University Challenge

[ardcarp]

I don't quite follow the argument about UC being Oxbridge/Public School biased. Presumably any university is eligible to apply to enter the contest. Or is the suggestion that the questions are cunningly designed to filter out state-educated kids? If that is the premise, is anyone suggesting that questions should be cunningly designed to filter out public school kids? If so, lets have some examples, please.

[MrGongGong]

I don't quite follow the argument about UC being Oxbridge/Public School biased. .

You need to get out more.

If so, lets have some examples, please.

Latin, Greek ?

NOT that there's anything wrong with learning these at all BUT who in the main does? (and i'm sure someone can come up with a few examples that are exceptions.... I can)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

State schools may have dropped Latin and Greek because of the imposition of the National Straitjacket (sorry - Curriculum).

[Nick Armstrong]

Blimey this little thread that I cobbled together last night has taken on a life of its own...!!

[ardcarp]

You mean, as in στῆθος plus skōp ?

[french frank]

You mean, as in στῆθος plus skōp ?

στῆθος plus σκοπεῖν ?

[ardcarp]

Deliberate mistake...just to see if you were paying attention......

[jean]

State schools may have dropped Latin and Greek because of the imposition of the National Straitjacket (sorry - Curriculum).

No, that's not the reason - it happened before that, and was down to a misguided belief that the subjects were inherently 'elitist'.

[Mary Chambers]

Latin, Greek ?

NOT that there's anything wrong with learning these at all BUT who in the main does? (and i'm sure someone can come up with a few examples that are exceptions.... I can)

I couldn't remember any questions last night that were directly about Latin or Greek. I became so curious about your assertion that I've just watched the first 15 minutes of the final again, and so far there hasn't been one. There were a couple about meanings of English words where the languages were mentioned, but all that was needed was to know the words. The questions have been on a great variety of subjects. I'm going to watch the rest of it tomorrow.

[MrGongGong]

I became so curious about your assertion

"assertion" ?

I was merely picking up on folks talking about 'classics'.

[greenilex]

I wonder whether there is an equivalent programme in China, and what the contestants are like there.

[ardcarp]

I wonder whether there is an equivalent programme in China, and what the contestants are like there.

They'd probably gobble up the maths questions. Aren't Chinese kids supposed to be 5 years ahead of ours in maths at school?

[jean]

Speaking on the Gonville and Caius College website, Mr Lovejoy said: “We’d put aside regular times to sit down together in the college bar, watch past episodes on YouTube and try to shout the answers at the telly before any of the contestants buzzed. That was really helpful for improving our reaction speeds.

He added: “Sometimes question-setters really like a particular area and they’ll keep coming back to it. For instance, they’re a bit obsessed with Pre-Raphaelite paintings, so we binged on some Wikipedia articles to make sure we were familiar with them. It paid off because we had a whole picture round on the Pre-Raphaelites! University Challenge isn’t about deep understanding – it’s about very wide, superficial knowledge combined with quick recall.”

(But isn't his name Loveday?)

The article gives another question involving Latin which nobody here has mentioned - “A noun paradigm in traditional Latin grammar, what five-letter word means a stupid or silly woman in Mexican Spanish, a university canteen in German?” to which he correctly answered Mensa.

But to define mensa as 'a noun paradigm' is hardly accurate - it happens to be the noun most often selected to illustrate the paradigm of the first declension feminine noun endings.

[Mary Chambers]

The article gives another question involving Latin which nobody here has mentioned - “A noun paradigm in traditional Latin grammar, what five-letter word means a stupid or silly woman in Mexican Spanish, a university canteen in German?” to which he correctly answered Mensa.

But to define mensa as 'a noun paradigm' is hardly accurate - it happens to be the noun most often selected to illustrate the paradigm of the first declension feminine noun endings.

That question was a good example of one that appeared to be about Latin, but in fact could be answered by anyone who knew that the organisation for people with high IQs, which was also mentioned, was called Mensa.

[jean]

That question was a good example of one that appeared to be about Latin...

But the bit that appeared to be about Latin was inaccurate. I suppose if they'd said 'the Latin for table' it would have been far too easy, though in fact it's one of those questions where, as you say, if you know one of the meanings, you don't need any help from the others (I've no idea where the Spanish meaning comes from - has anyone?)

Thinking about the questions rather than the answers reminds me of this, which I hope we haven't forgotten (but I bet he hopes we have!)