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Subject: The Quiz and Crossword Contracts

Posted by: WesleyCrusher
Date: May 01 19

Sometimes a throwaway joke can inspire an idea. When explaining to a newer author how to best deal with challenge requirements in the edit process I mentioned, jokingly, that they had only become an issue since we had tasks like "Write a Fill the Blank quiz in a subcategory of Sci/Tech that you have exactly one quiz ranked worse than 50,000 in, featuring the name of a deceased actor from Bhutan in the title, using all 26 letters in the alphabet in each question and writing the info in limerick form". Then, about 20 minutes later, I was struck by the realization that, if this task were posted in the Lounge, someone would probably actually do it, sooner or later.

And that means we can make a game out of it, right?

So let's get creative - both in setting tasks and in solving them. Here are the current ten tasks:

Contract #312 - 22 points: Write a classic style quiz or photo quiz in the History category on the history of any one country that does not already have a history quiz on FT. (by BigTriviaDawg)
Contract #318 - 16 points: Write a quiz for the Sub-Sets Challenge. (by Kyleisalive)
Contract #320 - 14 points: Write a photo quiz about coronations. At least one question must be FITB, and one question 50/50. (by Reedy)
Contract #325 - 9 points: Write a quiz about Adrien Brody. (by VBookWorm)
Contract #328 - 6 points: Write a quiz about a Russian television series of your choice. (by VBookWorm)
Contract #329 - 5 points: Write a classification quiz where the categories are all related to ducks but are not in the animal or science categories. (by Ilona_Ritter)
Contract #330 - 4 points: Write a 15-question quiz with exactly six words in the title, without using the letter 'e' in the title. At least three questions must be FITB, and two T/F-Y/N questions. (by Reedy)
Contract #331 - 3 points: Create a crossword on the history of any country with no more than 20% fillers. (by Sam388)
Contract #332 - 2 points: Write a quiz containing the word 'Pizza' in its title that is exactly 15 questions long and is neither in Food (Hobbies), Sci/Tech, nor World. The quiz can be either a Photo Quiz or a Photo-Match Quiz. (by Ilona_Ritter)
Contract #333 - 1 point: Using COVID-19 as an example, write a quiz about epidemics that changed the course of history. (by 1nn1)


Once you have picked a task and written, please submit it with the entire contract stipulation (including the number) in the note to the editor.

Wait for the quiz to go online, then report it here to claim the contract. If it's good, you'll receive the task's point value for the leaderboard AND you get to set up a new contract, entirely of your choosing. Come up with an evilly convoluted challenge, set up an easy one in the hopes of it being snatched quickly or just use the opportunity to make someone write a quiz about THAT ONE topic you always wanted to play but never got the chance as all nineteen online entries about it are yours... anything goes as long as it is possible. ("Write a match quiz in which every answer is a pangram" would not work - answers that long would not be accepted in the format). You must provide a new contract stipulation in the same post as your claim or the claim is invalid.

Every time a new contract goes up, all others increase in value by one point. Thus, there will always be ten options and after the starting phase in which scores are a bit on the low side, there will be always be a task (the oldest one) worth at least 10, and possibly considerably more if no one has taken it for a while. Thus, the longer a contract sits there (and thus the harder it presumably is to fill), the more lucrative it will become. And at some point, even writing that Sci/Tech quiz named after a dead Bhutanese actor will sound like a really enticing proposition...

You can finish any unfinished quizzes/crosswords to fill a contract, no need to make a new template, as long as the template was never submitted by the time the contract went up. You can't claim your own contracts of course, although authors whose contracts go all too high in value are encouraged to prove that it CAN be done.

There is no reserving in this game - you need to be the first to claim a contract, by actually fulfilling it with a quiz that meets the requirement. There's also no double-dipping - if you submit a quiz, you fill one and only one contract with it (if it qualifies for more than one, you must indicate which one you want - it'll probably be the higher score).

Yes this counts for Pangalactic and while it is probably not the best idea to advertise what you are working on (someone else might feel encouraged to steal it from under your nose), bluffing and other tactics are perfectly legit in this game. The only thing we don't want to see is collusion - so don't post a contract specifically tailored to your best buddy.

