Quiz Bowl!
Quiz Bowl is a quiz-based competition game testing players' knowledge of a wide array of subjects including literature, history, science, mathematics, fine arts, current events, and pop culture among others. In order to be a good player, it definitely helps to do the following things:
1. Read as many packets as you can.
Practice makes perfect. Although questions can be asked about any subject area, certain topics tend to come up repeatedly. These include famous novels, figures in history, scientific theories, and classic composition pieces. There's a good chance that questions asked in previous packets will show up again in future questions, giving you an edge over your other players.
2. Write your own questions
This is not as common a piece of advice as the one above, but creating your questions is not only a fun and motivating experience in itself, but it helps give you a greater understanding of how questions are structured in general. Start by writing questions on topics you know a lot about or most interest you. Here's a sample question I wrote: During the 1930s, this state witnessed the Ham and Eggs Movement that advocated for providing elderly citizens with weekly pensions. In 1978, in what was termed a tax revolt, voters in this state approved an amendment to the state constitution that limits the tax rate for real estate. Sam Yorty, who served as the mayor of this state’s largest city, was succeeded by Tom Bradley. For 10 points, Earl Warren and Ronald Reagan governed what state from the State Capitol at Sacramento? (California)
3. Read the news
Current events come up a lot in Quiz Bowl, and it's important to know what's going on in the world around you. This could include elections, international treaties, new technologies, how the stock market changed, natural disasters, and even celebrity gossip. Most major media outlets are sufficient in order to understand the basic facts (although it's good to review your sources to get a "balanced" view).
Helpful Resources
Practice materials are readily available online. Here are some websites that can help you get better:
https://www.quizbowlpackets.com What's great about this site is that it provides tons and tons of packets, and the best part is they're all free!
https://www.naqt.com/you-gotta-know/ The "You Gotta Know" section of the NAQT website summarizes important information from different categories that are essential to know for Quiz Bowl. They're a quick and helpful way to understand and remember important chemistry formulas, major authors, or the primary Greek gods.