World Scholars Cup 2025

What is Rip Van Winkle about?

A short story by Washington Irving about a man who falls asleep in colonial America, wakes up 20 years later, and misses the American Revolution. He returns to find his wife dead, and his children grown up.

What genre does Slice of Life refer to?

A movie genre that depicts mundane, everyday moments of life.

What happened with human rights violations in rural Genovia?

Genovia legalized gay marriage after a constitutional lawsuit and the election of a coalition government.

What is Moore's Law?

The concept that the number of transistors on a computer chip doubles every two years, making computers faster and cheaper over time.

What does Sam Altman mean by "Moore's Law for everything"?

He suggests that everything, including AI, will become 50% cheaper every two years, following the same trend as computer chips.

What is the meaning of "Many people are saying" in the context of Donald Trump?

A phrase Trump often uses to assert claims, even if they're not true, as a way to express what people want to hear but may not say themselves.

What is the idea behind "No children"?

The concept that some people choose not to have children due to concerns over the worsening state of the world, especially climate change.

What is the "Elon Musk DOGE resurrection"?

DOGE, a cryptocurrency originally created as a joke, gained popularity after Elon Musk began supporting it, leading to its revival.

What is the "resurrection" in A Tale of Two Cities?

Alexandre Manette, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years, is metaphorically resurrected when he's released from the Bastille, and his daughter helps him heal emotionally.

What is the National Broadband Network (NBN)?

An Australian government project to provide ultra-fast fiber-based internet, which faced delays and cost increases, completing in 2020.

What are the challenges with the Canadian high-speed rail project?

Despite years of studies and plans, the project has faced delays due to high costs and the ownership of most rail by freight companies, limiting progress.

What happened with Seattle's mega tunnel project?

The tunnel boring machine, Bertha, got stuck in 2013, causing years of delays, cost overruns, and significant problems.

What is Bent Flyvbjerg's view on mega projects?

He argues that mega projects often fail due to their extravagant nature, and the trend for these projects has diminished since 2008.

How do local communities typically view mega projects?

While these projects are often supported nationally or internationally, local communities affected by them may oppose them due to negative impacts.

What is the "Kodokushi" epidemic in Japan?

The phenomenon where people die alone and their bodies go undiscovered for an extended period due to social isolation.

What is "Karōshi" in Japan?

Death caused by overwork, which is a significant issue in Japan due to long working hours.

What does "Hikikomori" refer to in Japan?

A condition where individuals live in total isolation for extended periods, sometimes over a year.

What is the effect of social media on loneliness?

People who spend more time on social media tend to feel lonelier and experience worse sleep quality, although some studies show varied results.

What is "parasocial interaction"?

A phenomenon where people feel like they have a close, personal relationship with people they have never met.

What is the concept of "negativity bias" in media consumption?

The tendency to focus on negative news, leading to higher stress, anxiety, and misperceptions of risk, even when not directly affected by the events.

What is the Three Gorges Dam?

A massive hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River in China, the world's largest power station, but it displaced over a million people and has raised environmental concerns.

What was the issue with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Bridge?

The bridge, which connects Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, faced delays and environmental concerns despite being one of the longest sea-crossing bridges.

What is the New Eurasia Land Bridge?

A rail network connecting China to Europe, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, that faces logistical challenges and high costs to maintain.

What happened with the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka?

The port, built with Chinese loans, was leased to China for 99 years in 2017 after Sri Lanka faced financial issues, raising concerns about debt and sovereignty.

What is NEOM, and what challenges does it face?

NEOM is a futuristic city under construction in Saudi Arabia, part of Vision 2030, promising advanced tech and sustainability, but it faces high costs and challenges to its ambitious goals.

What are the Khazar Islands in Azerbaijan?

A luxury artificial island project in the Caspian Sea that is still in the planning stages and is criticized for its environmental and financial challenges.

What is the Big Dig project in Boston?

A major underground highway project that rerouted Boston's Central Artery. It faced delays and cost overruns but reshaped the city's downtown, easing congestion.

What challenges has the California High-Speed Rail project faced?

The project to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with high-speed trains has faced delays, budget increases, and political pushback, with final costs expected to exceed $80 billion.

What happened with the Sejong City project in South Korea?

Sejong City, intended to decentralize government operations and reduce congestion in Seoul, has struggled to attract private investment and residents despite being built to house government ministries.

Why is the Suramadu Bridge in Indonesia controversial?

The Suramadu Bridge, which connects two islands, improved accessibility but hurt local communities by disrupting fishing industries and more.

What has happened to the standard of living in over 90% of countries recently?

The standard of living has declined in over 90% of countries in the past two years, reversing the progress made in the previous five years, contributing to declining birth rates.

What is Paro?

Paro is a furry seal robot in Tokyo designed to provide companionship to elderly people or those in isolation, helping to combat loneliness.

What role have podcasts played in the rise of parasocial relationships?

After COVID, podcasts became popular, and listeners began to perceive hosts as friends, leading to the development of parasocial relationships where the bond is one-sided.

What is the significance of social media in the case of the family of an ISIS terror attack victim?

The family of the victim sued major social media companies, claiming they were responsible for radicalizing the attacker, but the Supreme Court ruled that the companies were not liable.

