Sharon competes in WGBH’s ‘High School Quiz Show’
‘High School Quiz Show’ puts students’ brains, and reflexes, to the test
By Taryn Plumb | Globe Correspondent
February 23, 2012
Answer these questions as fast as you can:
■Which element has atomic number 1?
■ Who commanded the Nautilus?
■ If a store has a 20 percent off sale, what would be the marked-down price of a $60 sweater?Ooh, sorry, you weren’t quite fast enough.
Maybe you could take some tips from a team of Sharon High School students with fast reflexes and troves of trivia knowledge - they, in fact, faced these very questions when competing for their school’s glory in season three of WBGH’s “High School Quiz Show’’ on Sunday. (And the answers, if you’re curious: hydrogen; Captain Nemo of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’’; $48.)
In a test of brainpower and quick synapses, the Emmy Award-winning contest pits 16 teams from public schools across the state against one another in an elimination tournament with a fast-paced, Jeopardy-like format.
Hosted by TV and radio personality Billy Costa, the tournament premiered on Feb. 12 on WGBH-2, and the final two teams will do battle when the state championship airs on May 20. Along the way, competitors will be whittled down in qualifying matches, then quarter-finals, and finally semifinals in shows airing at 6:30 p.m. every Sunday.
Sharon, whose four-member team consisted of Hari Anbarasu, Siddarth Singh, Peter Riley, and Clara Mao, was knocked out of the first round this week by defending champion Hamilton-Wenham High School. It was one of three south-of-Boston schools to compete this year; Milton and Hingham will fight for south supremacy on March 11.
The other teams hail from Brookline, Seekonk (eliminated Feb. 12), Acton-Boxborough, Beverly, Rockport, Somerville, Lincoln-Sudbury, Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Weston, and Shrewsbury. All 16 were culled from an initial 90 contenders in a “Super Sunday’’ event last fall.
As for Sharon? It was a revenge match against an ominous rival: Hamilton-Wenham booted the school’s team from the semifinals last year.
So preparing meant regimented study: After being chosen through a school-devised exam, the team members (only one of them, 15-year-old Singh, was on last year’s team) met every Monday with their coach, Valerie Gundlah, to watch past episodes of the competition, analyze other game shows, and play online trivia games. They tested their speed and ability related to the four different rounds: toss-up, head-to-head, category, and lightning.
As 15-year-old Mao explained afterward, they also made a list of key pieces of literature and shared the responsibility of looking up the author, historical context, and basic plot.
That preparation alone was an experience.
“I really liked learning about books that I probably won’t get to read in high school,’’ said Mao, a sophomore who also plays field hockey, participates in her school’s mock trial team, and plans to pursue a career in science or math.
The team members also honed their strengths: science for Riley, math for Anbarasu, history and geography for Singh, and math and literature for Mao.
Ultimately, noted Gundlah, a Sharon High Spanish teacher, success is based not only on knowledge but also speed with the buzzer.
And the best practice for that?
“Video games,’’ 16-year-old Riley, who is also on his school’s sailing team, said as he and his team gathered at the WGBH studios in Brighton for the rematch, taped Jan. 28.
After a few minutes in the makeup chair, the clipping-on of microphones, posing for promotional photos - and a lot of anxious waiting around - the team huddled in their matching burgundy polo shirts in the “green room’’ (it was actually black) to run through some trivia.
“What are some current events?’’ Riley asked, then offered, “Santorum won Iowa - after a recount.’’
After grappling with the name of the cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy, they turned to Gundlah.
“The, uh,’’ she stopped to think, “ ‘something’ Concordia.’’
Mao retrieved the answer on her smartphone: “Costa.’’
A few minutes later, the studio staff went over some ground rules: Only first answers will be accepted; only say the answer once the host calls your name; contact the stage manager if you want to contest an answer.
Shortly before going on, Singh noted being “apprehensive,’’ but less nervous than last year.
As for Riley? He was “excited, nervous.’’ (Emotions shared by Mao.)
Recalling her time as coach last year, Gundlah noted an anxiety in having to stay silent on the sidelines.
“You’re telepathically shouting to them in your head,’’ she said with a laugh.
Finally, a headphone-wearing, clipboard-carrying tech came in; it was time.
The two teams shook hands and wished each other luck, then lined up and proceeded to the closed studio door.
Blue flashing lights heralded them inside, and a crowd of a few dozen cheered from bleachers as they took their positions behind two rectangular consoles.
Sound and buzzer checks followed, as well as several takes of the audience screaming, cheering, and waving signs (“Go Sharon!’’ and “Hi Mom’’), ebbing and and flowing with the direction of the stage manager.
Costa also did a few takes announcing each team, and joked with the crowd. Then it began.
Question: What were the three last Latin words spoken by Julius Caesar (according to Shakespeare, anyway)?
Buzz. “Et tu Brute.’’
Ten points.
Question: What is the largest river in Southeast Asia?
Buzz. The Mekong.
Ten points.
Question: What is the Great Pyramid of Giza made of?
Buzz. Limestone.
Ten points.
The action was intense and difficult to follow, as contestants from both teams hit the buzzer, in most cases, before Costa finished reading the question.
By the end of the first round, the score was 120 to 180, Sharon ahead.
In a nod to “Jeopardy!’’ Costa then asked each contestant about themselves - but with a twist.
If they had the choice, he queried, which founding father would they like to have as their father, and why: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, or George Washington?
Anbarasu: Washington. “He was a war hero, and it’d be nice to have a father who’s a war hero.’’
Riley: Franklin. “He flew a kite during a thunderstorm, so he’d probably let me do whatever I wanted.’’
The audience cheered and laughed.
The score remained close in the head-to-head round (Singh versus Hamilton-Wenham’s Chris Anderson, the two poised at a console with big red buzzers), but the championship team leaped ahead in the category round, which featured questions about The Beatles, fashion, Charles Dickens, famous ships, and the Cold War.
The final score: 530 to 195, Hamilton-Wenham.
As the winning team celebrated in the studio, Sharon’s players gathered once again in the green room, noticeably dejected.
“I’m a bit disappointed, but it was fun being here,’’ said Anbarasu, who also volunteers at Norwood Hospital. “It could’ve gone better.’’
“I was excited to have the chance to be there,’’ Mao agreed. “I thought the whole experience was a lot of fun.
“The show taught me that you never know where you might learn a piece of information that could be useful, so you should always be paying attention.’’
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