Preparing for Quizzes and An Eternal Question

“Watch, read, listen, observe and remember.”

Often while interacting with young and enthusiastic quizzers (or their even more enthusiastic parents), I have come across these questions: “How should one prepare for quizzes? Which books to read?” (Upon knowing my identity as a doctor, some even went on to include “What to eat?” in the list.) A common question that has been tossed around since the sport of quizzing started; this one never goes out of fashion. 

My attempt at answering the question (I would like to impress upon you that it took me years to find enlightenment :) ) revolves around these five words- “Watch, read, listen, observe and remember.”

Taken in conjunction, these may be the recipe for a good performance (not necessarily success) in quizzes.

Watch as much as you can, taking care not to confine your vision. Watch movies, documentaries, plays, music videos, series, even commercials. You never know what little trivia you may come upon. And that may be asked in some quiz a day from today or many years later.

Read voraciously. Take your daily dose of newspapers, supplement them with novels, magazines, plays, poems, articles and even joke books. Most of the brilliant quizzers I have encountered are very well read. 

“If speech is silver, silence is golden” goes the old proverb. Listen to what goes around you. Songs, news, grandparents’ stories, gossip, - whatever comes your way, lap it up.

All three attributes listed above would be useless if you fail to observe. Be subjective. Think like a quizmaster. What you watch, read or listen, is there anything worth asking in a quiz? If the answer is yes, the information is worth archiving in your memory (or better still, in your notebook/laptop). Indeed, there have been times when I have framed questions based on the chatter of a very talkative cab driver, or upon one of the wrong answers given in a quiz that I conducted (of course I took care to authenticate the information).

And of course, most importantly, you need to remember, so that when the time comes, you can answer correctly. (Be warned, syndromes have been named after people who know the answer but give out the wrong answer when the time comes!)

I hope the recipe is good enough. It can get better with inputs from better and more experienced quizzers. Of course success depends upon what the cook makes of the recipe rather than the recipe itself (obligatory disclaimer :))

Best wishes!