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University of Toronto Scarborough

Questions worth thinking about.

What? Where? When? is a student intellectual quiz club built around curiosity, collaboration, and a good question.

Submit a QuestionBecome a Player

The format

One question.
90 seconds.

Five Players work together to solve a question submitted by the university community. The host reads the question aloud; the Players have 90 seconds to discuss and give one answer.

Correct answers earn a point for the Players. If the answer is incorrect, the Askers receive the point. The first side to five points wins.

The winner team gets either a gift card with real money or merch.

A taste of the game

Sample questions

  1. In Ecuador, pasta packages may show cooking times of 8 or 12 minutes. What does the cooking time depend on? (Altitude)
  2. In many languages, the word for a bear is a euphemism because its original name was taboo. Which character did John Green mention in connection with this? (Voldemort from Harry Potter)
  3. Human Security Inc. says many people stop trying after becoming discouraged, and offers a simpler alternative. An alternative to what? (An alternative to CAPTCHA)

Questions about the club

Frequently asked questions

What sets us apart from other quiz games?

The main difference between this intellectual game and others — for example Trivia or Jeopardy! — is that, in addition to general erudition, players need the ability to reason logically, to collaborate consistently and effectively in a short amount of time, and to find the pathways that lead to the correct answer. In short, our questions are closer to brain scissors than to questions based on topic-specific knowledge.

How do I become a member?

You can earn your place in two ways:

  1. As a question asker. Submit your most challenging question through our submission form, where you will also find guidance on the question format. If the Players do not answer your question during the game, you earn a point for the Askers team and win a prize.
  2. As a Player. Register through the Become a Player form and join one of the teams. Your goal is to work as one to find the correct answer in just 90 seconds.

Whether you are part of a team answering questions or in your dorm room crafting them, your intelligence is your ticket to join.

What do teams do?
  1. The team of Askers — any registered student — uploads a question through the Submit a question form.
  2. Our editors thoroughly review every uploaded question and select the 9 best questions of the week.
  3. On the day of the game, one of the Player teams gathers in the hall where the game is held.
  4. Friday (location and time to be announced) — the game starts. The program selects the questions at random, and Players have only 90 seconds to answer. A right answer earns the Players a point; otherwise the Askers team earns the point, and the person who submitted that question receives a prize.
  5. The game runs until one of the teams reaches 5 points.

For the full detail, see the Rules section.

How will I know whether the Players answered my question?

We will notify you by email at the address you gave us when you submitted the question. In the near future we plan to broadcast the games on YouTube, so a wider audience can watch and Askers can see the status of their question for themselves.

Do Player teams compete against each other?

Yes, they do. The most successful team of the season — three months — receives an award.

Contribute to the game

Submit a question

Send an original question for consideration by the Executive Committee.

Your name and email are visible only to the Executive Committee and are used to contact you about your question.

Take a seat at the table

Become a Player

We are looking for energetic and communicative folks. Fill out the form, we will reach out to you.

The prize

Recognition for a great question.

The prize may be monetary in the form of gift cards or merchandise. To find out more, email us at www.utsc@gmail.com.

Game desk

90-second practice timer

Use this at a meeting or when testing a question.

01:30

Official rules

Rules and regulations

These rules apply to all What? Where? When? Intellectual Club games and question submissions.

General rules and scoring

  1. Two teams take part: the Askers Team and the Players Team.
  2. The Players Team has five members, including one captain.
  3. The Askers Team consists of students whose submitted questions have been selected.
  4. The host reads the selected question aloud. Players have 90 seconds to discuss.
  5. A correct answer earns a point for Players; an incorrect answer earns a point for Askers.
  6. The first side to five points wins.
  7. The winner team get the prize: gift card or merch.

Question selection

  1. Students may submit questions through the website form.
  2. Questions are selected by the Executive Committee.
  3. Spam, irrelevant, or inappropriate submissions may result in sanctions.
  4. A Player may not submit, directly or through another person, a question for a game in which they are scheduled to play.
  5. Teams are notified at least two weeks before a scheduled game.

Question types

  1. General Question — a written question read aloud by the host.
  2. Blitz — three short questions, with 20 seconds for each answer.
  3. Mystery Object — Players receive context and identify an object in a box.

Extra minute

  1. A Players Team losing to the Askers by X:4, where X is 0–3, may request an Extra Minute.
  2. The captain requests it immediately after the main discussion time ends; the host decides whether to grant it.
  3. In a Blitz round, it can be used for only one of the three questions.
  4. A correct early answer earns one Extra Minute for later use in that game.

Hints and penalties

  1. The host may record a hint.
  2. Gestures that reveal whether an answer is correct before the host announces it count as hints.
  3. A person found giving a hint may be removed from the next three games.
  4. The Players Team may lose its right to answer, and a point may be awarded to the Askers Team.