Where the Sidewalk Starts
We're All in This to Get There
The End is Nearish
Next Year in Futurism
Call of Duty-Free
100
What are these types of car-centered garage houses called?
Snout houses
100
What is this chart for project management called?
Harmonogram
100
What was the first "climate tipping point" we reached in late 2025? (Hint: this is about a certain thing in nature that is now officially dying beyond repair)
Coral reef diebacks
100
What is the Kola Superdeep Borehole?
Deepest human-made hole on Earth (12,000 meters) made by USSR during the Cold War
100
What is the name of the oldest hotel in the world? (Clue: it's in Japan!)
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705
200
According to car-obsessed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, what is a "carport"?
A carport was "a minimalist automotive shelter", typically roofed and open-sided. Meant to be an alternative to the cluttered garage
200
What is this poor abandoned project called, and where is it located?
Wonderland Amusement Park | China
200
What is this, and why was it significant in 2008?
Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator was completed in 2008. People thought it was going to create a black hole that would absorb the Earth
200
Fill in the blank: Two humans that want to live a thousand years are the presidents of China and Russia. In September 2025, they were overheard talking about using ________ to extend their lives indefinitely.
Organ transplants
200
If a young European lad was to embark on the "Grand Tour of Europe", where would that journey typically start?
In London crossing the English Channel
300
What is downtown LA's "Grand Park", and what is its goal?
A former 12-acre parking lot that was transformed into "The Park for Everyone"; connecting various important cultural sites & buildings together
300
Explain this Iron Triangle in relation to project management.
You can do something faster, but it’ll cost more or be smaller in scale. You can do something bigger, but it’ll take more time or cost more. You can do something more cheaply, but it’ll end up slower or smaller.
300
What is this art piece titled, who is it by, and what (or should I say who?) does it depict?
Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ (1498): Death, Famine, War and Plague
300
What is "Q-Day"?
"Quantum Apocalypse" - when one day quantum computers are SO good that they will be able to uncrypt all your encrypted data (AKA your banking transactions + purposes)
300
Give at least three reasons/causes as to why mass tourism occurs (not just tourism, MASS tourism). Saying something along the lines of "tourism is fun" doesn't count.
Your answer should be based on the BBC article in the curriculum, but if you manage to logic it out, that's good too.
Improvements in transportation, purposely-built resorts/spas/holiday camps, increased in paid time off-work, enhanced standard of living + more disposable income, travel ads, cheap package holiday budget deals, tour reps that make touring less stressful, etc.
400
What are the two unique features about this parking lot? Where is it located?
This is the 9th Avenue Parkade in Calgary, Canada.
Instead of an expensive ramp spiral, it was designed to be one really long oval which makes it much cheaper + convertible. It can also be (and just might!) be converted to an office or residential building, while still allowing car access.
400
Describe what Taylorism and its four principles are.
Engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor's views on scientific management.
“The principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each [employee].”
The four principles:
- Develop a science for each element of work
- Scientifically Select, Train, Teach, and Develop the worker
- Cooperate with the Worker
- Divide the Work and Responsibility [between management and workers]
400
What is this art piece called + who made it, and why do you think it got its title?
Apocalypse '42 by Viktor Schreckengost
"I've always felt that you can say more with one vivid cartoon than you can with a lot of heavy words." => commentary on the Axis regime mid-WW2
400
In Silicon Valley, there is a popular three-step mantra regarding improving AI models. What are these three steps?
- First, increase the model size. This entails adding more layers or nodes so the system learns far more parameters (the internal variables that encode knowledge).
- Second, increase the amount of training data. By feeding the model more examples, it can learn more patterns.
- Third, increase the amount of computing power, known in the industry as ‘compute’. This involves using more and faster chips during training, allowing the model to learn from the data more effectively.
400
Why do some historians argue that a "Golden Age of Travel" has never existed, specifically in the context of airplanes, despite transportation technology having advanced so much in the last several decades?
Record levels of delays (too many planes), post-9/11 security is insane, cutting costs (making planes more uncomfortable/cutting everything from legroom to Internet to food, etc). However, this has always been an issue (conditions have always been bad), but back in the past, people didn't complain because the simple act of flying was a marvel. Today, people are used to it, so complaining is a given...
500
List at least three reasons why moving sidewalks never became popular.
Expensive, safety concerns, logistical concerns, too slow, maintenance issues, etc.
500
Explain what the pareto principle is, and provide a real-life example.
The Pareto Principle, also known as the “80/20” rule, states that for many events, roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of the causes.
Examples:
- Working excessively long hours =/ maximal productivity
- 80% of profits come from 20 % of the products or services a company sells.
- Fixing the top 20 % of the most reported bugs in a software program also eliminates 80 % of related errors and crashes.
- Wearing 20 % of one’s clothes 80 % of the time
500
Describe The Book of Revelation's message and its significance in the context of the WSC curriculum.
The Book of Revelation ("The Apocalypse") focuses on the end of the world, urging people not to succumb to moral complacency and using their fear that this year might be our last to make better choices in the future.
Inspired a lot of great art!
500
How did college instructor Will Teague cleverly find out that his students were using AI in their assignments? What percentage of students were found using AI?
39%; essay prompt had hidden text that asked students to analyze the book "Gabriel's Rebellion" “from a Marxist perspective” even though the book had nothing to do with Marxism
500
Define the following types of tourism:
heritage tourism | ecotourism | gastrotourism | agritourism | voluntourism | edutourism | dark tourism
Heritage tourism: tourism centered around the exploration and appreciation of a region's cultural, historical and environmental heritage
Ecotourism: tourism intended to help conserve the natural environment / minimize human impacts
Gastrotourism: tourism centered on experiencing food and beverages!
Agritourism: tourism focused on agriculture & farming by attracting visitors to farms + ranches
Voluntourism: tourism focused on volunteer work, usually people from developed countries going to developing nations
Edutourism: tourism focused on education, like study abroad programs, cultural exchange programs, etc
Dark tourism: tourism focused on travelling to places historically associated with death/tragedy