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How are the people on University Challenge so knowledgeable?

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You're quite right.

In other words exposing yourself to a variety of knowledge?

well if there's a story or story like structure it's more likely to stick.
You'd remember more about greek mythology by reading it (or an abridgement) than, for example, having it presented as a list of random facts about the events and relationship between the mythological characters.
If you can't get interested in the stories you're probably never going to know that stuff.

There are different learning styles too,
Possibly you're better at taking in ideas aurally ferinstance or some other way.

Reply 81

Pride

Original post by JamalAhmed

I don't think it will be that hard to get in. I think you should just study (surface level) on each topics on your syllabus and leave it your friends to get the answers on their topics. Bear in mind, you may get some answers on other topics you're not studying. (that is just my opinion)

of course.

It'd be difficult to get onto the UC team if I go to a very good university though. I'm going to be applying to UCL, if I get in, it'd be very hard. I don't know if you watched last series but each member of the UCL team was incredibly strong.

Reply 82

JamalAhmed

Original post by Pride

Yeah... I aim for UCL as well. And am gonna try my best to join in the 1st year. 3 years to go. I might see you there. :biggrin:

Egg.

Original post by im so academic

That makes sense now.

And if you know neither of these three things (like me) then you're kinda stuck, aren't you?

One question I must ask - how do they retain the information they read in books (or is it something that comes naturally)? There's been many times where I've read books and I've forgotten who wrote it, let alone what was in the book itself.

When I get asked a question, so many potential answers pass my mind and I just think of the one that has the most possiblity of being right

Reply 85

JamalAhmed

Original post by the_alba

Yes you have to know things, but the questions are often phrased in such a way that you have to use some lateral thinking to get to the answer. Where a pub quiz might ask 'Which architect re-designed Paris in the 19th century?', a UC question would be more like: 'What monument links a poem by Victor Hugo, the architect who renovated 19th century Paris, and funeral of John F. Kennedy?', which requires various bits of knowledge *plus* the intelligence to make connections between them.

I don't really think you need to make connections between them. In those questions you'll need to ask yourself some questions. I will ask myself: 1. what monument did victor Hugo write about in a poem? 2. Which monument did Kennedy get burried in? If I have the answer to any of these, I have got the answer to the actual question. And sometimes you can ask yourself even more questions from a single question.
Basically, I am separating the question into different questions to answer the question.

They're virgins.

Original post by JamalAhmed

But the question is not about which monument 'Kennedy got buried in' - he's in the Arlington National Cemetery. It's any momunment that could have some connection with his funeral. That could be many things. The Hugo part of the question narrows your pool of answers, but most people would associate Hugo most with Notre Dame, not the Arc de Triomphe. So again, there is a wide pool of potential answers. It's only when you can see what might connect the two, that you can see what the answer actually is. The connection part is actually vital.

Reply 88

JamalAhmed

Original post by the_alba

If I have only 2 potential answers I will ask which monument is Kennedy most likely to get buried?

But you are right (there are more possible answers) but I still think separating questions is a good idea. (My opinion).

But it may not work all the time.

Reply 89

the_alba

Original post by JamalAhmed

But Kennedy wasn't buried in either the Arc de Triomphe or the Notra Dame cathedral :s-smilie:

This is not a question about where he was buried; it only involves an aspect of his funeral. So I don't get why you think you would get the answer just from the Kennnedy question, without the other two helping you to get the right answer, assuming you can make the connection.