot (regarding the Potru Prize)

suds1000 <*no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com*> · Fri, 23 Apr 2004 02:33:50 -0000

Yeah, I should have mentioned this as soon as it occurred to me 
(which it did after Leo after mentioned it on the HSQB board).

I'm actually currently debating between the possibilities of 1) 
having the moderator warn both teams of an approaching spelling 
tossup and 2) having the moderator prompt a player who buzzes with 
the correct answer by saying, "OK, now spell it".  Any input would 
be appreciated, especially by those who have written spelling 
questions in the past.  

I just hope no one's averse to the idea merely because it's a 
spelling tossup:  after all, using either mechanism outlined above, 
the question really tests your knowledge of other things moreso than 
spelling.  Take that Leviathan tossup, for example.  Had I taken the 
time to add in a couple more substantive clues (instead of just 
dashing something off so I could post quickly), it would have 
functioned as a perfectly valid tossup even if I removed the 
spelling element from it.  Realistically, the spelling tossup is 
also a "Your Choice" question, merely with the response spelled out 
as a method of answering.  Knowledge will still be rewarded.

Any more questions or registrations or anything, be sure to e-mail 
me at (potru at uiuc dot edu).

Thanks,

Sudheer

--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, bigflax29 <no_reply_at_y...> wrote:
> Perhaps the question would begin, "Warning: Answer must be 
> spelled?"  That way, you'd still need to have the knowledge to 
come 
> up with the answer, but you'd know you'd have to spell it.  
> Otherwise, you're right, that initial question is a brutal hose.
> 
> --- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, starbug_56 <no_reply_at_y...> wrote:
> > Yikes!  Spelling tossups might be fun to resurrect in a 
specialty 
> format like the one 
> > proposed, but the example below is potentially an outright 
hose.  
> A more straightforward 
> > way to write it would be more along these lines (middle deleted 
> for brevity):
> > 
> > "The Leviathan originated in Babylonian creation stories ... and 
> is the name of a famous 
> > work by Thomas Hobbes.   FTP, spell "Leviathan"."
> > 
> > Using the term promptly in the intro would clarify that this is 
a 
> spelling tossup, and not 
> > bait players to neg (or require prompting) by just 
> answering "Leviathan".
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > 
> > > For those of you who have never written a spelling tossup 
> before, it
> > > goes something like:
> > > 
> > > Originating in Babylonian creation stories, it occurs a 
section 
> of the
> > > Baal myth, but also appears in Psalms 74:14 and Isaiah 27:1 as 
a 
> sea
> > > monster symbolizing the enemies of Israel that will be slain 
by 
> God. 
> > > Also naming a famous work by Thomas Hobbes, FTP, spell the word
> > > "Leviathan."
> > > Answer:	_L-E-V-I-A-T-H-A-N_	
> > >