Basic Guidelines for Writing Questions in
“College Bowl” format
Format summary
There are two parts to each question. The first part is called the “tossup”, which is worth 10 points.
This fairly long question is read to teams that have the opportunity to buzz in at any time during the
tossup. If a team answers a tossup correctly, that team will have a chance to answer a related bonus,
which is worth 30 points.
General notes
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You may submit any number of questions you wish.
Questions you write may be of any category you choose (can all be different or can all be the same)
Include phonetic pronunciation keys in parentheses if necessary.
Underline or otherwise specify the required part of the answer. For most famous people, one name
will usually suffice (commonly last name, but obvious exception with royalty), but there are
exceptions such as George Walker Bush.
 If applicable, list alternate answers and pseudonyms (for example, Ivan IV or Ivan the Terrible)
 If applicable, list potential answers that may be close but NOT acceptable (for example, Monet – NOT
Manet)
Each tossup should…
 Be 3-6 sentences in length.
 Contain several factual clues that lead to the answer, which should always be a noun (proper or
otherwise). Clues should begin at the highest difficulty level (most obscure), and conclude with
the easiest (a “giveaway”). No team should be able to answer a tossup after the first sentence (a
typical first sentence of a tossup might give someone’s profession or year of birth).
 Have clues that are not only factual but fascinating. Interesting facts that not many people know
about are good, but boring facts that nobody knows and nobody cares about are bad.
 Not be misleading. This means that every pronoun must refer to the answer. Pronouns that refer to
something or someone other than the answer might trick a player into buzzing in and answering
with what the pronoun is referring to. Also, try not to be ambiguous – some answers have
common clues, so start off with a clue that exclusively identifies the target answer.
 Have the final sentence preceded with “FTP” (for ten points).
 Have an answer that is at least recognizable by most high school students. This should ensure that
the vast majority of academic teams will be able to answer correctly by the end of the tossup.
Bonuses
All bonuses are somehow related to the answer of the tossup. Each set of bonus questions should be
preceded by a sentence explaining the common link. It is preferable, but not required, that the relation be
by subject. For example, a tossup with the answer of former Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren
with a bonus on naming other chief justices is good, but a bonus on Earl Grey Tea would also be
acceptable.
Bonuses can come in various flavors. Regardless of format, each one adds up to 30 points, and
bonus questions are much shorter than tossups (usually phrases or one-liners). Please avoid binary
(true/false, yes/no) questions. Here are the different types of bonuses:
 10-10-10: three clues, each with an answer. No order of difficulty necessary.
 5-5-5-5-5-5: six clues, each with an answer for five points each OR one clue with a SET of six
answers. For example, Name any six of the seven dwarves from Snow White and the Seven
Dwarves.
 5-5-5-5-5-bonus: same as previous format, except with five answers for five points each and a five
point bonus for all correct.
 5-10-15: three separate clues in ascending order of difficulty, with three separate answers.
 30-20-10: ONE answer, with three clues in descending order of difficulty. The team is given a chance
to answer after each clue is read, for 30 points after the first clue, 20 points after the second, and
10 points after the third.
 10/5-10/5-10/5: three separate answers with two clues each. Example: For ten points each, name the
sport given a technical term from that sport. Five points if you need a famous athlete.
(over,
please)
Other notes
Here are some categories to consider when writing your questions…
- Science
- Literature
- History
- Current events
- Geography
- Sports
- Fine arts
- Religion/mythology
- Mathematics (history and calculation)
- Social sciences (includes psychology, law, economics, etc)
- Philosophy
- Music
- General knowledge
- Popular culture
- ANYTHING GOES!!!
If you are looking for a place to start your research, the online “Reference Desk” is
a very valuable tool.
http://users.stargate.net/~kidder/refdesk/
If you would like more detailed instructions, you can visit the following webpages:
“The SZCZicago Manual of Style”
http://www.geocities.com/szczepanczyk/smos.html
“Michigan Academic Competitions: Question Memorandum”
http://www.umich.edu/~uac/mac/rules/memorandum.html
“Stanford Question Writing Guidelines”
http://www.stanford.edu/group/CollegeBowl/Stanrules.txt
Please be aware that some information in the above sources may vary from our
guidelines. If this is ever the case, the TJ guidelines take precedence.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding question-writing or the tournament
Jefferson is hosting in February in which your questions will be used, please contact:
Steve Yang tjiat@xyang.org
(703) 685-0678
If you have any questions regarding the TJ It’s Academic team, please contact:
Nancy Kreloff nkkreloff@lan.tjhsst.edu
(703) 750-8376
An electronic version of this entire document is available at: http://guidelines.xyang.org
For more information about our tournament, visit
http://www.tjhsst.edu/itsacademic/tjiat.php
EXAMPLES!!!
