What is Scholastic Bowl?

ScoBowl (or Scholastic Bowl) is an activity where two teams of students from different schools (generally) come together to duel each other in a no-holds-barred, brutal brawl of useless knowledge muscle. Scholastic Bowl games consist of a series of questions (usually around thirty), as well as a set of follow-ups for each question (also called a toss-up).

Here's the gist of it. The two teams of five players each seat themselves at rows of desks facing each other with a buzzer for each player. The captains of the teams introduce themselves and the team players. The moderator then reads the first "toss-up" question. Any player may buzz in and respond to the question. If they are incorrect, any player on the other team may buzz in and answer the question. If neither team is correct, the answer is given and the next toss-up is given. If either team is correct, they recieve ten points and are read a four-part (usually) follow-up question. They have thirty seconds to talk amongst themselves about the answers to each part, and the captain writes them down so he/she can remember them. The other team may also confer during this time. Also, the team who answered the toss-up correctly may call time if they finish before thirty seconds have elapsed and force the other team to stop conferring as well. At the end of thirty seconds or whenever time is called, the captain of the team which answered the toss-up correctly will read their answers for the follow-up question. For each part they have correct, they receive five points (twenty maximum points). After fifteen toss-ups, a halftime is given, and then the final fifteen are read. At the end of thirty questions, the team with more points wins the match.

Questions can fall in many different categories - including History, Literature, Music, Mathematics, Earth Science, Biology, Driver's Ed, Home Economics, etc, etc, etc.