Transportist: A Set of Quizbowl Practice Questions, By GPT-4
In my misbegotten youth, I played quizbowl. We would write questions for practice. I asked GPT-4 to do the same. I make no guarantees of their accuracy , and a few of the questions are doozies (I bolded some real obvious problems). They are also dry ( the instruction to be ACF-style probably helped that), and the difficulty seems uneven (though no one person can accurately assess difficulty) . On the other hand, this was done in 2 minutes rather than 2 hours. One can easily imagine streaming this to a server, with a screen reader and a simple answer checker, and you’d have 24/7/365 quizbowl without the hassle and cost of writing or sourcing questions.
Hard quiz questions.
Model: GPT-4
Write an ACF-style quizbowl tossup set of 20 questions. The hardest clues should be presented before easier clues. The answer should be given. Difficulty should be university level
Tossup: Literature
This author's first novel features a character named Esteban Trueba, who builds a large estate called Tres Marías. In another novel by this author, the protagonist Alba is imprisoned by a military dictatorship, which parallels the real-life rise of Augusto Pinochet. The novel "Eva Luna" and the short story collection "The Stories of Eva Luna" are also written by this author. For 10 points, name this Chilean-American author of "The House of the Spirits" and "Portrait in Sepia."
ANSWER: Isabel Allende
Tossup: Science (Physics)
This quantity is equal to the product of the inductance and the rate of change of current, according to Faraday's law. It can be expressed as the negative derivative of the magnetic flux with respect to time. In a closed loop, the sum of this quantity and the resistive voltage drop is equal to zero, according to Kirchhoff's voltage law. For 10 points, identify this term that refers to the voltage induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field.
ANSWER: Electromotive Force (EMF)
Tossup: Fine Arts (Painting)
A character holding a lute in the right corner of this painting appears to be singing along with another character reading from sheet music. A young man wearing a red hat and playing a cello is featured in this painting, as well as a woman playing a virginal. A Persian rug is draped over a table in this painting, which is now housed in the National Gallery in London. For 10 points, name this painting by Johannes Vermeer, depicting a group of musicians.
ANSWER: The Music Lesson (or A Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman)
Tossup: History
This man replaced Hélder Câmara as the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife. He was a major advocate for Liberation Theology and once said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." As a bishop, he supported social justice and opposed the military dictatorship in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s. For 10 points, name this Brazilian Catholic Archbishop.
ANSWER: Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara
Tossup: Social Science (Economics)
In the context of this economic model, a well-known paradox occurs when an increase in savings leads to a decrease in investment, resulting in a decrease in output and employment. This model's namesake curve shows the relationship between the interest rate and the quantity of money demanded. It was developed in response to the Great Depression and forms the basis of modern monetary policy. For 10 points, identify this economic theory developed by John Maynard Keynes.
ANSWER: Keynesian Economics
Tossup: Geography
This city is home to the Gold Museum, which displays the world's largest collection of pre-Columbian gold artifacts. A mountain called Monserrate is accessible by cable car and offers panoramic views of this city. The salt cathedral of Zipaquirá is located near this city, which is the capital of the Cundinamarca department. For 10 points, name this Andean capital city of Colombia.
ANSWER: Bogotá
Tossup: Mythology
This figure was the son of the nymph Plouto and the Titan Iapetus. He was chained to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains, where an eagle would eat his liver each day, only for it to regrow each night. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, which resulted in his eternal punishment. This Titan was eventually freed by the hero Heracles. For 10 points, name this figure from Greek mythology who is credited with creating humans from clay and bestowing upon them the gift of fire.
ANSWER: Prometheus
Tossup: Mathematics
This mathematician's namesake set is an uncountable collection of points on a line, formed by removing the middle third of each remaining segment. He is also known for a curve, which is a continuous function that is nowhere differentiable. The latter is constructed by successively adding smaller and smaller zigzags to a simple curve. For 10 points, name this German mathematician associated with the construction of a continuous but nondifferentiable curve and a famous fractal set.
ANSWER: Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann
Tossup: Philosophy
In this philosopher's work "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," he introduced the term "paradigm shift." This philosopher argued that scientific progress does not follow a linear, cumulative path, but rather occurs through revolutions when a new paradigm is adopted. This American philosopher of science also coined the term "normal science" to describe research conducted within an established paradigm. For 10 points, name this philosopher who challenged the traditional view of scientific progress.
