Participants had been winnowed down to five finalists before Malik Livingston finally won the Geography Bee in Round 7 on Monday at Lowther South Intermediate School.
Malik was the only student of the five who answered a question correctly during the final round.
The round ended when the last of the contestants could not answer: “Which country was not colonized by Spain — Peru, Colombia or Surinam?” The answer was Surinam.
“We’ve answered more questions correctly today than we ever have. We’ve never got to Round 7 before,” Principal Amy McAnarney said as she called Malik to the front of the stage to declare him the winner.
“I studied a little,” Malik admitted when McAnarney asked him what he had done to win the bee.
Malik will receive a medal and a certificate of participation. Certificates also will be given to the other participants.
Malik now is eligible to take a standard test in January to determine whether he qualifies to participate in the Kansas Geography Bee.
Questions for the competition were read by fifth-grade teacher Charlotte Rainsbarger who, remembering last year’s Bee, had brought along a carbonated beverage to help her keep her voice while reading through the several hundred questions needed before the competition ended.
The 32 original contestants — two from each Lowther fifth-grade class -— competed in front of their classmates, teachers, and families, who watched as the bee stretched on for almost an hour and a half. Initial rounds were double elimination, with students allowed two incorrect answers before being eliminated. The final round was single elimination.
“In the 8th century, the Moors conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula, including the City of Granada, which is in what modern-day country?” Rainsbarger asked a contestant as round six was drawing to a close.
“Gold and uranium are found in the Outback in the interior region of what country?”
“What country moved its capital from Istanbul to the more centrally located Ankara in the early 20th century?”
“In 1979, Islamic radicals seized more than 50 American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Tehran is the capital of what country?”
One by one, contestants began leaving the stage to join their classmates in the audience until only five students remained for round seven, which was ended after only five questions.
Other finalists were: Seki Anderson, Alex Coria, Niena Ramirez and Noah Wecker.
(Answers to the questions above are: Spain, Australia, Turkey, and Iran, respectively.)