Practice Drills & Quizzes

 

Face-Offs
Every player for him/herself, playing only Face-Offs; keep score.
Read the first half of a Face-Off and have the team anticipate what the rest of the question will be.
Give an answer and challenge the team to recite relevant facts.
Read a series of short clues; players should buzz-in when they know the answer.
A series of short clues to each answer, all in the same topic.
Show blank maps and ask the players to buzz-in when they know the city or state or country to which you are pointing. Or, reverse it and ask them to point to a place you name.
African American calendar/history game. Give them a date and ask them to buzz-in with what occurred. Or, reverse it and name an occurrence, asking them to buzz in with the date.
Current Events/Pop Culture drills. Write short 2-4 clue Q's from Time, Newsweek, US News & World Reports, Business Week, Jet, Ebony and People.
Play "Blackout Jeopardy". Tape the TV show but play only the audio. Have players buzz-in when they know the answer.
Create and use "study lists" for quick drills:
  • The periodical table of elements
  • Key scientific terms and scientists (chemistry, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth sciences, engineering, math, physics, etc.)
  • Famous literary works and authors of the 19th and 20th Century
  • Key dates in African American history
  • Biblical figures and passages
  • Arts figures and works (plays, classical music, operas, paintings, sculptures and dance)
  • Psychological terms and psychologists
  • Sociology terms and sociologists
  • Economics terms and economists
  • Law, constitution and political science (legislation, legislators and theory/theorists) and American history
  • Recent business stats, achievements, mergers, bankruptcies, new CEOs, etc.
  • Recent sports records, long-time records, athletes' recent performances, team trading, moves, management and coaching changes
  • State and world capitals

 

Bonuses
Play a version of “Password” in which one player is given a card with a category on it, such as “Presidents,” along with the name of several Presidents. A player must use a few seconds to list some facts about the first name on the list and a second player must try to come up with the name. This drill sharpens recognition and recall and should be strictly timed.
Play a few rounds in which only two players may work together on bonuses.

 

Ultimate Challenge
Have each player, one player at a time try to answer all 10 Ultimate Challenge questions.
Read the category and the description. Then give the players the answer and have them create an impromptu question.