Lit Quiz winners hit the books ahead of NZ final
What famous comic strip is also the name of a food? Which superhero’s mother was Queen Hippolyta? What type of animal is Franklin?
If you answered Peanuts, Wonder Woman and turtle – you may share the literary genius of Nelson College Preparatory School, who are set to represent Nelson at this year’s Kids’ Lit Quiz national competition in Wellington.
Founded by New Zealand quizmaster Wayne Mills, the Kids’ Lit Quiz is an annual literature quiz for students aged 10 - 13 years.
During the heats, teams of four students are asked to answer 100 questions on children’s literature divided into 10 categories, which vary each year.
After a closely-fought regional heat on May 12, the Prep quartet of Alex Bryant, Josef Fierek, Joshua Hobden and Jeremy Beetson secured the right to attend the June 10 final, winning by just half a point.
In doing so, they became one of the few single-sex teams to win through from Nelson.
‘‘Multi-gender teams tend to have a more diverse range of reading between them,’’ Bryant explained.
Just days out from their departure, the boys had spent the last month reading and exploring genres in class and at home, as well as revising previous years’ questions.
Fantasy, fiction and the Top 100 book list had been useful reference points for the boys’ practice, while Fierek had volunteered to research some books more familiar to female readers.
‘‘We have some other strategies that we’re not going to reveal in case others might be reading this,’’ Hobden said
Bryant said the team’s confidence level was a six, although they were still getting to grips with the more challenging content and rapid-fire format expected at the competition, which will be held at the National Library of New Zealand.
‘‘If we do win, that would be the dream,’’ he said.
Hobden said events like the Lit Quiz offered students the chance for national recognition in a less-traditional contest.
‘‘There’s not that many academic-based competitions around ... with people who are generally not that good at sport, it’s an opportunity to show off your knowledge.’’
Quizzes are held around the world, in countries such as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States.
Each year, the winning teams from the national competition are invited to compete in the Kids’ Lit Quiz World Final.
The 2018 World Final will be held at Auckland’s St Kentigern Boys’ School on July 4.