ANSWER: Thomas Samuel Kuhn
Tossup: Music
This composer's final symphony includes a movement titled "Cavatina," which was one of his favorite compositions. He wrote a famous set of 33 piano variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli. This composer's only opera, "Fidelio," features a rescue from political imprisonment. He composed nine symphonies, with the final one containing the choral setting of Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy." For 10 points, name this German composer of the "Moonlight Sonata" and the Ninth Symphony.
ANSWER: Ludwig van Beethoven
Tossup: Religion
This religious figure's most famous sermon, the "Fire Sermon," describes the world as burning with the fires of passion, hatred, and delusion. His aunt and stepmother, Mahapajapati Gotami, became the first ordained female follower in his tradition. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama but later became known by this title after achieving enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. For 10 points, name this founder of Buddhism.
ANSWER: The Buddha (or Gautama Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, or Shakyamuni)
Tossup: Chemistry
This quantity is equal to the product of the reaction quotient and the equilibrium constant. In a galvanic cell, it is equal to the standard reduction potential of the cathode minus the standard reduction potential of the anode. Its value is negative for spontaneous reactions, and it can be calculated using the Nernst equation. For 10 points, identify this term from electrochemistry that represents the maximum electrical work that can be done by a chemical reaction.
ANSWER: Gibbs Free Energy (or ΔG)
Tossup: Current Events
This political party won the 2022 Brazilian general election, and its candidate defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. The candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, previously served two terms as president from 2003 to 2011. This left-wing party is known for its social programs, such as Bolsa Família, which aimed to reduce poverty and inequality in Brazil. For 10 points, name this political party whose acronym stands for Workers' Party.
ANSWER: PT (or Partido dos Trabalhadores)
Tossup: Film
This director's films often feature themes of alienation and emotional isolation. One of his films features a man named Joel, who undergoes a procedure to erase the memories of his ex-girlfriend Clementine. In another film, a puppeteer named Craig discovers a portal that allows him to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich. This director's debut film was "Being John Malkovich," followed by "Adaptation" and the critically acclaimed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." For 10 points, name this American film director known for his quirky and unconventional style.
ANSWER: Charlie Kaufman
Tossup: Language & Literature
This author's most famous work is a satirical novel in which the protagonist, Yossarian, tries to avoid flying more combat missions by declaring himself insane. Another of this author's novels, "Something Happened," focuses on the life of a middle-aged businessman named Bob Slocum. For 10 points, name this American author best known for his World War II novel "Catch-22."
ANSWER: Joseph Heller
Tossup: Astronomy
This object was first observed by Galileo Galilei in 1610 and is thought to be composed primarily of water ice. It has a thin atmosphere composed mainly of oxygen, and its surface features include the prominent lineae or cracks known as "chaos terrain." This moon of Jupiter is considered one of the most likely places in the solar system to harbor extraterrestrial life due to the subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. For 10 points, name this Jovian moon with the smoothest surface of any known solid object in the solar system.
ANSWER: Europa
Tossup: Biology
This organelle's inner membrane contains proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation, such as ATP synthase and the electron transport chain. It has a double-membrane structure, and its matrix contains enzymes necessary for the Krebs cycle. This organelle, which is often referred to as the "powerhouse of the cell," is the primary site of ATP production in eukaryotic cells. For 10 points, name this organelle involved in cellular respiration.
ANSWER: Mitochondria
Tossup: Computer Science
In the context of programming languages, this term refers to a feature that allows a class to inherit properties and methods from more than one parent class. This type of inheritance can lead to a "diamond problem," which occurs when a class inherits a property from two different classes that have a common ancestor. Some programming languages, such as Python and C++, support this feature, while others, like Java, do not. For 10 points, identify this term that contrasts with single inheritance.
ANSWER: Multiple Inheritance
Tossup: Business & Economics
This concept is defined as the additional satisfaction or utility that a consumer gets from consuming one more unit of a good or service. It is a central concept in the theory of consumer choice, which assumes that consumers make choices to maximize their total utility. According to the law of diminishing marginal utility, this concept generally decreases as the quantity consumed of a good or service increases. For 10 points, name this concept that represents the change in utility resulting from a change in consumption.
ANSWER: Marginal Utility
Tossup: Architecture
This building's design features a large central dome supported by four massive pendentives. It was originally constructed as a cathedral in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian, later converted into a mosque, and is now a museum. This architectural marvel is known for its massive dome and lavish interior mosaics. For 10 points, name this famous Byzantine building located in Istanbul, Turkey.
ANSWER: Hagia Sophia