Inkana7 wrote:I wasn't a fan of that Paris Sewers question. I reflex buzzed with "Paris" at the Haussman clue, and I'd guess that no one even bussed until the Les Miserables clues, as those early clues are extremely obscure, even for this level.
This also happened to me at the UTC mirror at the same point. After being prompted, I said "Les Champs Élysées, since at that point I had nothing better to guess. It was probably an ill-advised buzz, all in all, since Haussman (re)designed a lot of things in Paris. However, I agree that this was probably too hard. Perhaps a better idea (for conversion) might have been a question on "the cellars/catacombs of the Paris Opera House" from
The Phantom of the Opera.
Also, I think Denmark Vesey is ask-able at a national tournament, since those are designed to differentiate between the nation's top teams. However, I think it could have been written better. It seems like it could have benefited from a clue that I've heard a few times (and learned in class, courtesy of the SC Dept. of Education): that he purchased his freedom after winning $1500 in a lottery. Perhaps this isn't as well known as I think, but I've heard it come up, and it was always the point in those sets where I buzzed; and perhaps this is just my taste, but it stands out to me as a rather unique and interesting clue.