# Jeopardy: What if the question is a question? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 24, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646 "2009-03-24T21:16:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/21 "2009-03-25T22:56:14Z")
_DC or Washington DC, that is the question; Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of Jeopardy’s fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of questions, And by opposing, end them. To lose, to quit; No more; and by quitting to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To lose, to quit; To quit, and win the lottery. Ay, there’s the rub, For in that tedium of daily work what wins may come, When we have shuffled off this TV game, Must give us pause._ Or would that be too long? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/22 "2009-03-26T01:04:58Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They told us in the in-person auditions that “Who is the Mississippi River?” is perfectly acceptable - it can be the wrong “kind” of question. The format has loosened up since the earliest incarnation of the show. I remember reading that in Art Fleming’s early years of hosting, he had to regretfully inform a contestant that her response of “Who is Macbeth?” to the clue “This Shakespearean tragedy is referred to as ‘The Scottish play’ by superstitious actors” was unacceptable. Since the clue referred to the work, as opposed to the character, the response had to be “What is _Macbeth_?”\* The judges soon became more lenient, however. I remember watching an episode in which a contestant rang in, apparently blanked for a second, and then blurted out “How about Robert Kennedy?” (or whomever). Fleming said “Question please”, then quickly added “I guess it was!” - Not necessarily the actual exchange, but the article did refer to a literary work whose title was also the name of the protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/23 "2009-03-26T01:35:14Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > …Or would that be too long? If you’re only up by a field goal, you’d be running out the clock. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/24 "2018-03-16T08:30:36Z")
I thought I’d bump this thread to point out that this issue was lampshaded on Wednesday’s show. One of the categories was “Perfect responses for _Jeopardy!_ because they are already questions”. The contestants were encouraged to provide their responses without a leading “What is…?”, but much to Alex’s chagrin, nobody seemed to understand, even after Alex gave both an explanation and an example: > [@Jeopardy!](#): > > **Allison:** “Perfect responses for _Jeopardy!_” for $200, please. > > **Alex:** Abbot & Costello first performed this baseball-themed routine on the radio in 1938. > > **Peter:** What is “Who’s on First?”? > > **Alex:** Yes. > > **Peter:** “Perfect responses”, $400. > > **Alex:** The song “Over the Rainbow” ends with this 3-word question. > > **Allison:** What is, “Why can’t I?”? > > **Alex:** Yes, but you know, because they are _perfect_ responses… > > **Allison:** Oh! What is, “What is, ‘Why?’?”? > > **Alex:** You’re repeating “what is”. You don’t have to. You could just say, “Why can’t I?” and I would accept that as correct. Pick again. > > **Allison:** “Perfect responses for _Jeopardy!_” for $600, please. > > **Alex:** In a Longfellow poem, Priscilla Mullins asks this question of John Alden. > > _[a long pause during which no contestant rings in]_ > > **Alex:** “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?” Allison, go again. > > **Allison:** “Perfect responses for _Jeopardy!_” for $800. > > **Alex:** It’s the title question of P.D. Eastman’s classic kids’ book featuring a just-hatched baby bird. > > **Allison:** What is _Are you my Mother?_ > > **Alex** : :smack: ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/25 "2018-03-16T14:47:34Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I thought I’d bump this thread to point out that this issue was lampshaded on Wednesday’s show. One of the categories was “Perfect responses for _Jeopardy!_ because they are already questions”. The contestants were encouraged to provide their responses without a leading “What is…?”, but much to Alex’s chagrin, nobody seemed to understand, even after Alex gave both an explanation and an example: I saw that episode, and frankly I understood why Allison couldn’t shake herself of the “What is…” habit, even though Alex told her she should. When you’re in game-playing mode, you’re very conscious that you have to say “What is X?” It’s hard to break yourself of that impulse. And to be honest, it’s probably not a good idea to try. You don’t want to get out of the habit of appending “What is…” before your response, lest you forget to do so later. It’s one thing to ring in and give an educated, but incorrect, guess phrased in the form of a question. That’s bad, but it happens to everyone. It’s quite another thing to ring in, give the correct response, but forget to phrase it as a question. Then Alex says you’re wrong, one of your opponents rings in and says exactly what you just said, but puts “What is…” in front of it. Boom. You just lost $2000, and your opponent got $2000 based on your knowledge. That’s the thing that’s really cringe-worthy, and I can understand contestants doing everything possible to make sure it doesn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/26 "2018-03-16T15:25:59Z")
I don’t think they’ll be trying that kind of category again. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/27 "2018-03-16T16:32:15Z")
The thing that I find amusing is that the “what is…” response has become so culturally ingrained that people do it on _other_ quiz shows! IIRC, Jimmy Kimmel used to make contestants wear a dunce cap on “Win Ben Stein’s Money” if they responded like they were on Jeopardy. I also hear it frequently on NPR’s “Ask Me Another”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/28 "2018-03-16T18:32:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I don’t think they’ll be trying that kind of category again. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/29 "2018-03-16T19:04:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Why not? Because it was just a novelty with no real fun value. And, all the contestants have it so ingrained to phrase the answer in the form of a question that they simply _couldn’t_ omit the question. I’m not sure more than one answer was questioned per the category’s “omit the question phrasing” format, so what would be the point of trying again? I prefer “stupid answers” if they’re going for funny. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/30 "2018-03-16T19:42:35Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I don’t think they’ll be trying that kind of category again. Username/Post combo of the day! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/31 "2018-03-17T04:25:25Z")
I run the Geopardy! game at the national mapmakers conference every year. One year a quick-witted player gave the response “Toronto, eh?” Since he was Canadian, I accepted it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/32 "2018-03-17T15:27:34Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Because it was just a novelty with no real fun value. And, all the contestants have it so ingrained to phrase the answer in the form of a question that they simply _couldn’t_ omit the question. I’m not sure more than one answer was questioned per the category’s “omit the question phrasing” format, so what would be the point of trying again? > > I prefer “stupid answers” if they’re going for funny. I was just joking. In the form of a question! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646/33 "2018-03-17T17:08:15Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Because it was just a novelty with no real fun value. And, all the contestants have it so ingrained to phrase the answer in the form of a question that they simply _couldn’t_ omit the question. I’m not sure more than one answer was questioned per the category’s “omit the question phrasing” format, so what would be the point of trying again? > > I prefer “stupid answers” if they’re going for funny. I’d like to see an “Extreme” Jeopardy" with real answers and questions: Contestant: I’ll take math for $200, please. Host: And the answer is…35. Contestant 1: What is 7 times 5? \ Contestant 3: What’s 49 minus 14? \ Contestant 2: What is the square root of 1,225? \ Host: Sorry. The question were looking for is “What is the cube root of 15,625 plus 10?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-what-if-the-question-is-a-question/490646.md?page=1)