Tennessee 4-H History Bowl

Mrs. Janet Cluck, retired County Director and Extension Agent in Dickson County, is the donor for the State 4-H History Bowl awards. We thank her for the continuous support of this great competition!

  1. Each county may select two members, who are State 4-H Congress delegates, to participate in the regional Tennessee History Bowl elimination.
  2. Each region may select two members to participate in the State Tennessee History Bowl.
  3. All questions to be used in the Tennessee History Bowl will come from sources listed under Study Help.

This contest will consist of two parts:

Part I

  1. There will be a pool of 12 questions with each team having the opportunity to answer four questions each without any competition from the other teams.
  2. The questions will be rotated between the regions. For example, the Western Region will have one question, then the Central Region, and the Eastern Region until all regions have had the opportunity to answer a question for a total of 12 questions.
  3. A correct answer is worth 10 points, and an incorrect answer will result in 10 points deducted from the team’s score. There is no penalty for an unanswered question.
  4. After the question is read, the team will have five seconds to answer.
  5. Scores earned in Part I will be added to scores earned in Part II to determine the winner.

Part II

  1. Each team will be seated at a table with a signal box. When a question is asked, the first team to press its signal button will have the opportunity to answer the question. The team whose signal light is activated will have the opportunity to answer the question even if another team answers without their signal light lit. After one signal button is pressed, no other signal will register. Be sure your signal is lit before providing an answer.
  2. The team with the activated signal will have five seconds to give an answer. Either member of the team may press the signal button and either may answer the question, but it would be wise for one team member to be sure of the answer before flashing the signal.
  3. If the signal button is pressed before the question is completed, that team must answer with no further information given.
  4. Correct answers are worth 10 points each. An incorrect answer or failure to answer after a team has turned on its signal light will take 10 points from a team’s score. There will be no partial credit for a question.
  5. A team that has negative 50 points will be eliminated from the contest.
  6. The contest will continue until one team has either scored 200 points or the 30-minute timeframe has been reached, whichever comes first.
  7. If two or more teams are tied when time is up, a question will be asked to break the tie (other teams are not eligible).
  8. Scores will be kept digitally and projected onto the screen for the audience to see.

The two individuals making up the state-winning History Bowl team will receive engraved plaques and a $50 cash award. All other participants will receive a $25 cash award.

Western Region:

  • Cruz Martinez, Obion County
  • Paige Temple, Madison County
  • Alternate: Alexandria Foster, Hardeman County

Central Region:

  • Jalyn Baker, Giles County
  • Emily Chamberlin, Robertson County

Eastern Region:

  • Alyssa Hatcher, Jefferson County
  • Lyla Finch, Jefferson County
  • Alternate: Jackson Hall, Jefferson County

4-H History Bowl Bibliography

  1. 4-H Tennessee Tradition. Knoxville, Tennessee: State 4-H Office, 1987
  2. Tennessee Blue Book. Nashville, Tennessee: Secretary of State, Capitol Building, Nashville, Tennessee 37219. 
  3. Tennessee State Symbols, Simbeck, Rob, Altheus Press, Nashville. (Available in most book stores and public libraries.)
  4. Current events in Tennessee (daily newspapers, etc.) 
  5. Tennessee State Homepage

History Bowl Sample Questions

  • Who is the University of Tennessee Vice President for Agriculture?
  • What is the name of Andrew Jackson’s home near Nashville?
  • What is the only county in Tennessee named for a woman?
  • Who designed our State Capitol?
  • Give the names and home towns of our two US senators.
  • Who is the most recent Tennessean to be a candidate for president of the United States?
  • Who wrote the song “Rocky Top?”
  • Each governor of Tennessee has been a member of one of three different political parties. What party other than the Democratic and Republican parties did some of our governors belong to?
  • Who was the only person to serve as governor of the state of Franklin?
  • Where in Tennessee was the first newspaper in the United States devoted to ending slavery published?
  • Who established the first 4-H Clubs in Gibson County?
  • What was the first name of Tennessee’s Collegiate 4-H program?
  • What Tennessee town was the first in the United States to be named for George Washington’s wife?
  • What is the name of the professional organization for Tennessee 4-H agents?
  • Who was the first native born Tennessee governor?
  • Eight counties are not named for men – name at least five of these.
  • Who is the chief executive of Tennessee? (name)
  • Who is the speaker of the Tennessee Senate?
  • How many justices are there on the Tennessee Supreme Court?
  • What is a governor’s “power of veto?”