The Knowledge Master Open (commonly known as Knowledge Masters or KMO) was a computer-based semiannual worldwide academic competition produced by
Academic Hallmarks
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
. During KMO competitions, teams of students from many
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...
s earned points by answering multiple-choice questions quickly and accurately. The questions included fifteen subject areas: American history, world history, government, recent events, economics & law, geography, literature, English, math, physical science, biology, earth science, health & psychology, fine arts, and useless trivia.
The competition started in 1983 with 74 schools. In 2009, there were about 45,000 participants from over 3,000 high schools and middle schools in the U.S. and other countries. The last contest occurred in April 2013. Over the 30 years of KMO competition, more than 2.4 million students participated.
There were five levels of competition. Fifth and sixth grade contests were held in January and March and consisted of 100 questions. Middle school (up to grade 8), junior high (up to grade 9), and high school (up to grade 12) contests were held in December and April and consisted of 200 questions.
The Academic Hallmarks and Knowledge Masters mascot is a
great auk with an affinity for
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
s.
Rules and scoring
Each participating school received a password-protected disk (originally a floppy disk, later a CD-ROM) containing the contest questions. Only the first use of the password would generate a valid score report for submission to Academic Hallmarks. Team size was left to each individual school's discretion.
All questions were multiple-choice, with a maximum value of 10 points each. Each question and its category were displayed on screen, with five choices and a 60-second timer. A correct answer on the first try awarded five points, with up to five bonus points depending on the response time. If time expired or an incorrect response was given, the timer was reset to 60 seconds and the team was given a second chance to answer.
Students prep for a quiz they like
, ''Ann Arbor News'', March 23, 2009 – accessed May 19, 2009 Two points were awarded for a correct second-chance response, with no bonus.
Bonus points were awarded for correct first-try answers as follows:
The maximum potential score was 1,000 points (5th/6th grade) or 2,000 points (middle school and up), attainable by answering every question correctly on the first try and in less than 7 seconds each.
Teams could take up to three 5-minute breaks during the contest. They could use pencil and paper, but no other resources such as calculators or reference books, and assistance from coaches or spectators was not allowed.
Once a particular contest was over, the participating schools could use a second password to unlock the questions for unlimited use in practice sessions.
See also
* Knowledge Bowl
Knowledge Bowl is the name for several interdisciplinary academic quiz bowl-like competitions across the United States and the world. The questions for many Knowledge Bowl competitions are supplied by the Academic Hallmarks company of Durango, ...
References
{{reflist
GreatAuk.com
the official Academic Hallmarks website.
Educational games
Student quiz competitions
Semiannual events
Education competitions in the United States