Cedarville High School’s Quiz Bowl team will compete in the state Quiz Bowl finals in East Lansing this weekend. Some of the team’s members include (clockwise, from left) Rhianna Milligan, Rick Eberts, Lance Fisher, Sarah Murray, Elliot Nelson, and AJ McLarahmore. Katie Eberts is in the front. Emily Feldhake, Mike McIntire, and Jeff Slater were not available for the photograph. What is the formula for the area of a regular polygon?

Name the U.S. secretary of state who acquired Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867.

Which New York university, whose athletic teams are nicknamed the “Lions,” annually presents the Pulitzer Prize?

If you can answer such questions, you might have what it takes to be on a Quiz Bowl team. An elite group of Cedarville High School students has mastered the game enough to reach the state level and will take on other such talented students in East Lansing this Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23.

Quiz Bowl resembles other games like Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy, in which competitors answer questions in various categories. Categories include cultural and multicultural literacy, historical events, current events, mathematics, arts, sports, and entertainment.

Students prepare for games by answering practice questions, but Coach Janet Haske said most competitors possess a wealth of knowledge. Questions do not come from a uniform source, as in spelling bees, where students can practice with a word list that is used in the competition. Some of the questions Quiz Bowl competitors practice answering will never reappear in competition.

“You can’t really practice for it,” Mrs. Haske said. “All practice does is kind of help them memorize questions they may never see again. For some of them, their life experiences are the best practice. I think they also read a lot. We have a lot of readers on the team.”

A question that demonstrates the point about experience is, “Which U.S. city is known for its People Mover, Rosa Parks Boulevard, COBO Conference/Exhibition Center, the Joe Louis Arena, and Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium. This city’s name is French for ‘strait’ and is nicknamed Motown.”

The question, from a quiz game practice booklet, may be challenging for out-of-state students, but should prove easy for the competitors at the state Quiz Bowl competition.

To qualify for state finals, Cedarville High beat schools from around the Eastern Upper Peninsula in regional competition March 12. The state competition will be on the campus of Michigan State University.

“We’re really excited about going to Lansing,” Mrs. Haske said.

This will be the last Quiz Bowl for the seniors, who comprise the majority of the team.

“It’s been a really great group of kids to work with,” she said. “They have really good personalities and are just a really nice group of people.”

The team that plans to go to East Lansing includes Jeff Slater, Sarah Murray, Emily Feldhake, Lance Fisher, Katie and Rick Eberts, Mike McIntire, and Elliot Nelson. AJ McLarahmore is a member of the team, but won’t be able to travel to the state competition. Rhianna Milligan is an occasional player.