In examining various sort of games that newspapers currently employ in order to see what can be changed to increase the level of journalistic discourse these games can offer, I have been looking at the quiz. With this in mind, I look at the quiz from various perspectives. In this entry, I will survey the history of the quiz as well as the various formats that quizzes are presented.
Apocryphally, the word quiz originated from a Dublin theater proprietor
by the name of Richard Daly who made a bet that he could, within
forty-eight hours, make a nonsense word known throughout the city, and
that the public would give a meaning to it. After the performance one
evening, he gave his staff cards with the word 'quiz' written on them,
and told them to write the word on walls around the city.
The word, however, was already in use by then, meaning 'an odd or eccentric person', and one account claims that it had been used in this sense by Fanny Burney in her diary in June of 17821. 'Quiz' was also used as a name for a popular toy, also called a bandalore, which was popular around the same period. The word itself is difficult to account for. Some sources think that its origin may be in schoolyard slang, derived from Latin, a typical school subject at the time.
Its later meaning of 'to question, to interrogate', which emerged in the mid-19th century and gave rise to the most common use of the term today, for an entertainment based on questions and answers is equally tricky to derive.
Quizzes seem to have been dervied from written examinations, which were first used in collegiate exams in the 1790s. The earliest use of quiz in the sense we have come to adopt it ( that is, a short examination) is 1867, when William James refers to the quiz as a possible pedagocical tool ("Occasional review articles, etc., perhaps giving 'quizzes' in anatomy and physiology..may help along.").
The earliest use of quizzes in an entertainment setting is in 1929, as a reference in the Oakland tribune.
The quiz format has taken on various forms.
Originally in the UK, but having spread out to the US, Canada, and India, the pub quiz is a popular format, espeically as a way of drawing customers on typically slow weeknights. While specific rules vary, these quizzes are usually meant to be competitive either alone or in small teams and the subject matter they cover range from current events, to "textbook" knowledge, to trivia about sports, the arts, and entertaiment.
The earliest game show seems to have been the BBC's Spelling Bee, which
An offshoot of the quiz format that has seen great popularity is the trivia game. Similar to the quiz, but focusing on just about any aspect of knowledge, these game have proven very popular to the point where quiz and trivia games are mostly interchangeable, though quiz still has a pedagogical connotation that trivia does not. Games such as Trivial Pursuit use quiz-style questions, categorized by one of several categories of knowledge, as a means of progression on a board. Other trivia games, such as The Impossible Quiz utilize other forms of knowledge, such as lateral thinking and riddle solving as opposed to straightforward knowledge.
Quiz games have also proven a common, if not the most popular, format for digital games. One of the best known of these is the You Don't Know Jack series which debut and was consistently popular during the heyday of the CD-ROM in the 90s and had a web-based series between January of 2007 and September of this year. It featured standard quiz questions, but written with a pop-culture laden irony and "hosted" by a cynical, sometimes hostile host. The game also utilized various formats that tested quickness as well as knowledge.
The quiz format has been extended to the realm of serious competition, such as high school and collegiate quiz bowl teams and the International Quizzing Association. It is also a favorite bar game in the UK, the US, and, recently, India. This format usually includes a "news" or "current events" section.
References
1 - Oxford English Dictionary
2 - http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php?title=History_of_the_Game_Show
The word, however, was already in use by then, meaning 'an odd or eccentric person', and one account claims that it had been used in this sense by Fanny Burney in her diary in June of 17821. 'Quiz' was also used as a name for a popular toy, also called a bandalore, which was popular around the same period. The word itself is difficult to account for. Some sources think that its origin may be in schoolyard slang, derived from Latin, a typical school subject at the time.
Its later meaning of 'to question, to interrogate', which emerged in the mid-19th century and gave rise to the most common use of the term today, for an entertainment based on questions and answers is equally tricky to derive.
Quizzes seem to have been dervied from written examinations, which were first used in collegiate exams in the 1790s. The earliest use of quiz in the sense we have come to adopt it ( that is, a short examination) is 1867, when William James refers to the quiz as a possible pedagocical tool ("Occasional review articles, etc., perhaps giving 'quizzes' in anatomy and physiology..may help along.").
The earliest use of quizzes in an entertainment setting is in 1929, as a reference in the Oakland tribune.
The quiz format has taken on various forms.
Originally in the UK, but having spread out to the US, Canada, and India, the pub quiz is a popular format, espeically as a way of drawing customers on typically slow weeknights. While specific rules vary, these quizzes are usually meant to be competitive either alone or in small teams and the subject matter they cover range from current events, to "textbook" knowledge, to trivia about sports, the arts, and entertaiment.
The earliest game show seems to have been the BBC's Spelling Bee, which
was broadcast on 31st May 1938.2 Hosted by Freddie Grisewood, the panel of guests
were asked to spell a series of words. The host was
bedecked in schoolmaster garb as a way of adding kudos to what was
otherwise a light-hearted quiz - a technique that countless other shows
would use throughout the century.In the US, the most popular form of the quiz as game show is the Merv Griffin created Jeopardy!
An offshoot of the quiz format that has seen great popularity is the trivia game. Similar to the quiz, but focusing on just about any aspect of knowledge, these game have proven very popular to the point where quiz and trivia games are mostly interchangeable, though quiz still has a pedagogical connotation that trivia does not. Games such as Trivial Pursuit use quiz-style questions, categorized by one of several categories of knowledge, as a means of progression on a board. Other trivia games, such as The Impossible Quiz utilize other forms of knowledge, such as lateral thinking and riddle solving as opposed to straightforward knowledge.
Quiz games have also proven a common, if not the most popular, format for digital games. One of the best known of these is the You Don't Know Jack series which debut and was consistently popular during the heyday of the CD-ROM in the 90s and had a web-based series between January of 2007 and September of this year. It featured standard quiz questions, but written with a pop-culture laden irony and "hosted" by a cynical, sometimes hostile host. The game also utilized various formats that tested quickness as well as knowledge.
The quiz format has been extended to the realm of serious competition, such as high school and collegiate quiz bowl teams and the International Quizzing Association. It is also a favorite bar game in the UK, the US, and, recently, India. This format usually includes a "news" or "current events" section.
References
1 - Oxford English Dictionary
2 - http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php?title=History_of_the_Game_Show
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