Many of the strong hunters are blessed with the ability to analyse hunt questions to arrive at the answers without the need to be in the question sectors. Then when they do finally reached the sectors, all they need to do is to spot the signboards to confirm their answers. Having had the opportunities to ride along with Hunters "R" Us, I knew for a fact that they most definitely have such an ability. So I thought perhaps I should give them something different in my KK Challenge 4.
Q19) Nolte, the star of The Prince of Tides, fell inside?
Another question which was "reserved for the CoC". A quick googling via all those expensive cellphones, or by those "extra hunters" waiting by the internet-connected desktops at home, will reveal that we're looking for NICK (Nolte). I made the search even easier by giving the title of the movie.
Then the words "fell inside" should also be quite easy to figure out—the solver is supposed to take only the letters found inside the word "fell", i.e. EL.
And so the great hunt analyst will be pleased to derive NICK + EL = NICKEL, long before he arrives at the question sector. Because I have given the title of the movie, there is not even the possibility of another person with the same surname, Nolte.
But just imagine his reaction when he finds no NICKEL within that sector, even after combing each and every singboard there. So he is forced to think out of the box—perhaps look for NI, which is the chemical symbol for NICKEL. Perhaps he tries many other possibilities too, but still nothing. Now what?
When I arrived at the question sector, I saw 2 members of Hunters "R" Us on foot. The sun was scorching hot. One of them asked me: "Is this one of the reserved for the CoC?" I laughed out loud and replied in the affirmative.
NICKEL, apart from the mineral, is also a specific name given to a monetery value for a coin in the USA, i.e. 5¢. When we say, "the candy costs a Nickel", it means that the candy costs 5¢. The required answer:
A19) 5¢ (photocopy services) @ Global Enterprise
I am sure that many teams must have been searching high and low for NICKEL within that sector. But maybe they all forgot to check the dictionary to find other possible meanings for that word. And so, in the end this question was unsolved.
However, I'd like to point out that Hunters "R" Us did offer another answer—which I did not accept—worth mentioning here:
A19) Klinik Cawangan Penampang @ HF Kumpulan Perubatan Elektronik
After the hunt, I had a short discussion with the team members of Hunters "R" Us; and they gave me the explanation for their answer. According to them, the word "fell" can qualify as an anagram indicator; the "inside" is a container indicator. So they have interpreted my clue as seeking for the word NICK. Then anagram that word before inserting the resulting word into the answer. In such a way, they considered the answer "KliNIK Cawangan Penampang @ Kumpulan..." as correct too, because the jumbled-up NICK is found between "Klinik" and "Cawangan". They said this has been adopted in hunt questions in the west.
I must say that I'm a bit surprised. I think if indeed that is true, then we haven't been consistent in our approach. To borrow Michael Pang's expression, I would say the above solution, if not illegal, is at least not elegant.
When I first started to set hunt questions, I used to have the habit to choose one or two words from multiple-worded signboards too. But now, after going through many lengthy hunt discussions, I tend to agree to the view that we should account for all the words, except for Sdn Bhd, Enterprise and the likes. Therefore, I don't think it is elegant to ignore the remaining word, PENAMPANG in the intended answer.
It is different if we have something like this:
Q) Door opener found within
A) STICK NO BILL
Because all the 3 words in the answer play their respective roles to cover the word KNOB. But can we still accept that answer if the question is, say:
Q) Confused Nick in here
Meaning we're ignoring the remaining word, BILL. If it is true that it is an accepted practice in the west, then I must say that instead of Nick gettintg confused, I am the one getting confused now!
Any suggestions? Let's hear it from the masters and grandmasters.
No comments:
Post a Comment