To think general knowledge quiz shows do not give a measure of intelligence, just of memorisation skills?

(Marmalade has been used for centuries to help with seasickness - that's what the word means. It comes from the French mer malade)

Mine of useless information, me

The R in Denmark, is it Rodkilde?

chomalungma- yes, I agree, failing formal education in Latin and Greek (!), general knowledge about Classical roots helps you deduce a lot. That comes from wide reading, nowadays.

There is no definition of intelligence. Even IQ tests don't actually give a level of intelligence, psychologists can't agree on what it actually is. So I think you're correct in saying it doesn't necessarily indicate intelligence levels, it depends what you're defining intelligence as.

And yes, despite my aphasia I rattle out the missing vowels round.

Pissed off that nigella has ousted only connect from its slot. I have stuff that I need to be doing at 7:30 and can't make my brain shuffle it all around.

I think intelligence is about connecting the dots, but that's not much good unless you have steady points of reference, which is where general knowledge comes in

That's why I like it on some shows when they eliminate answers using their knowledge.

Or use their Greek / Latin knowledge to rule words in / out. Or to deduce words.

But you'll have come across such facts and information through reading, watching certain TV programmes, following the news, magazines, life in general.

I am lucky and have done a lot of travelling. I have been to most of the cities mentioned in Pointless tonight. Except the 'R' in Denmark which really bugged me as we drove past it last year.

That really helps with general knowledge

I am fairly good at quizzes, I seem to have a dustbin mind and can usually access things quickly but that has to do with amount I read and an ability to retain stuff rather than formal education.

It does amaze me when people don't know basic stuff, I often hear a contestant saying That subject's not my strong point, and the person asking the questions has a look on their face that says I'd like to know what are your strong points!
One of my favourites was Who was shot in Dallas in November 1963 and the reply was JR Ewing.

It's not so much knowing facts, as connecting the facts.

So going by the example above, you might know a few cities in Spain, you might know a few different types of citrus fruit.
But intelligence is linking the bits knowledge you have and disregarding things that don't fit, according to different pieces of knowledge. Eg it probably isnt limes, because traditional Spanish cooking doesnt feature limes and any country's traditional food is about the stuff that is found in abundance and is cheap.
But you might have heard of Seville oranges, seen them sold around Christmas time and Seville is a city in Spain.

I think intelligence is about connecting the dots, but that's not much good unless you have steady points of reference, which is where general knowledge comes in.

True about success being linked to how old you are - if you ask me about a TV show that was famous in the 80s, I won't know but my mum will

That's why a good Chase team often needs a younger contestant.

Do people think the Chasers are intelligent - or do they just have very good general knowledge?

Does anyone remember the Pointless contestant who, upon being asked 'Name a country that ends in a double consonant ...' said 'Paris'?

And the look on her teammates face.

I like problem solving TV shows - such as the Crystal Maze. They show a different type of intelligence.

Not knowing is not shameful, but sometimes the answers offered by contestants are hilarious, and a little shameful. A few of my favourites:

Q: Name a two-word space on the standard Monopoly board.
A: Fenchurch Street Station.

Q: On which street did Sherlock Holmes live?
A: Er...
Q: I'll give you a clue - He makes bread.
A: Er...
Q: Another clue - He makes cakes.
A: Kipling Street

Q: What's 11 squared?
A: I don't know.
Q: I'll give you a clue - It's two ones with a two in the middle.
A: Is it five?

Q: How long did the Six Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
A: 14 days

Q: What happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963?
A: I don't know, I wasn't watching it then.

Q: In which direction do the hands of a clock travel?
A: Anti-clockwise

Q: In science, what is botany the study of?
A: Bottoms

Q: In sport, the name of which famous racehorse was the word 'murder' spelt backwards?
A: Shergar

@pennypinchh You AIBU is another one of those situations that are, like most, not mutually exclusive.

In other words, General Knowledge is both a measure of intelligence skills and memory. The world is complex - like a multi-faceted cut crystal - and intelligence can be proven in infinite ways. A crystal can be cut infinitely.

For example, meeting a hundred people at a wedding and remembering their names and faces are two distinct skills, not one. Some people can combine both and get a 100% success rate. Then again two people of equal intelligence might not perform as well as the other if one met a hundred people at the races and another met a hundred people at church. That's just luck on the day.

There are some people who can not only remember their faces and names, but pretty much tell what they do for a living, what political party they vote for and what their biggest fear is. I have seen it done before in a 'Derren Brown' style, but without the showbiz background, these are just people adapting to their environment. That intelligence is a mix of genes, training and circumstance. When that is all blended with life experiences then you have an intelligence that is extremely honed. There are a couple of famous people I would put in that category, some CEOs of large businesses who I know, and very many people who are successful in discrete ways but whom you would never ever guess were intelligent because it is difficult to measure.

General knowledge is a good measure of intelligence, though its an indirect link. General knowledge is usually derived from having varied interests, reading a lot, watching factual tv etc. And then absorbing the info. Memory and retention helps too. But having an interest in those subjects goes hand in hand with some level of intelligence. You don’t have to be Einstein to listen to the infinite monkey cage on Radio 4 but then again you must possess some intelligence to be interested in absorbing that information in the first place.

I think you already need to know a fair bit to even have an inkling of how to swot up for such a show.

I love Only Connect. The wall is a high point of my week

I got the 'fibre' connection before they did last week.

Very pleased with myself