As some authors may wish to request clarifications for a contract by personal message (to not immediately alert anyone to the fact they're working on), we ask that anyone who answers such a clarification request post the answer to the thread as well while preserving anonymity, so that everyone is on the same page regarding a specific task.

Also, importantly, please remember the editors are under no obligation to check your entry for compliance with the task. You will find that most are willing to send it back for fixes if they find an obvious, easily fixed, mismatch, but there are no guarantees. If your entry only almost qualifies and goes online, well, you have a good quiz online and a second opportunity to work on the contract, possibly even for a higher score.

And now have fun!

LEADERBOARD

bernie73 - 683 points
1nn1 - 411 points
RedHook13 - 257 points
leith90 - 236 points
Kankurette - 205 points
psnz - 183 points
reedy - 151 points
ramonesrule - 140 points
LadyNym - 107 points
zorba_scank - 78 points
Kyleisalive - 77 points
windrush - 68 points
Ilona_Ritter - 51 points
rossian - 48 points
Pollucci19 - 44 points
Lpez - 43 points
AcrylicInk - 38 points
fifiona81 - 35 points
Gracious1 - 34 points
VegemiteKid - 34 points
spanishliz - 33 points
WesleyCrusher - 26 points
CmdrK - 25 points
Saleo - 23 point
moonraker2 - 22 points
Rowena8482 - 21 points
Apathy100 - 20 points
BigTriviaDawg - 20 points
VBookWorm - 16 points
Sam388 - 9 points
Angikar - 4 points
Godwit - 4 points
Ceetee - 1 point

COMPLETED CONTRACTS
(For earlier contracts, please click here.)

Contract #301 - 1 point: Write a TRIC quiz (X, Y or Z, it doesn't matter) in a category you don't usually write in. - Bernie73
Contract #302 - 5 points: Write a quiz of any size or format in any category you like other than Celebrities. - Lpez
Contract #303 - 1 point: Create a symmetrical medium or large literature crossword focussing on a group or genre of authors, such as science fiction or the Lakes poets, or the Bloomsbury Group. The choice is up to you. No 2 letter words or IATA codes. - Psnz
Contract #304 - 5 points: Identify two words or phrases which meet these criteria: (a) 15-17 characters in length; (b) the same length; (c) connected in some significant way. Insert these words or phrases as the first and last lines of a puzzle and construct a symmetric crossword between them. No two-letter words or IATA codes, please. - Windrush
Contract #305 - 6 points: Write a 10 question, all multiple choice quiz on either Australian flora or fauna, then create a medium symmetric crossword on Australian flora and fauna. No two letter answers in the CW. Both Quiz and CW should have the same title. - Bernie73
Contract #306 - 8 points: Write a quiz with a title that contains the name of a country that starts and ends with the same letter. The quiz cannot go in the Geography category. - Ilona_Ritter
Contract #307 - 23 points: Write a classification quiz in the Entertainment category where all answer choices end with a vowel. - Reedy
Contract #308 - 21 points: Write a quiz with "Tom Hanks" in the title in any category except for Celebrities, Movies, People, or Television. - Ilona_Ritter
Contract #309 - 10 points: Write a large Religion crossword with at least 6 clues being 10 letters or longer, and at least 4 words relating to religious festivals (words can fit either or both criteria). No 2 letter words or IATA codes please. - Psnz
Contract #310 - 22 points: Construct a crossword with a least fifteen colors and then write a quiz using fifteen of the colors as names (first, last, or middle) for people (real or fictional) as the answers to the corresponding questions. - Ilona_Ritter
Contract #311 - 14 points: Write a quiz or crossword puzzle that is inspired by the work of another author on FunTrivia. - VBookWorm
Contract #313 - 13 points: Write a quiz from the "Old is New" list, using any of the 'new' quiz formats (order/label/classify), AND use an Author Challenge Title. - Bernie73
Contract #314 - 1 points: Write a quiz or crossword puzzle with a four word title where all four words begin with the same letter for either History or Humanities. Quiz must be a format other than MC. - Psnz
Contract #315 - 1 point: Construct a symmetric medium crossword puzzle whose answers do not contain any of the letters in "SKIN". No two-letter words or IATA codes, please. - Ceetee
Contract #316 - 5 points: Construct a symmetric medium crossword puzzle all of whose answers contain any of the letters in "SKIN". No two-letter words or IATA codes, please. - Windrush
Contract #317 - 1 point: Write a quiz or symmetrical crossword with a theme surrounding April Fools Day. - Kyleisalive
Contract #319 - 3 points: Create a symmetric medium or large crossword puzzle in which at least 60% of the clues or answers relate to loanwords commonly used in English. A minimum of six loanwords must be of Hungarian origin. No two-letter answers or IATA codes, please. - Windrush
Contract #321 - 2 points: Create a symmetrical crossword relating to important landmarks in Europe. These can be natural formations or man-made. - Psnz
Contract #322 - 9 points: Create a symmetric medium or large crossword puzzle in which at least 60% of the clues or answers relate to loanwords commonly used in English. A minimum of six loanwords must be of Italian origin. No two-letter answers or IATA codes, please. - Sam388
Contract #323 - 1 point: Construct a large symmetric crossword containing at least one word with consecutive double letters for 20 different letters (or more) of the English alphabet. The crossword title must include "double" or a variant of the word, such as "doubling." Please, no two-letter words, Roman numerals or IATA codes. - Leith90
Contract #324 (1) (2) - 3 points: Construct TWO crosswords, one large and one medium, to submit to the Brain Teasers category. Both puzzles should be in different sub-cats (eg, drop or add a letter, anagrams, cryptic etc) and the titles should reflect that they are a pair. Grids must be symmetrical with no two-letter words, IATA codes or Roman numerals please. - Psnz
Contract #326 - 2 points: Write a quiz that is meant to satisfy the Author's Gallery monthly challenge for at least one requirement. - VBookWorm
Contract #327 (1) (2) (3) - 6 points: Create a set of THREE linked crosswords (one small, one medium and one large) for either the Celebrities, History, Religion or Video Games categories. Titles should reflect that they are a set. Each puzzle grid must be symmetric, with no two-letter words, IATA codes or Roman numerals. - 1nn1

