Articles in Answers

[ChrisFromGCity]

Ok so I need to get this resolved by someone who knows what they're talking about.
The way I understand it, in NAQT rules (unsure about other formats) if there is an article at the beginning of a title, it can be omitted and the answer is still correct. (I.e."Time Machine" is correct for The Time Machine) I was under the impression that the inverse of that is true: if a title doesn't have an article at the beginning of its title, saying "the" before it is still technically correct even though you look like an idiot. So like six months ago I was in a practice at my school, there was a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest question and I buzzed and said "The.... One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?" and my teammates counted me wrong. Can someone straighten me out? Am I just an idiot? I really need closure on this.

[jonah]

NAQT Correctness Guideline C.4 covers this:

Titles of works must be exact, except that leading articles may be omitted (e.g., Misérables is acceptable for Les Misérables). All words other than leading articles must be correct (e.g., Bridge of San Luis Rey is acceptable, but Bridge over San Luis Rey is not.) Rarely will subtitles or working titles be accepted for the published title.

If an incorrect leading article is used, the response is incorrect (e.g., A Bridge of San Luis Rey is not acceptable.)

Insertion of a leading article before a title where none exists will not invalidate a response (e.g., The San Francisco Chronicle for San Francisco Chronicle), so long as no other ambiguity is introduced (e.g., Invisible Man by H. G. Wells is acceptable; The Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison is not.)

(Follow the link to see it with better formatting.)

"The One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next" should be acceptable for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

[ChrisFromGCity]

Ok fantastic, that's exactly what I thought. Thanks!