One of the more collaborative events of the WSC, the Scholar’s Bowl is often the last academic event to occur. Meaning (loosely) that it is the least stressful of them. The Scholar’s Bowl also has the most humour in it, at least according to me (and my definition of humour is antiquated to say the least). So what does your team need to know about the Scholar’s Bowl to not feel awkward when the clickers get distributed? Find out by reading on!
Important Terms:
Clicker: By far the most important term in the Scholar’s Bowl, a clicker will be introduced as the fourth member of your team. This seemingly small and insignificant electronic rectangle with 6 buttons on it (pictured below), will come to be a valuable member of your team during the 2 hours or so of the Scholar’s Bowl. The clicker is how your team will answer each question during the bowl. Keep it safe, don’t smash it and ideally don’t bite it either (there are no calories gained from chewing this device).
Important Terms:
Clicker: By far the most important term in the Scholar’s Bowl, a clicker will be introduced as the fourth member of your team. This seemingly small and insignificant electronic rectangle with 6 buttons on it (pictured below), will come to be a valuable member of your team during the 2 hours or so of the Scholar’s Bowl. The clicker is how your team will answer each question during the bowl. Keep it safe, don’t smash it and ideally don’t bite it either (there are no calories gained from chewing this device).
Question: The Scholar’s Bowl is made up of many questions (too many I won’t bother counting them), divided into different sections based on their difficulty. Some questions require you to watch a video, view a gallery of photographs or simply read a bit of text. Based on the question, your team will have to choose a letter on the clicker as to which answer.
Options: Each question has 5 options to answer with (known as option A, B, C, D and E). Your team simply needs to click on which answer they believe is the correct answer. Please note that you can change your answer in the middle of answering time. Just click on the letter you wish to change to and that will appear as your answer. You can actually change answers multiple times, so long as the time frame for doing so hasn’t closed.
Time Limit: Each question on the bowl will first be read aloud by the WSC Staff, with an explanation of any answers if need be. During this time, the clickers will not be able to submit any answers. Once the question and options have been read, then there is approximately 10-30 seconds for your team to decide on the answer (change it a couple times maybe). The staff will usually indicate when 10 and then 5 seconds are left. Once time is up, the correct answer will be announced (to cheers of joy or shouts of anger).
Point System: Unlike a traditional clicker-based quiz, each question on the bowl earns a different amount of points. Usually the first couple of questions award less than 200 points, while there are rounds where possible scores can reach up to 1000 points! Pay attention on the number displayed beneath the question number so your team has a rough idea of how difficult it might be. Of course, there are rounds where points awarded are different....
Lightning Round: One of the trademark rounds during the bowl, the lightning round is composed of 5 quick-fire questions (often taking less than 10 seconds to read and answer) with the same question and options present for each of the 5. Each question also awards the same amount of points, so the more you get correct, the more you’ll have when the round ends.
Betting Round: The final and most climactic round of the scholar’s bowl is where your team indulges in a bit of gambling (no illegality about it here though). Simply put, in this round you can choose how many points your team is willing to “bet” on answering the question correctly. Usually in increments of 500 from 500-2500, your team will first click on the letter that corresponds to the betted amount, before then clicking on your final answer. If you get that question correct, you’ll earn the amount of points you betted. If not, well you’ve just lost that amount of points.
Percentage Round: One of the more confusion rounds of the Scholar’s Bowl, the percentage round relies on a mathematical formula to decide how many points your team receives. Here it is (let a represent the percent of incorrect answers and s the final score):
Options: Each question has 5 options to answer with (known as option A, B, C, D and E). Your team simply needs to click on which answer they believe is the correct answer. Please note that you can change your answer in the middle of answering time. Just click on the letter you wish to change to and that will appear as your answer. You can actually change answers multiple times, so long as the time frame for doing so hasn’t closed.
Time Limit: Each question on the bowl will first be read aloud by the WSC Staff, with an explanation of any answers if need be. During this time, the clickers will not be able to submit any answers. Once the question and options have been read, then there is approximately 10-30 seconds for your team to decide on the answer (change it a couple times maybe). The staff will usually indicate when 10 and then 5 seconds are left. Once time is up, the correct answer will be announced (to cheers of joy or shouts of anger).
Point System: Unlike a traditional clicker-based quiz, each question on the bowl earns a different amount of points. Usually the first couple of questions award less than 200 points, while there are rounds where possible scores can reach up to 1000 points! Pay attention on the number displayed beneath the question number so your team has a rough idea of how difficult it might be. Of course, there are rounds where points awarded are different....
