On Thursday 3 December, the Shiplake College Geography Department hosted the annual Geographical Association ‘Worldwise Quiz’. This marked the third consecutive year that Shiplake have held the event and, after losing to Gillotts last December, Shiplake were determined to win the title back! The Geographical Association creates and distributes the question lists, with quizzes taking place nationally.
The event, which was held in the Eve Lecture Theatre, saw 11 teams of three pupils taking part, with supporters out in force to watch the proceedings unfold. Teams representing Cranford House, Hemdean House, Claires Court and Shiplake College were competing for the coveted ‘Globe’ paperweight trophy. Round One – the Alphabet Round - was an individual round in which each contestant was asked a maximum of four questions. With two wrong answers, the player would be knocked out of the game; however, four correct answers would score the maximum five points. Questions such as ‘what C is the capital of Venezuela and something you may eat with cheese?’ were par for the course, and pressure of spotlight on individuals led to some contestants freezing and becoming tongue-tied! Other rounds included Ordnance Survey Map Skills, Google Earth and Capital City Anagrams.
Orchard Housemaster and Geography teacher Mr Adam Mallins, who was very proud of his three selected contestants, hosted the Mixed Bag round, which threw difficult questions about the location of cities in amongst definitions of acronyms and physical features of landscapes together. Pupils were required to have a wealth of knowledge, varying from international airport codes, to renewable energy sources. This proved a firm favourite, as teams were able to work together to answer a variety of questions on general geography knowledge. A competitive edge started building at this stage, as teams took in turns to come out on top! Landmarks of the UK was a classic risk and reward affair; borrowing the idea from Catchphrase, small squares of the image are revealed bit by bit, with early answers rewarded with higher points. This round affected the scoreboard hugely, with some critical mistakes made by misjudged confidence. However, the ‘have a go’ attitude was admirable!
With staff and parents looking puzzled, and Quiz Masters struggling to pronounce many of the questions, it was resoundingly agreed that this quiz was the toughest ever set. After a hard-fought battle, and with incredibly close scores, Cranford House were declared worthy champions. Mr Alex Duncan, who organised the quiz, would like to send special thanks to all parents and supporters; Mrs Archibald from Hemdean House, Mrs Turner from Cranford House and Mrs Butterfield from Claires Court. Also, to Mr Mallins for his superb hosting and questioning skills, and the Shiplake Sixth Formers, who gave up their evenings to mark and score the quiz.
Please click here to try your hand at the Capital City Anagram Round.
