Here's a pop quiz for you:
Which of these Italians most frequently used a palette and easel?a. Giuseppe Verdi
b. Benito Mussolini
c. Leonardo da Vinci
d. Amerigo Vespucci
e. Guglielmo Marconi
To keep up with Colleen Densley's sixth-grade knowledge bowl team at Canyon Crest Elementary, you would have had to select da Vinci as the correct answer in less than seven seconds.
Speed and accuracy are key to competing in the Sixth-grade Elementary Knowledge Master Open, a grueling academic contest held for students throughout the world Jan. 22.
Canyon Crest's 10-member team took first place in Utah and ranked 46th among 647 teams from the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Team members are Casey Bacon, Miriam Allred, Tom Hiatt, Rachel Hicks, Andy Holdaway, James Jackson, Maile Kohler, Jeff Larkin, Maclain Nelson and Kendall Newell.
Densley said there are plenty of contests in athletics and music, but few in academics. Classroom computers allow students worldwide to compete without traveling to a central location. The competition tests students' knowledge of 11 subjects including art, mathematics, literature and geography.
Participating schools are sent sealed computer discs containing the competition's 100 multiple-choice questions. On contest day, students huddle around the computer shouting answers to the team captain who must type the selected response. The quicker the question is answered correctly, the more bonus points a team scores.
"It's fun to watch the kids and the way they interact with each other," Densley said. Students said they usually agreed on answers without too much bickering.
The Canyon Crest team answered 95 questions correctly and racked up a slew of bonus points for timely responses. The school has entered the competition for the past three years.