The range of quiz show difficulty can be wide. Compare these questions from the current Fox TV program, "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" and those from the classic "GE College Bowl" game.

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

	Host Jeff Foxworthy with fifth graders, from left, Kyle, Jacob, Alana, Spencer and Laura from Fox's new game show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Click photo for larger image.

1. True or False? A dolphin is a fish.

2. What is the plural form of this word: moose? (mooses, meese, moose).

3. In the Constitution, how long must you have lived in the United States to become president? (5 years, 10 years, 14 years).

4. Between 1 and 100, how many multiples of 9 are odd numbers? (6, 9, 10).

5. Entomologists primarily study what? (volcanoes, energy sources, insects).

6. The Mediterranean island of Corsica is part of what European country? (Spain, France, Italy).

7. What is the official currency of Puerto Rico? (Peso, Puerto Rican dollar, U.S. dollar).

Answers: 1. False 2. Moose 3. 14 years. 4. Six 5. Insects. 6. France 7. U.S. dollar

GE College Bowl

Toss-Ups (Contestants could buzz in whenever they knew the answer)

1. He is said to have slept with a copy of Homer under his pillow. At 18, he commanded part of the king's army, and at 20 he became king himself. At 22 he started the conquest of Persia and at the height of his power his realm stretched from the Ionian Sea to northern India. For 10 points, who was he?

2. Brazil and Argentina are the two largest in size of the South American countries. For 10 points, what country is third?

3. For 10 points, name the novelist who wrote "Cat's Cradle," "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," and the best seller "Slaughterhouse- Five."

4. For 10 points, in the Northern Hemisphere, during which one of the four seasons is the sun nearest the Earth?

Bonus questions (Team members could confer on these)

1. In American political history, two men have been nominated for president three times by major political parties but were never elected. For 10 points apiece, name these two three-time losers.

2. For 10 points apiece, name these plays by Aristophanes:

A. The play that is a literary satire in which Aeschylus and Euripides bear the brunt of the attack.

B. The play that makes fun of the Sophists, in which Socrates is unmercifully caricatured.

C. The comedy that offers a hilarious prescription for ending the Peloponnesian War.

3. St. George slew the dragon and David killed Goliath. For 5 points apiece:

A. Who slew the monster called Grendel?

B. What killer killed Cormoran?

C. Who slew the Nemean lion?

D. Who slew the monster Fafnir?

4. Lavoisier formulated a famous theory of combustion and Thorstein Veblen wrote "The Theory of the Leisure Class." For 10 points apiece:

A. What economist wrote "The Theory of Moral Sentiments"?

B. Name either of the co-authors of "The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior."

Toss-Up Answers

1. Alexander the Great or Alexander III 2. Peru 3. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4. Winter (Though the sun is nearest the Earth during winter, the Northern Hemisphere receives less sunlight than in summer because the Earth's axis is tipped away from the sun.)

Bonus Answers

1. Henry Clay; William Jennings Bryan. 2. (A) "The Frogs" (B) "The Clouds" (C) "Lysistrata" 3. (A) Beowulf (B) Jack the Giant Killer (C) Hercules or Heracles (D) Siegfried or Sigurd. 4. (A) Adam Smith (B) John von Neumann or Oskar Morgenstern

Sources: Fox TV; "College Bowl Quiz Book," Carol Nasr, 1971.