Maine 4-H Dairy Quizbowl Rules and Information

Eligibility:

  • Open to all currently enrolled 4-H dairy project members ages 9-18.
  • Juniors are ages 9-11, Seniors are ages 12-18 since they are eligible to be on the Maine 4-H ESE Dairy Team

Competition:

The competition includes 3 phases. Seniors participate in all the phases, but juniors only participate in phase A and C. Juniors sit at the buzzers first during Phase C before the seniors.

  • Phase A- 50 written questions
    All participants must take the written general knowledge test. The test consists of 50 short answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true/false). Each correct answer is worth 1 point and the total possible score of this test is 50 points. No points will be lost for incorrect answers or questions that are left blank. Participants with the top 6 or 8 (depending on the number of buzzers) written scores automatically advance to Phase B. There will be a tie breaker for the remaining 2 slots. Participants in this tie breaking round will include the remaining participants, and anyone who is tied for the 6th or  th position (only when there is a tie for those positions).
    The tie breaking round will consist of 25 buzzer questions. The buzzer questions are worth 10 points, and no points will be lost for incorrect answers. At the end of the 25 buzzer questions, the top 2 participants will advance to Phase B and will take the remaining 2 slots, no points from the tie breaking round are carried over. The points for the tie breaking round are simply to determine which participants advance and take the remaining 2 slots.
  • Phase B- total of 3 oral multiple answer questions
    Each participant will be asked 3 questions. Correct responses are worth 10 points and because these are multiple answer questions, participants may receive partial credit at the discretion of the judges. A question may be repeated only once, and answers must be started within 20 seconds. After one participant has been questioned, another participant will enter the contest room and be asked the same 3 questions.
  • Phase C- total of 50 buzzer questions (toss up round at ESE)
    • Participants will have 10 seconds to answer the question after being acknowledged by the moderator. If the participant is not acknowledged and blurts out the correct answer, they will not be given points.
    • If no one answers the question within 10 seconds, the moderator will give the answer.
    •  If the buzzer is pushed before the question is completely read, the moderator will stop reading the question. After being acknowledged that participant may answer the question. If the answer is correct, the participant will receive points. If the answer is incorrect, the question shall then be completely reread, and other participants will have the opportunity to answer it.

Junior competition
The junior buzzer questions follow the same rules as the seniors, except that they are only asked 25 questions. In case of a tie, an additional 5 buzzer questions are asked. The first participant to reach 60 points will be the winner (at least 4 questions correct).

Senior competition
This round consists of 50 questions, each correct answer is worth 10 points and with each correct answer 10 points is added to the total score (sum phase A and B). There are no deductions for incorrect answers. When a participant reaches 100 points, they will be declared the winner and will sit out for the remainder of the contest. As subsequent participants reach 100 points, they will sit out and be ranked accordingly. The contest will continue until all the remaining questions are asked. The remaining participants do not have to reach 100 points. At the end of the 50 questions, the remaining participants will be ranked according to their total scores (phase A, B, C). If there are any ties within the remaining participants, the tie breaker needs to happen immediately. This will consist of an additional 5 buzzer questions, which will be asked to the remaining participants that are tied.

Determining the ESE Quiz Bowl Team

The first four eligible* participants are the ESE team if they choose to participate. Members have one month to decide if they want to be on the team. If an individual declines, they will be replaced by the next highest-ranking alternate.

*Some participants (i.e. former National team members and first year dairy project members) are not eligible for the ESE quiz bowl team.