807 replies. On page 6 of 41 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
RedHook13 star


player avatar
I claim Contract #23 - Write a quiz in either Sport or People using the tenth Author Challenge title from the bottom, counting up

http://www.funtrivia.com/quizdetails.cfm?id=397675

New challenge. Write a 25 Question multiple choice quiz in any category you choose?

Reply #101. May 23 19, 11:43 PM
moonraker2 star


player avatar
I'd like to claim : Contract #34 - Construct a symmetrical crossword, any size, which uses at least five instances of every vowel though the same letter must not appear twice in any one word. Additionally the following consonants must appear at least once: Z Q X J K V.

New challenge: Construct a medium size symmetrical crossword in the Geography category, which includes the names of any eight US states.

Reply #102. May 24 19, 5:35 AM
angikar
Link of the crossword, please, moonraker2?

I am glad how the contract system is so much loved by our active crossword writers.

Reply #103. May 24 19, 5:43 AM
spanishliz


player avatar
I'd like to claim the as-yet without a number contract proposed by moonraker 2 "Construct a diagonally symmetrical crossword of any size, with every answer incorporating double letters consecutively, e.g. EE, BB, or NN etc. etc."

http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6438

New contract: Write a crossword of any size in any category but General in which first names (eg John, Mary etc) make up half of the answers.

Reply #104. May 24 19, 7:13 AM
moonraker2 star


player avatar
Belatedly, here's the link to my above claim for Contract #34. Thanks for the reminder angikar.

http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6433

Reply #105. May 24 19, 8:16 AM
1nn1


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #31 - Write a quiz that contains the name of your first pet (NOT in the Animals category).
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Music/The-Piper-Calls-The-Tune-397722.html
Piper was our first family pet. She was a beautiful Australian cattle dog who was already named when we brought her home from the animal shelter aged 12 weeks.

For the next challenge. Take the coordinates for your state/county/province/prefecture/parish capital and invert them. Now write a non-Geo quiz about the capital or its state/county/province/prefecture/parish closet to the new coordinates. The new location must be used in the title.