What role did Facebook play in Myanmar's violence in 2017?

Facebook fueled hate speech against Muslims in Myanmar, contributing to the deaths of 25,000 and the displacement of 700,000 people in 2017.

How does media exposure affect people's stress about traumatic events?

People who consumed more than six hours of news per day about events like the Boston Marathon bombings experienced higher stress levels than those directly affected by the events.

What is "negativity bias" in relation to media consumption?

Negativity bias leads people to focus on negative news, increasing anxiety, misperceptions of risk, and overall stress, even if they're not directly impacted by the events.

What is the effect of social media on older adults?

Older adults who use social media tend to be more depressed, showing that the negative effects of social media are not limited to younger generations

How does loneliness compare to smoking?

How does loneliness compare to smoking, according to the World Health Organization?

What is "parasocial interaction" in podcasts?

Parasocial interaction refers to the one-sided emotional bond listeners feel toward podcast hosts, where listeners perceive them as friends, even though the relationship is not mutual.

Why is the Hambantota Port controversial?

Built with Chinese loans, it was leased to China for 99 years in 2017 due to financial difficulties, raising concerns over Sri Lanka's sovereignty.

How are robots being used to combat loneliness in Japan?

Robots like Paro, Pepper, and others have been developed to provide companionship and alleviate loneliness in elderly populations.

What is the UN development index?

The good life index that declined rapidly for two years

What are Horaces views on the future?

NONE OF UR BUSINESS

Who does yeats replace with a beast?

Jesus

What is an oracle bone made of?

An ox's scapula or a turtle's shell

What is an astragali?

A small bone that people used as dice in divination

What is a scyphos?

A two handled wine cup that is the source of the term scyphomancy, which is divination by observing pouring water to a cup.

What is Oneiromancy?

Divination through interpreting dreams

What's Pyro-Osteomancy?

Divination combining fire and animal bones. Fintan and oracle bone lovechild.

What's Alectryomancy?

Divination using CHICKENS. Looking at what they pick to eat to see the future??

What is Ornithomancy?

Divination through observing birds.

Robert Frost wants the world do end with...

FIRE (not thom yorke approved)

The poem by Emily Dickinson: The future-

never spoke-

What's the stereotypical name of the chinese divination book?

I Ching

What is Michio Kaku scared of?

Drones for some reason?

What's the name of the painter of the original the fortune teller?

Carvaggio

In the fortune teller by Mikhail Vrubel, the recipient of the fortune is...

The viewer

In the fortune teller by Julio Romero de Torres, the recipient of the fortune is...

Uninterested

Trio des Cartes is a piece from the opera...

Carmen

The french guy who made tons of accurate predictions through his poems and has a song names after him is...

Nostradamus

The brujas of brooklyn is...

A witchcaft intuition buisness

What did Marlene Vargas and Alex Naranjo found?

House of intuition

Where was tarot invented?

Italy circa 1430

What is the religion of people that go to the Bao Quang temple?

Buddhism

What is the effect that causes people to believe horoscopes and that kind of stuff?

The Barnum effect, people believing vague descriptions are tailored to them exactly

What is the Pygmalion effect?

the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance (FIVE TROPHIES)

What is genetic determinism?

the idea that our genes determine, direct, or cause everything about us

In Ted Chiang's story, what is a Predictor?

A device w a button that flashes exactly one second before you press it, because it sends a message back in time. basically proves there's no free will.

What is a OWI?

One world intelligence- supercomputers hunting down free bots to consume as part of them

Tim and Diane are in a...

Simulation

How many solar terms does the chinese agricultural calendar have?

24

When is the Atzec new year?

February 23rd or 24th

How long was the Mayan calendar round?

52 years

What is Saros?

The 18-year cyclical pattern of eclipses

What is Antikythera Mechanism?

An ancient Greek astronomical computer

What's mecha?

A giant human like robot

What's maglev?

Trains using magnetic fields to levitate above the tracks to avoid friction and be faster

Fukuyama's use of the word "history" in his paper can be replaced by...

Development

Who wrote "wind of change''?

scorpions

Who does will smith glaze in "will 2k"?

will smith

What's Supersonic Transport?

Planes designed to fly faster than the speed of sound

Which city did Filofei predict to be the third Rome?

Moscow (in his letters to the prince of moscow)

Israel is the client state of...

the united states

Who conquered the Song dynasty?

Mongols

What was Charlemagne's empire called?

Carolingian Empire

How many Otto's did the Ottoman empire have?

three

What was the name of the emperor that brought back empirical rule to japan?

Meiji

who is often accused of neo sovietism?

putin

When was the white house burnt?

On 1814 during the 1812 war the British burnt it

Where is the Yellow Crane Tower?

China

Where is the place where the earliest for sure fire human made thing took place?

Qesem Cave Israel

Who used Greek fire?

The Byzantine Empire

What was the name of the atzec god who turned into the sun?

Nanahuatl

In which religion is fire a divine essence?

Zoroastrianism

Who sings ring of fire?

johnny cash

From who's perspective is forrest gander's poem written?

a fire

Who assassinated president James Garfield?

Charles Guiteau

What is the butterfly effect?

The notion that a small, chaotic change in an emergent system can have large effects.

Which movie is "we're a great one too" from?

Love, actually