Meet these young quizzing talents from ClassAct 2022 Grand Finale
ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz, started with Prelims round on 23rd January and concluded with the Grand Finale on 26th January. With above 19,000 participants in the Prelims, it has been officially recognised as the record holder for 'Maximum Participation in an Online School Quiz' by the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records. The Finale was hosted by revered quizmasters Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar. While students from 32 countries competed in the preliminary round, 175 finalists contended for a spot in the Top 40 in the Finale. HT School talks to the toppers of ClassAct 2022, who made it to the Top 10.
Somnath Santra, Ryan International School, CBSE, Malad, Mumbai, Grade VIII
Rank: 7
ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz, was Somnath’s debut quiz. “It was a very nice experience interacting with Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Avinash Mudaliar. They really made the quiz interesting,” says this aspiring doctor. “ClassAct 2022 motivated me to participate in more quizzes and do better,” he adds. The questions, according to him, were both easy and tough. “Reading the questions twice and understanding the clues helped him find the right answers in ClassAct 2022.” shares Somnath.
Champion’s Tips: Read General Knowledge books and take help of the internet for finding facts and information.
Abhinav Kumar Jha, Bal Bharati Public School, Noida, Grade XII
Rank: 8
Abhinav has been quizzing for the last five years. His elder brother, a national-level quizzer, was instrumental in getting him to participate in ClassAct 2022.
“It is him who helped me join our school quiz club and guided me to start quizzing on general topics followed by specific ones,” he shares.
Initially, Abhinav wasn’t too excited about ClassAct 2022. “However, when I secured 48 out of 50 marks in the Prelims, I decided to get serious about the Grand Finale,” he says.
According to him, the way the questions were framed in the Grand Finale made all the difference. “The questions were neither too easy nor too tough and anyone could score well. Moreover, Dr. Navin Jayakumar provided us with hints about the questions,” shares Abhinav.
For Rishabh, the question on pizza was a fun one as it tested the participants’ mental ability more than their general knowledge. On the other hand, he found the question on the currency of Japan quite challenging.
Champion’s Tips: Don’t give up even if you don’t know the answer. Instead, making an educated guess by observing the question carefully.
Rishabh Gupta, Maharaja Agarsain Public School, New Delhi, Grade XII
Rank: 9
Rishabh has been participating in quizzes for the last five years. He has also worked as a quizmaster and an intern for a few quizzing companies. General curiosity about everything happening around him led him towards quizzing. "I wanted to read and find out a lot about everything even as a child and developed the habit of reading newspapers too. My interest in general knowledge has paved the way for me in quizzing,” he adds.
Rishabh found the Grand Finale to be more challenging than the Prelims as the questions were more specific and topical. “They were well-rounded too, covering almost every topic right from current affairs and sports to literature and science in an age-appropriate manner,” he adds.
ClassAct 2022 was the biggest online quiz that Rishabh has ever participated in. “Speed was the major differentiator for me here as compared to other quizzes where only accuracy seems to be in focus, mostly,” he says. Also, for him, the real-time leaderboard displaying each participant’s score, was an interesting feature of ClassAct 2022.
Champion’s Tips: For a budding quizzer, it’s crucial to read newspapers and stay updated with current affairs. Slideshow presentations and GK books available in the market are also good sources of information that should be referred to.
Raghav Tiwari, Delhi Public School, Sector 30, Noida, Grade VIII
Rank: 10
In one word, Raghav’s experience in ClassAct 2022 was enriching. “The questions asked in both Prelims as well as Grand Finale were an interesting mix. What I liked about the quiz was that the quiz masters did not jump from one question to another. Instead, alongside explaining the answer as well as giving additional information related to the topic.” The interactive nature of the quiz is also something that Raghav was very happy with. “I got to know about two new concepts from the quiz: The Lazy Caterer’s Problem and the Sanchi Stupa,” he adds. For him, the most fun question in the Grand Finale of ClassAct 2022 was the one on Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt. “However, the question on pizza was a bit tricky,” says Raghav.
Raghav’s interest in quizzing can, to some extent, be attributed to his elder brother. Moreover, he himself was always interested in trivia. “During the lockdown, I watched a lot of shows and videos related to quizzing,” he shares.
Champion’s tips: Stay updated with current affairs and pay attention when someone’s sharing interesting tidbits.