Lightning Round: One of the trademark rounds during the bowl, the lightning round is composed of 5 quick-fire questions (often taking less than 10 seconds to read and answer) with the same question and options present for each of the 5. Each question also awards the same amount of points, so the more you get correct, the more you’ll have when the round ends.
Betting Round: The final and most climactic round of the scholar’s bowl is where your team indulges in a bit of gambling (no illegality about it here though). Simply put, in this round you can choose how many points your team is willing to “bet” on answering the question correctly. Usually in increments of 500 from 500-2500, your team will first click on the letter that corresponds to the betted amount, before then clicking on your final answer. If you get that question correct, you’ll earn the amount of points you betted. If not, well you’ve just lost that amount of points.
Percentage Round: One of the more confusion rounds of the Scholar’s Bowl, the percentage round relies on a mathematical formula to decide how many points your team receives. Here it is (let a represent the percent of incorrect answers and s the final score):
So ideally, the fewer correct answers, the more points those who did get it correct will earn.
Seating Arrangement: To avoid any malicious activities between schools, the WSC will randomly assign some sort of seating arrangement. Usually it contains some sort of allusion to the curriculum (such as the names of different cryptocurrencies or serial killers). Once your team enters the theater, look for where people with those allocations should be sitting.
Alpaca Distribution: Yes, halfway through the Scholar’s Bowl, every team in the theater will receive 3 new alpacas to love and look after, 1 for each member. There’s usually an ordered system to this, so don’t hope for the alpaca color you wanted to land in your hands.
Scholar’s Bowl Procedure
Congratulations! You have reached the end of this introduction and have hopefully learnt a little bit more about the Scholar’s Bowl. Ready to get yourself acquainted with the curriculum that will guarantee some degree of success (and stress-relief) for the bowl? Click on the button below to view the WSC resources.
Seating Arrangement: To avoid any malicious activities between schools, the WSC will randomly assign some sort of seating arrangement. Usually it contains some sort of allusion to the curriculum (such as the names of different cryptocurrencies or serial killers). Once your team enters the theater, look for where people with those allocations should be sitting.
Alpaca Distribution: Yes, halfway through the Scholar’s Bowl, every team in the theater will receive 3 new alpacas to love and look after, 1 for each member. There’s usually an ordered system to this, so don’t hope for the alpaca color you wanted to land in your hands.
Scholar’s Bowl Procedure
- Seating Arrangement: Once your team enters the theater, look to the big screens to find out in which area you’ll be sitting. Once you do reach the zone, make sure you’re not sitting next to any team from your school. This includes sitting directly above or below them. Find a place away from your school mates (after all, they are still your competitors in this event).
- Clicker Distribution and Socialization: Once everyone is settled in, the WSC staff will begin clicker distribution. Normally they ask that 1 person from each team (usually by which letter is on your nametag) to go down and collect a clicker. At bigger rounds, they’ll divide the teams by ranges of 50 or so, to avoid any traffic jams on the stairs or stage area. Once everyone has their clicker, the staff usually set up a few “tasks” to help you integrate it into your team (these usually include taking a selfie with it and posting said picture on social media).
- Clicker Testing: Once the clicker familiarization is over with, everyone learns how to properly answer using their clicker. This includes learning how to quickly change answers, so pay attention a bit. Once that’s over with, some pwaactice questions worth a whopping 0, 00 and 000 points will be read to simulate a real question.
- Bowl, Bowl and Bowl some more (part 1): Once all the practice questions are finished, a few rounds of real questions will commence.
- Alpaca Distribution: At the halfway point, there will be a 20-40 minute break while the alpacas are distributed to each team and you guys will swear by the alpaca oath.
- Bowl, Bowl and Bowl some more (part 2): The second part of the scholar’s bowl often has similar rounds, and ends with the ever-climactic betting round. Once that’s done, rejoice at your team’s success (or simply remain quiet and contemplate life), for you’ve now completed all the serious academic events of the WSC.
- Clicker Return: “Parting is such sweet sorrow” but you’ll have to say goodbye to your fourth team member, as another member of your team returns it to its hibernating place, waiting for the next WSC round.
Congratulations! You have reached the end of this introduction and have hopefully learnt a little bit more about the Scholar’s Bowl. Ready to get yourself acquainted with the curriculum that will guarantee some degree of success (and stress-relief) for the bowl? Click on the button below to view the WSC resources.
Alternatively, for those of you wishing to join the next season (for which there have yet to be any resources). Click on the button below to learn some quick tips as to how to succeed and not kill your team members (yes it is possible to calmly take the bowl) at the Scholar’s Bowl Guide page.
Finally, for those of you wishing to learn more about the other events of the WSC, click on the button below to return to the introductions homepage