Sophomore Advances to Finals of National History Bee

The National History Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students. Students compete against other students in a series of rounds where they attempt to be the first to ring in and answer paragraph-length questions about various topics in history. Students in the 11th and 12th grades can compete in the Varsity level of the History Bee, while students in 10th grade and younger may compete in the Junior Varsity division.

Questions in the History Bee are structured as “pyramids”—they start with more obscure hints and move on to more familiar information. Questions cover the history of the arts, sciences, religion, philosophy, languages, historical geography, recent history and the history of sports and entertainment in addition to the usual social, political, and military history. In the final rounds, the questions become longer and more difficult.

Can you guess the answer to this sample question?

“This man was depicted as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz during his 1900 campaign for president. Tom Watson was the Populist pick to run with this man in 1896, but Arthur Sewall appeared on his Democratic ballot. This man argued for the prosecution in the Scopes Trial and spoke against the Coinage Act, saying that “they shall not crucify mankind upon” the title object. For the point, name this American politician who vocally opposed the gold standard in his “Cross of Gold” speech.”

(ANSWER: William Jennings Bryan).

Congratulations to Rishi!