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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 10 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
bernie73 star


player avatar
Recently completed contracts:

Contract #38 - 21 points: Write a quiz or crossword to finish off an open Lounge Challenge or Commission. (by zorba_scank)

To bernie73 for CW "Nintendo Games" which completed the Crossword Categories challenge

Contract #39 - 21 points: Write a 25 Question multiple choice quiz in any category you choose (by RedHook13)

To Kankurette for quiz "A Chalet School A-Z"

Contract #47 - 10 points: Write a 15 question quiz about men (and women) in space. Mercury 7 and Gemini should have at least one question each. (by Leith90)

To RedHook13 for quiz "Men on a Mission"

Contract #54 - 7 points: Create a crossword puzzle that is an adaptation of a quiz you wrote (any size, format, or topic) including at least 20 crossword answers that are based on important terms and/or names from your quiz. (by Bernie73)

To leith90 for CW "No Where to Hide: the Crossword"

Contract #55 - 3 points: Create a symmetrical crossword puzzle, small or medium size, with at least 70% white spaces, in the Sports category, in which at least 75% of the answers relate to sports. - (by CmdrK)

To moonraker2 for CW "Simply Sport! (4)"

Reply #181. Jun 10 19, 10:26 AM
spanishliz


player avatar
I really think the calculations of this sort should be left to Wes and/or Kyle. I find "unofficial" listings more confusing than reading back through the posts.

Reply #182. Jun 10 19, 10:41 AM
Kankurette star


player avatar
I'd like to claim Contract #50: write a 10 question multiple choice quiz about Formula One (can be anything to do with the sport - circuits, grands prix, teams, drivers, a specific season, etc).

My quiz is about David Coulthard, and it's here: http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Sports/Put-Your-Foot-Down-David-397899.html

Here's my challenge: write a Religion quiz about a non-Abrahamic faith (so anything except Islam, Christianity or Judaism).

Reply #183. Jun 10 19, 4:01 PM
leith90 star


player avatar
Contract 52 was claimed by 1nn1 before I claimed #54 and it hasn't been added to the list.

If you're going to post an unofficial list of claimed/unclaimed contracts, leave the points off it, because that part (at the very least) should be left to Kyle or Wes.

Reply #184. Jun 10 19, 4:34 PM
kyleisalive


player avatar
Sorry for the wait-- I've been working on projects all weekend. The list should be updated now. Once the first 50 contracts are up (ie. just 49 at this point) I'll be starting an archived completed challenges list to clean up the first post a bit.

Reply #185. Jun 11 19, 10:53 AM
leith90 star


player avatar
Here you go, Kyle. I would like to claim contract 61- Create a Medium crossword, diagonally symmetrical, in any category where all words are between 5 and 9 letters long and covering at least 75% of the grid. Abbreviations, acronyms, prefixes and suffixes not permitted. (by 1nn1).

http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6499

New contract: Write a 10 question, multiple choice quiz in the mixed human body category. Then create a small, symmetrical, 75% filled (at least) CW in the sci-tech category featuring the 10 answers from the quiz.



Reply #186. Jun 11 19, 9:05 PM
1nn1


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #58 - 6 points: Create a medium sized symmetrical crossword puzzle in the Geography category, Which includes a minimum of 12 answers which are countries in Africa..

http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6500

The new challenge is to create a small crossword with at least 100 white squares. No two letter words are permitting nor either acronyms or initials for the answers.

Reply #187. Jun 11 19, 9:29 PM
leith90 star


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #59: Write a 10 question quiz in any category where each question is written as a heroic couplet (ie. two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter). (by Bernie73)

http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Movies/Never-Give-Up-397940.html

Thanks, bernie, that was a fun one to make. Many, many thanks to Skunkee for the quite edit!

New contract: Write a 10 question, multiple choice, Humanities quiz using one of Kyle's or Wes's author challenge titles.


Reply #188. Jun 12 19, 4:41 PM
leith90 star


player avatar
Ugh- typo above. Should be 'Quick' not 'quite'. Sheesh

Reply #189. Jun 12 19, 5:00 PM
angikar
I want to claim my first contract!!
Contract 63: (by Kankurette) Write a quiz on a non Abrahamic religion

I chose Jainism, which had only one quiz before this.
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Religion/Enlighten-Up-396732.html

Reply #190. Jun 14 19, 2:36 AM
angikar
New Contract: Write a quiz in the World/Languages category on a language that has less than 1,000,000 first language speakers (1 million) (as listed on Wikipedia). Examples could be Icelandic and Irish. Also, languages Greek (any form), Latin, Sanskrit and Welsh are not allowed. Any other language fulfilling the criteria is allowed.

