MACC/SWAC English Questions
Please Read Aloud: All of the questions in this match are 5-second questions.
This is the first directed question for team A.
1A.
In the novel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, which character is the protagonist? Begin
(Ponyboy or Ponyboy Curtis)
This is the first directed question for team B.
1B.
In the nonfiction selection, The Dog That Bit People by James Thurber, what breed of dog
was Muggs? Begin (Airedale)
This is the second directed question for team A.
2A.
In the short story, Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, what does the author say is a rara avis in
terries? Begin (a lean joker)
This is the second directed question for team B.
2B.
In the sentence, “Writing that letter was a good idea.” what type of phrase is used as the
subject? Begin (gerund)
This is the third directed question for team A.
3A.
In the short story, Araby by James Joyce, who was Mrs. Mercer? Begin (the old, garrulous
woman who was the pawnbroker’s widow – answers do not have to be exact)
This is the third directed question for team B.
3B.
In the play, The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, what gift did Annie Sullivan receive
from the children at Perkin’s Institute for Helen when she leaves there? Begin
(a doll
or a doll with moveable eyelids)
This is the fourth directed question for team A.
4A.
In the short story, The Monkey’s Paw, what two things did Mr. White say wishing their son
alive again would be? Begin (wicked and foolish)
This is the fourth directed question for team B.
4B.
What literary term is a figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something
nonhuman is addressed as if it was alive and present and was able to reply? Begin
(Apostrophe)
This is the fifth directed question for team A.
5A.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, what literary term describes the action
when Boo Radley saves the children from Mr. Ewell and is revealed as a hero? Begin
(Climax)
MACC/SWAC English Questions Page 2
This is the fifth directed question for team B.
5B.
In the poem, Lot’s Wife by Anna Akhmatova, what does the restless voice keep saying to
Lot’s wife? Begin (“It’s not too late, you can still look back”)
This is the sixth directed question for team A.
6A.
In the sentence, “Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on in the living
room.” what phrase is the dangling modifier? Begin (having finished the assignment)
This is the sixth directed question for team B.
6B.
In the poem, Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall, why does the narrator want to go
downtown? Begin (to march the streets of Birmingham in a Freedom march)
This is the seventh directed question for team A.
7A.
In the poem, Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall, where does the mother tell the child
she may go? Begin (church or church to sing in the choir)
This is the seventh directed question for team B.
7B.
In the short story, Split Cherry Tree, what do Dave and his father do at the end of the school
day? Begin (stay one hour and clean to pay the debt)
This is the eighth directed question for team A.
8A.
In the poem, Lot’s Wife by Anna Akhmatova, what is the first question the poet asks
concerning what happened to Lot’s wife? Begin (“Who will grieve for this woman?”)
This is the eighth directed question for team B.
8B.
In the short story, Araby by James Joyce, to whom did the rusty bicycle-pump that the
narrator found in the back yard belong? Begin (the priest)
This is the ninth directed question for team A.
9A.
In the nonfiction selection, The Dog That Bit People by James Thurber, how many dogs did
Thurber say he had owned in his life? Begin (54 or 55)
This is the ninth directed question for team B.
9B.
In the novel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, which of Ponyboy’s brother’s was a high school
dropout? Begin (Sodapop)
This is the tenth and final directed question for team A.
10A.
In the play, The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, who does Aunt Ev remind the family
“that all the Kellers are cousins to”? Begin
(Robert E. Lee)
MACC/SWAC English Questions Page 3
This is the tenth and final directed question for team B.
10B.
In the short story, Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, what was the king’s professional jester’s
name? Begin (Hop-Frog)
That ends the portion of the match with directed questions. Coaches, if you have any team
member substitutions, please send those team members to the stage at this time. (Note:
Allow time for substitutes to be seated, introduce substitute team members.)
No form of conferring is allowed during the tossup portion of the match. Conferring includes
sharing of written or verbal information or signals. Please remove all written material
from your team tables. Writing is not permitted during tossup rounds, except in the math
round.
We will now have ten tossup questions. Remember, the person who buzzes in must give the
answer immediately. Please wait until I recognize the team before you give an answer. The
penalty for buzzing in early and giving a wrong answer is minus 2 points, and the question
will then be reread in its entirety to the other team.
This is the first tossup question.
1.
In the short story, The Man Who Knew How by Dorothy Sayers, what did the strange man
tell Pender could be used to commit a murder by giving it to someone who eventually took
a hot bath? Begin (sulphate of thanatol)
This is the second tossup question.
2.
In the short story, Split Cherry Tree, in what three ways does Dave’s father say Dave will be
different from him? Begin (his hands will be softer, his clothes will be better and he will be
cleaner)
This is the third tossup question.
3.
In the poem, The Stone by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, how is the face of her lover described as
he lay under the stone that killed him? Begin (face of clay)
This is the fourth tossup question.
4.
In the poem, Woman Work by Maya Angelou, what chore involved the garden? Begin (the
garden to weed)
This is the fifth tossup question.
5.
In the short story, Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, name one way that Hop-Frog was helpful
in the giving of a masquerade? Begin (one of the following: getting up pageants, suggesting
novel characters or arranging costumes for masked balls)
This is the sixth tossup question.
6.
In the novel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, how old is Ponyboy? Begin (14)
MACC/SWAC English Questions Page 4
This is the seventh tossup question.
7.
In the short story, Araby by James Joyce, what money did the narrator’s uncle give to him
so he could go to the bazaar? Begin (a florin)
This is the eighth tossup question.
8.
In the novel, The Bean Trees, where was the Native American child born? Begin (in a
Plymouth)
This is the ninth tossup question.
9.
In the play, The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, what gift did Annie Sullivan receive
from the children at Perkin’s Institute when she leaves there? Begin (a pair of smoked
glasses)
This is the tenth and final tossup question.
(Emcee note – if match is tied after this question go to the three tie breakers at the end of these
questions – use all three, even if tie is broken on first or second question!)
10.
In the short story, Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne, what was Widow
Wycherly’s first name? Begin (Clara)
(SWAC Emcees only – Ask if there are any appeals)
EMERGENCY QUESTIONS (To be used in an emergency only –DO NOT USE AS EXTRA TIE
BREAKERS – but they can be used in place of tie breakers as they would be used if a
question has a mistake, if the emcee “flubs” a question, etc.):
You have 5 seconds to answer this question.
1.
Which literary term describes the struggle between Atticus Finch and the Ewells in the
novel, To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus attempted to prove that Bob Ewell was guilty of
the attack on Mayella, not Tom Robinson? Begin (Conflict)
You have 5 seconds to answer this question.
2.
What is a couplet? Begin (Two successive lines of poetry with end rhyme)
TIE BREAKERS(To be used in cases of tie games – use all three questions, even if the tie is
broken with the first or second question; in case teams are still tied at the end of these
three questions – the game remains a tie.):
This is the first tiebreaker question.
1.
In the work, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbech, what was ironic about Lennie’s last
name? Begin
(His surname was “Small” and Lennie was not a small man at all.)
MACC/SWAC English Questions Page 5
This is the second tiebreaker question.
2.
In the short story, The Drunkard by Frank O’Connor, as Mick was walking his drunken
son home he ran into the woman of Blarney Lane. What two things was he torn between?
Begin (Shame or the shamefast desire to get him home quickly and the need to explain that
it wasn’t his fault)
This is the third tiebreaker question.
3.
What literary term describes conversation in a play, short story, or novel? Begin (dialogue)