Quiz-Making: Some Hints

Answer: That the house where she hid is now a museum and is open to the public

That you have visited Amsterdam is of no interest to people who don't know you. Your views on what Australia should or should not have done in 1933-39 aren't relevant here, either. That the house where Anne Frank hid before she was deported is now a museum, however, is interesting as it shows that her memory is honoured in the Netherlands.

The information could also be useful to a quiz player planning to visit Amsterdam.

Answer: Check whether this phobia actually exists

From a purely statistical point of view, this kind of score strongly suggests that something is wrong with the question. If fifty people have taken it and nobody has answered the question correctly, it's time to check your facts. It may be the case that the phobia at issue is described by another name, for example, or that it is simply unknown.

It may be one of those phobias that has no real existence outside dictionaries. Ideally, of course, you will have done your research thoroughly in the first place.

Answer: All of these

To use the word correctly in German one needs all this information and for that reason any good dictionary will indicate that it's 'das Herz, plural die Herzen', that the genitive singular is 'Herzens' and the dative singular 'Herzen'. So, it's a 'weak' noun and belongs to that small group of weak nouns ending in -ens, not -(e)n in the genitive singular. Different dictionaries may give this information in slightly different ways, but you must include all essential information for the correct use of the word. (Failure to give this information is also contrary to the guidelines for the World category).

Answer: The Life of Victor Hugo

To expect this kind of detail, except in a specialized quiz, is unreasonable. With authors, treaties, famous events and so forth it's generally accepted practice to ask only for the year, unless the exact date is either very well known or is celebrated, such as 4th July 1776, or unless it is relevant. (After all, in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering one doesn't calculate to ten places of decimals if three will be sufficient). One of the limitations of most quizzes is that knowledge is decontextualized, and it's important to bear this in mind. Of the titles given above, the only one that provides the kind of specific context that might justify this detail on Victor Hugo (1802-85) would be one on his life and work.

Answer: Focus on his positive achievements

A quiz isn't a good medium for expressing unconventional views. Avoid giving giving a distorted view. You might do better to discuss the matter in 'The World Around Us' Forum.

Answer: For all of these reasons

Please, spare a thought for the players! This is an astonishing nickname for any man, whether a king or peasant. Do you want people to feel disappointed and bewildered by your quiz?

Answer: An answer that is tempting but incorrect

If all the incorrect options are obviously absurd the question presents no challenge and the question may be boring for many players. Incidentally, there are some who take the view that all the incorrect options should be distractors.

Answer: To answer correctly you need to read the quizmaker's mind

What exactly AEIOU stood for was supposed to be secret, and was said to change whenever a new monarch ascended the throne, but one version is emblazoned in gilt letters over the main gate to the Hofburg, the former palace of the Austrian emperors in Vienna: 'Austria Erit In Orbe Ultima' (Latin, best translated as 'Austria will be the greatest [literally ultimate] power in the world').

The trouble with the question is not only that it requires a wealth of knowledge from different subject areas, but that to answer it correctly - that is, as the questioner wishes - one also needs to guess his or her thinking and preoccupations correctly.

This makes the question intrinsically unreasonable. Above all, the questioner has turned all the usual norms of question-and-answer upside down. Normally, the questioner must try to see things from the quiztaker's point of view - empathize with the person answering; but in this case the unfortunate quiztaker is required to guess at the questioner's thinking.

Answer: One has to have some understanding of the subject matter

If you are unfamiliar with a topic, you need to gain some real understanding of it - and this means looking carefully at a number of websites and/or other sources. Understanding the topic is important because: (1) it is the key to writing clear, helpful notes, (2) without some grasp of the subject matter one can easily ask questions that are nonsense and (3) without understanding one cannot evaluate conflicting information in sources.

Here's an example of a 'nonsensical' question submitted in a quiz: 'Tobago was a colony of which European country?' Just a little more knowledge of the Caribbean would have told the quizmaker that many of the islands changed hands, often more than once.

It so happens that Tobago changed hands 21 times before becoming a British colony in 1814.

Some basic research would have helped the quizmaker avoid this pitfall. You can, of course, ask the question about Tobago, but you need to give the time or time-span. Obviously, no one is saying you need to do the kind of research required for a dissertation, but it's very unwise to submit a quiz on a topic you really don't understand.

Answer: All of these

Good luck, and every success in creating quizzes that are based on sound research, and that are informative and fun!