Reply #191. Jun 14 19, 2:43 AM
bernie73 star


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #57 - 10 points: Write a Sci/Tech quiz about one specific Moon in the Solar System, but it can not be the Earth's moon. (by RedHook13)

for my quiz "Ganymede: A Mighty Moon"

http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/SciTech/Ganymede-a-Mighty-Moon-397876.html

For the new contract, prove you can do it better. Think back to a quiz where you sent a correction note and/or gave a quiz rating of poor or very poor. Write a quiz in that same category.

Reply #192. Jun 14 19, 7:24 AM
bernie73 star


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #49 - 18 points: Write a quiz in the Music category about any band from one of the following genres: (Death Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Industrial Metal or Gothic Metal). - (by RedHook13)
[I guess this cleans up contracts 1-50, right Wes? :) ]

for my quiz "Queensryche Singles"

http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Music/Queensr%C3%BFche-Singles-397943.html

For the next contract, write a symmetrical large crossword puzzle in a category for which less than 100 have been written for FunTrivia.

Reply #193. Jun 14 19, 8:43 AM
angikar
Kyle, mistake spotted. Currently (without updating the list), Contract 56 (Sherbet one) will be worth 11 points. Contract 57 has 10 points, and two consecutive contracts cannot have same value. Two contracts with gap X in points will have X gap in number as well.
Think this way,
If Contract 132 has 14 points, and Contracts 133,134 are claimed before, Contract 135 will have 11 points.

Reply #194. Jun 14 19, 10:14 AM
angikar
Of course, the numbers will have gone up since 3 more contracts up since then. On to Contract Two for me.

Reply #195. Jun 14 19, 10:15 AM
spanishliz


player avatar
As I said earlier, all calculations should be left to Kyle and/or Wes. Anything else just muddies the water.

Reply #196. Jun 14 19, 10:22 AM
CmdrK star


player avatar
I would like to claim Contract #65:
Contract #65: Create a small crossword with at least 100 white squares. No two letter words are permitted nor either acronyms or initials for the answers. (by 1nn1)

This puzzle has 101 white squares.
http://www.funtrivia.com/crossword/play.cfm?gid=6501

For a new contract - write a quiz in the music category about boats in song.

Reply #197. Jun 14 19, 10:26 AM
spanishliz


player avatar
May I put on my crossword editor's hat to express my concern that so many completed crossword contracts are being followed up by new quiz contracts? The present crop of ten contracts includes 8 quiz only, 1 quiz + crossword and one crossword only specifications. I know there's no rule about this, but would love to see a more even spread.

Reply #198. Jun 14 19, 4:09 PM
kyleisalive


player avatar
26 of the first 70 challenges have been crossword challenges (it looks like), which means we're at 36% on them. It's slightly uneven, but the bread and butter of contributions on the site are quizzes. Considering the number of CW authors out there vs. quiz authors, I would actually have expected that percentage to be much lower.

To be honest, I don't have any concerns with the selections made by our contractors because it does come down to what they want to pose as a challenge. What I have been seeing is a lot of crosswords getting picked up when they have low points totals (sub-10pts, I mean) and rarely when they cross into higher values. This indicates to me that they're either being picked up as low-hanging fruit or, perhaps, by seasoned CW authors. This definitely isn't the type of challenge that's conducive to new authors testing the waters; it's meant to be challenging.

That said, the turnover has been wonderful. There are always new contracts showing up. Maybe at one point there'll be 10 CW contracts lingering up there. Who knows?


Speaking with an author hat on, I have no compulsion to claim any of the CW contracts, but several of the quiz ones up there are giving me some good ideas.

Reply #199. Jun 14 19, 4:55 PM
spanishliz


player avatar
Guess I'll have to get off the couch (now that the Raptors have won!) and claim some quiz contracts, so I can propose some new CW ones, eh. :)

Reply #200. Jun 14 19, 6:04 PM


807 replies. On page 10 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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