University Challenge

[Ein Heldenleben]

I was going to post the same thing, but you beat me to it. I must say, having managed to score 14 (admittedly with some educated guesses), I didn’t think it was anything like as hard as the real UC questions.

Nowhere near as hard and having the answers in front of you makes a huge difference

[LMcD]

Nowhere near as hard and having the answers in front of you makes a huge difference

Well, I scored more than 5!

[Dave2002]

I am sometimes slightly perplexed as the last question is often (ever?) not answered either by the teams or by JP.

Last night there was a “trivia” type question about a cricket term for a loose cricket ball right at the end - left unanswered. Even though I’m not a cricket aficionado, now knowing that there is a strange term for something I am not particularly interested in, yet not knowing the answer is a source of some disquiet. Does anyone know the appropriate answer?

[AuntDaisy]

I am sometimes slightly perplexed as the last question is often (ever?) not answered either by the teams or by JP.

Last night there was a “trivia” type question about a cricket term for a loose cricket ball right at the end - left unanswered. Even though I’m not a cricket aficionado, now knowing that there is a strange term for something I am not particularly interested in, yet not knowing the answer is a source of some disquiet. Does anyone know the appropriate answer?

Yes, I wondered about it as well - but know nothing of cricket.

What word can mean to depose or bring down a government and, in cricket, a run scored as a result of inaccurate fielding by a ball that goes too far?

Could it be overthrow?

[Belgrove]

I didn’t watch the programme, but from the description it’s probably ‘buzzers’.

[LHC]

Yes, I wondered about it as well - but know nothing of cricket.

Could it be overthrow?

I think you are correct.

Two exceptionally strong teams last night, with both teams answering all their questions quickly (and mercifully few extended debates on the team questions). St John’s score of 155 would have been a winning score in 5 of the previous matches so far this season, which makes Imperial’s winning score of 210 even more impressive.

[AuntDaisy]

I think you are correct.

Two exceptionally strong teams last night, with both teams answering all their questions quickly (and mercifully few extended debates on the team questions). St John’s score of 155 would have been a winning score in 5 of the previous matches so far this season, which makes Imperial’s winning score of 210 even more impressive.

Yes, impressive performances on both sides.

I really felt for St John’s near the end - those silly atomic number subtraction questions made me groan (as a demi-chemist).

[cloughie]

Yes, impressive performances on both sides.

I really felt for St John’s near the end - those silly atomic number subtraction questions made me groan (as a demi-chemist).

Do the question compilers work also on Pointless?

[AuntDaisy]

Do the question compilers work also on Pointless?

Probably.
Wait until Jeremy P ends with a Portillo comment...

[Nick Armstrong]

Yes, impressive performances on both sides.

I really felt for St John’s near the end - those silly atomic number subtraction questions made me groan (as a demi-chemist).

Some good classical music knowledge on display for once (I seem to remember even the wrong answer was perfectly sensible)

And the geographical knowledge of Zeng the biochemist from Imperial: astonishing

[Serial_Apologist]

Given that the series is far from being equivalent to your average pub quiz, set just for the fun of it, I do still ask myself how many of the types of questions presented contribute anything useful for the future for humanity, as opposed to demonstrating the capacity of some people to store inordinate amounts of useless information, and to show off about it. Not at all sure about the ethics.

[cloughie]

Probably.
Wait until Jeremy P ends with a Portillo comment...

Or even a VCM comment!

[cloughie]

Given that the series is far from being equivalent to your average pub quiz, set just for the fun of it, I do still ask myself how many of the types of questions presented contribute anything useful for the future for humanity, as opposed to demonstrating the capacity of some people to store inordinate amounts of useless information, and to show off about it. Not at all sure about the ethics.

I wonder what Leslie Welch would have made of it!

[ardcarp]

I do still ask myself how many of the types of questions presented contribute anything useful for the future for humanity

Was that ever the aim of any quiz? It may be unfashionable, but I still enjoy UC, not just for the occasional question I or Mrs A can get right, but mainly for the dynamics within each team. So many correct answers are the result of digging into the 'inordinate amounts of useless information' and cleverly realising what the question-setters might be aiming for. There was a bit of a geographical whiz-kid on last night's episode.

On the other end of the scale, there was a somewhat disturbing news item today saying that the average reading-age of an army recruit was that of an eleven-year-old. So maybe UC does display something 'useful for the future for humanity'. Hopeful, anyway.

[Gary Freer]

Just watched my recording of this... Thankfully I got the other classical question right (though the French element was a narrow squeak).

UC certainly aren't dumbing down the questions, are they? The Shakespeare quotes question (name play and character for each quote) left me floored except the last bit.

The chap on the right of the New College Oxon. team (Cappelman, or similar) is rather a phenomenon...

That mnemonic question he got right.....

I neither understood the question nor am I sure whether Paxo had finished reading it. Loved the way his mind-boggling answer left his team mates laughing, shrugging and shaking their heads in disbelief

I was lucky enough to be on this for four shows in the early 1980s - the Bamber era (and he really did know his music). Most teams with any sense would include at least one member who was well read in classical music, as the Producer in those days was known to be an enthusiast. There is a huge amount of luck involved, of course - I managed to correctly buzz after 2 seconds of Beethoven 6 as it was the first classical music LP I ever owned and I knew it backwards. Nick will recall that at Nottingham High the legendary Kendrick Partington ran a music appreciation course as a general studies option in the 6th Form - how many students will have had the benefit of such an initiative now I wouldn't care to guess. in general, though, I agree that after a period of dumbing down we are back to the questions being genuinely stretching and some of the teams are very impressive. Shame there are so many postgrads though - our team was entirely made up of undergraduates.