TOSSUP EXAMPLE1
Born in Urbino, Italy, in 1483, he received his early training from his father, the painter
Giovanni Santi. His paintings at Perugia under the master Perugino include “Marriage of
the Virgin” and “The Crucified Christ with the Virgin Mary, Saints, and Angels.” He was
commissioned by Pope Julius II to make frescos in four small rooms of the Vatican. His
more famous works include “La Belle Jardinière”, “Sistine Madonna”, and “Madonna of
the Goldfinch.” FTP, name this artist who was made chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica
in 1514, and who painted classical figures such as Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy in “The
School of Athens.”
Raphael or Raffaello Sanzio
BONUS EXAMPLE1
Given the artistic works, give the artist FTPE. All of the artists’ names begin with the
letter ‘R’.
“The Kiss,” “The Gates of Hell,” and “The Thinker”
Auguste Rodin
“The Dream,” “The Sleeping Gypsy,” and “Jungle with a Lion”
Henri Rousseau
“The Luncheon of the Boating Party,” “Vase of Chrysanthemums,” and “Le Bal au
Moulin de la Galette”
Pierre Renoir
TOSSUP EXAMPLE2
Born in Canterbury, Kent, he moved to London at the age of 16 and joined the National
Youth Theatre for two seasons, after which he gained a scholarship to train with the
British American Drama Academy. He can be seen in a Gap commerical with Kate
Beckinsale, and as Blackburn in Black Hawk Down. He has a tatoo on his right forearm
of the elvish writing for “nine,” which he got during a 15-month movie shoot in New
Zealand for a 2001 fantasy film. FTP, name this young British actor most famous for
playing Legolas Greenleaf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Orlando Bloom
BONUS EXAMPLE2
For the stated number of points, name character played by these other actors in The Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
For 5: Miranda Otto
Eowyn
For 10: Andy Serkis
Gollum
For 15: Marton Csokas
Celeborn
TOSSUP EXAMPLE3
(more on
Born in 1483, this man changed career plans after a heavy storm in 1505. During this
storm, he was nearly struck by a bolt of lightning - a fright that he dealt with byback!)
swearing
to Saint Anne that he would become a monk. After some time in a monastery this man
served as a priest and professor in a northeastern German town, where he published his
most famous work. FTP, name this man, who was excommunicated in 1521 by Pope Leo
X for the 95 theses he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church.
Martin Luther
BONUS EXAMPLE3
For 10 points each, answer these questions about the Protestant Reformation.
In 1521, Luther appeared before the German princes at this council. (I wouldn't
recommend eating one.)
Diet of Worms
This man, trained as a lawyer, setup a "City of God" in Geneva after writing his most
famous work, "The Institutes of the Christian Religion." Not to be confused with a
temperature scale.
John Calvin
This radical group often lived away from society, viewing it as evil. In 1534 an especially
radical group took over the German city of Münster, burning "evil" books, seizing
property and practicing polygamy. The cheese! The cheese! Will someone please think of
the cheese!
Anabaptists
TOSSUP EXAMPLE4
In December 2002, a collection of this man’s personal items went up for bidding at an
auction house in London. Among the intriguing artifacts up for grabs were a pin-striped
suit that he himself designed and wore while posing for a bust and a whiskey flask and
half-smoked cigar. These personal belongings came from a time much later than when he
served as a war correspondent during the Boer War in South Africa or entered Parliament
at age 26 in 1901, beginning his important political career. FTP, name this man, recently
voted the “best Briton in history” in a BBC poll, the most influential British Prime
Minister of the 20th century.
Winston Churchill
BONUS EXAMPLE4
Given the description, name the British Prime Minister, on a 5-10-15 basis.
For 5: The first and, as of now, only female British Prime Minister.
Margaret Thatcher
For 10: The man who succeeded Winston Churchill in 1945, only to be replaced by him
again in 1951.
Clement Atlee
For 15: Prime Minister during the American Revolution who was driven out of office
after the humiliating loss of the colonies under the reign of George III.
Lord Frederick North