Sunday, 12 August 2012

Wiped out by a wrong question…

It happens to be that at the quiz I mentioned that was blighted by cheating yesterday is the subject of this post. Despite the quiz being hard we had a better week than usual scoring 51 points. The cheats obviously googled their way to 57-58 to take the top 3 but I was the cause of us being wiped out.

The wipeout round was going well…7 definite answers but one was causing us problems. It was something along the lines of “Mary King and whom are the only two women to have competed in 6 Olympic Games?”

Immediately the name Allison Williamson came into my head. I knew the answer and in fact thing I asked it as one of my questions on this blog before! Because I had such a strong conviction I did not doubt it regardless of everyone else in the team seemingly raising eyebrows and not wanting to tell me that they didn’t feel confident putting it.

Sheet came back….The answer wiped us out. We lost what should have been 7-8 points and a probable win. In the back of my mind I knew I was right but just accepted that perhaps I was wrong. The answer given was Tessa Sanderson. 

As soon as I got chance the next day I researched it and sure enough I was right. Allison Williamson was not a wrong answer, the question was horrible and I have not even researched to see if there are indeed more than those three who have been at 6 or more. It was either badly researched or out of date. Either way it did not strike me in the quiz how right I was and thus walked away. I know the quizmaster and have informed him in a playful manner but still very annoying!

3 comments:

  1. Was this a Redtooth quiz? I've been caught out by a badly researched question with them on a few occassions. Once they asked: what goes into a breast implant? We put down 'saline' and the answer they gave was 'fat' - wrong on so many levels. Wiped us out. I played a Redtooth quiz for about six months, once a week, and there was probably a dud question at least once a month.

    Also, assuming your question did not specify British athletes, a quick internet check tells me that 23 women have competed in six games. I suspect the Redtooth (or other quiz) compiler has gotten his/her fact from the BBC Olympic webpage where, in Mary King's page, it states: "At London 2012, Mary King will equal Tessa Sanderson's record of six Olympic appearances by a British woman." On Alison Williamson's page it simply states: "The five-time Olympian won individual bronze at the 2004 Games - the first British female archer to earn a medal since 1908" If this has been their source - then I can see why the mistake has been made.

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  2. Hi Daniel
    Total pain. As soon as I read the question I said "Alison Williamson" myself. That's just lazy setting. It's forgiveable if it's an amateur doing it for the love of the game ( although it's bloody annoying ) but it's not forgiveable when a professional setter has come up with it. My advice - name and shame !

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  3. Hi Ben

    No it was not Redtooth this time and British was specified. just a bad question.

    Hi Dave

    Well I knew I knew the fact somewhere in my head of Allison Williamson but it took a team mate to mention Archery to prompt me. I have emailed the friend of mine who does the quiz but its just a shame being robbed of a rare win in that fashion

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