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Original poster

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

305 replies

pennypinchh · 21/11/2020 21:50

I am totally rubbish at all quiz shows, trying to play along on the couch and never know anything! But I don't understand why my family say I'm not that smart just because I don't know some obscure fact about the TV show Frasier, which I've never even seen! Has anyone else been shamed because of this?

OP posts:
devildeepbluesea · 21/11/2020 22:52

I don't agree. Granted, people who remember lots of stuff can do well but the really good quizzers are those who use lateral thinking to solve complex questions.

For example when I was a kid I watched Blackadder. There was a quiz in school, one question was "who wrote the first dictionary?". It wasn't explicitly mentioned but I was the only kid who guessed Samuel Johnson.

Another example, which countries make up the Benelux contingent? You may not know it, but a bit of brain work and you can work it out.

BogRollBOGOF · 21/11/2020 22:47

It's a specific type of intelligence, but not the be all and end all. I'm pretty good at that kind of knowledge. My degree was in a general subject. DH is hopeless at this kind of knowledge but is very technically minded and a specialist in a particular field. Both have their own values (his pay better though Grin )

RubyViolet · 21/11/2020 22:46

In that case isn’t retaining all knowledge just about memory ??

FudgeBrownie2019 · 21/11/2020 22:44

I don't agree OP, my DH is one of those trivia-whizz types and he's also the smartest person I've ever met. He just knows everything and can recall obscure facts instantly - he absorbs and retains new information like I absorb pasta.

DianaT1969 · 21/11/2020 22:32

Several skills are required in my opinion. Fast recall, being able to commit a lot of information to memory, being able to deduce answers by a process of (intelligent) elimination. Reasoning too.
Being exposed to lots of experiences, travel, film, music, literature, science and sport will broaden knowledge. Having a genuine interest in the world makes learning the facts easier. Being competitive will give you an edge.
If you don't read widely or pay interest to current affairs, culture and the world generally, then of course your scope of knowledge will be very limited.

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