Eg Canberra is located at 35.3° S, 149.1° E The nearest state capital to 35.3° N, 149.1°W is Sacramento. Therefore write a quiz about Sacramento or California in a non Geo category

Reply #106. May 24 19, 1:47 PM
1nn1


player avatar
Addendum
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Music/The-Piper-Calls-The-Tune-397722.html is not an Animals quiz but a Music quiz.

Reply #107. May 24 19, 1:58 PM
WesleyCrusher


player avatar
Geez, this is getting slightly complicated :) And a few nice scores to be had right now after the last claims were mostly lower on the table.

Reply #108. May 24 19, 2:34 PM
WesleyCrusher


player avatar
After checking out those coordinates, I guess most Europeans would have to take a swim in the Southern Atlantic. I wonder if a quiz about animals of that region would be acceptable - the nearest land mass I could find (a pretty insignificant island) is about 1500 km away...

Reply #109. May 24 19, 2:52 PM
CmdrK star


player avatar
"Geez, this is getting slightly complicated"

says the man who decided we should do a quiz AND a crossword to get one single point. :p

Reply #110. May 24 19, 3:25 PM
CmdrK star


player avatar
As to reply #109, anyone from Clark County, Nevada would end up in the Indian Ocean, close enough to Perth, WA to do a quiz on it.

Reply #111. May 24 19, 3:30 PM
bernie73 star


player avatar
Nick,

I assume that in contract 30, when you say "double pangram" that means each letter in the 26 letter alphabet is present on the cw grid at least twice. (As opposed to two long answers that each contain all 26 letters.)

Reply #112. May 24 19, 8:49 PM
1nn1


player avatar
Hi Bernie, All 26 letters represented at least twice on one grid

Here's an example:
http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6148

You get bragging rights if you can achieve it on a small grid

Reply #113. May 24 19, 9:32 PM
bernie73 star


player avatar
Oh, Contract 30 is making my head hurt! :)

I have the double pangram (including a word that starts with X).

I have the diagonal symmetry (along with vertical and horizontal).

I have 78% white spaces on a medium sized grid.

FIVE BLEEPING SPACES!! :)

Reply #114. May 25 19, 5:39 AM
leith90 star


player avatar
I missed an earlier contract by ONE square. Oh it hurt. I feel for you Bernie.

Reply #115. May 25 19, 5:50 AM
WesleyCrusher


player avatar
Actually my "complicated" comment was referencing the fact that I had to properly score and track five claims in one session and the HTML for the list of completed entries is growing a bit unwieldy.

I wasn't referencing any specific contract.

Reply #116. May 25 19, 9:04 AM
1nn1


player avatar
Oh, Contract 30 is making my head hurt! :)

I have the double pangram (including a word that starts with X).

I have the diagonal symmetry (along with vertical and horizontal).

I have 78% white spaces on a medium sized grid.

FIVE BLEEPING SPACES!! :)


Keep going Bernie, you can do it. Had to make sure it could be done before I proposed it but when there is a "white square minimum', I find it easier to construct a grid first

Reply #117. May 25 19, 3:50 PM
leith90 star


player avatar
I claim contract 41. Write a crossword of any size in any category but General in which first names (eg John, Mary etc) make up half of the answers. (by spanishliz)

http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6445

New contract: Write a quiz using a Tom Hanks movie as the title. The quiz may not go in Movies, Celebrities or Brain Teasers.

Reply #118. May 25 19, 4:17 PM
1nn1


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #40 - 4 points: Construct a medium size symmetrical crossword in the Geography category, which includes the names of any eight US states.
http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6447
Took me longer than it should have as originally I had 11 states but the brief did not state "At least eight"

New Challenge. Construct a symmetrical crossword containing at least 10 famous people from Canada, Australia or New Zealand. All ten must be from the same country


Reply #119. May 25 19, 5:27 PM
CmdrK star


player avatar
Clarification on Contract #30 please: do all the letters have to be separate or can they occur in crossing words?

Reply #120. May 25 19, 6:21 PM


807 replies. On page 6 of 41 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
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