28-04-2014
The fifth prelims of Omantel Times of Oman Inter School Quiz Contest (TOOISQC), with Indian School Sohar as the centre, saw a large turnout.
Students from Indian School Sohar and Pakistan School Sohar participated in the junior and senior categories of the quiz.
Quizmaster Lloyd Saldanha summed up the evening, noting, "The journey from Muscat to Sohar was well worth it. While we had good teams, we saw a great effort put out by the principal and her team, who not only had encouraged and helped the team's practice, but were also very nervous about their performance."
Regarding the teams, he said, "As for the participants in Sohar, both in the senior and junior categories, they had come prepared and were not willing to give much room to me with clues. They wanted me to ratify their answers on the spot, which showed a great deal of confidence in their preparation. I really do wish they continue with the same enthusiasm. I am sure they will surprise many at the mega prelims."
Praising the organisers of the inter-school quiz, Sanchita Verma, principal of Indian School Sohar, said, "The efforts by Times of Oman in evolving a quizzing culture and providing a platform for the same, is highly commendable. The level of quizzing was extraordinary.
"With the prelims over, all eyes are now set on the mega prelims. With our fingers crossed, we wish all the participants the very best of luck." Sanchita continued, "Schools these days offer a plethora of activities — debates, sports, cultural activities and quizzes. Whereas debates, declamation, and elocution inculcate the art of public speaking, sports fine tunes the physical abilities and cultural activities, bring forth the performing artist in the students. Quizzing contributes to the holistic and intellectual development. It takes the students out of the confines of the classroom, beyond curriculum."
Advising the students, she said, "We need to keep in touch with current affairs, without ignoring the past. They are also required to read, a wonderful habit which is on the decline."
She added that Indian School Sohar fully supported its students.
"To encourage, motivate and arouse interest, the school took the initiative and set up a special quiz corner in the library, as reading material was made available to students. A special facility was also provided in the e-library section. All this resulted in a substantial increase in the number of participants over last year," Sanchita noted.
"Apart from participants, others, too, benefit, as it sets a wave of discussion with friends, teachers and parents," the principal added.
Questions posed to junior teams included: 'Nippon is the indigenous name of which Asian country?' and, 'Which French boy, by the age of twenty, had devised a reading system for the blind while on a scholarship to learn music?' Seniors cracked answers to questions, such as 'Which apparel brand owned by Adidas gets its name from a small South African antelope with a woolly brownish-grey coat, a long slender neck, and short straight horns?' 'By which British monarch's name does the world know the water fall on Zambezi River in southern Africa called 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' by the native people?'
The prelims will be held at Pakistan School Muscat at 10 pm today. The winning school at the Times of Oman Inter School Quiz Contest (TOOISQC) will be awarded the Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali Rolling Trophy for their school. Omantel, the pioneer total communications solutions company, is presenting the TOOISQC.
List of successful mega prelims teams/contestants:
SENIOR CATEGORY- Indian School Sohar
The Parallax
Swapnil Gupta & Vignesh Ramkumar
The Incredibles
Aditya Bahdoo & Kaushal Kudale
'M' & 'N' the variables
Manas Vegi & Neeraj Prabhu
Absolute Zeros
Raunak Mokhasi & Abhinav Suresh
Smarty Pants
PIA Simone Menezes & S. Neha Reddy
The Dream Team
Shivani Arjun & Nikita Khare
Scary Scholars
Preetha Mani & Anushika Kulshreshtha
Swiftie Saints
Aiman Muzzammil Sayed & Muskaan Salim Tahsildar
JUNIOR CATEGORY - Indian School Sohar
The Incredibles
Shubbhangi Sinha & Aakarshee Jain
Sparkles
Ashwin V. K & Rohit S.L
Group Genius
Kalyani Bokil & Shipra Gudekar
The Icons
Ayush Sohani & M Umar Shariff
The Albert Einsteins
Reeve & Swithin
Mind Benders
J Shravan & Abel Philip Thomas
The Invincible
Sarthak Johari & Aaryan Dwivedi
Mind Blowers
Zaahira Yasmeen & Arun V.K
Le Quizarables
Akhila Ficel & Sanjana Sajiv Kumar
The Newton
Aryan Bhadoo & Stuti Ray
Brain Teasers
Aakansha Patodia & Aditi Ray
Mind Bogglers
Saumya Anurag & Gowri Namratha
Star Minds
Jai C Shah & Ajmal Ameer
Multiple Scorers
Mukund Vegi & Deep Antala
