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Please Note: These are not official Odyssey of the Mind Spontaneous problems but are supplied here as training tools for improving teams' spontaneous skills. Official practice problems can be found if you purchase the books of spontaneous problems and sample problems can also be found on the Odyssey of Mind website.

Current verbal challenge:

Sun-clouds.jpg.webp

Let there be light!

Your challenge is to give a response that uses different types of light.

You will have one minute of think time and four minutes to respond.

You are not allowed to talk to each other at any time.

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There are 35 tokens in front of you. Before each response, you will place a token in the container on the table.

 

You can respond in any sequence. You may give responses until the team no longer has any tokens or until time ends, whichever occurs first. Each team member may give as many or as few responses as they wish, until the cards run out.

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Questions count against your thinking time.

 

Your challenge is to give a response that uses different types of light

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For example you might say, “Sunlight" or  "Lightweight"

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Before you respond, you must place a token in the container. (Demonstrate to team.)

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Judges:

Place 35 tokens within reach of the team.

Place a container in the center of the table.

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Scoring:

Common answers will receive 1 point.

Creative answers will receive 5 points.

You will be finished when response time ends or you have used all of your tokens.

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Tips for Teams:

Tokens left on the table are lost points!! 

Any response will be given a score whether the response is judged as being common or creative.

Usually in verbal the team will not be given a count down to the # of minutes left so the team should ask what time is remaining.  That way they can judge how many tokens remain and how many quick responses they need to give in order to receive as many points as possible.

Is the team stuck?  Look around the room for ideas. Build upon a previous response. 

If a response is repeated a common score will be given.  No more ‘repeat response, please try again!’ from the judges.

Speak loudly and clearly.

Before making a response team members should: pick up a token - hold it high - put it in the container - then give a response.  This alerts the judges as well as the other team members so they don’t all give a response at once. If the token is placed in the container before giving a response - that isn’t a problem but a response must be given.

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