An ability to identify flags of the world was the common denominator for the winning teams at the Otago Daily Times Extra! current events quiz for Central Otago yesterday.
The quiz, which was hosted by Remarkables Primary School for the first time, involved 39 teams of three contesting the years 5 and 6 quiz, and 36 teams contesting the years 7 and 8 quiz.
Taking advantage of home ground advantage, the years 5 and 6 quiz was won by the Remarkables Primary School team 38 of Indy Hamilton, Sasha Key and Maddy Tulafono.
''We did not think we were going to win.''
However, the team had worked together well, excelling in the history round as well as the flags round, she said.
Holy Family Catholic School team 29 was second, while Queenstown Primary School team 3 and Arrowtown Primary School team 2 tied for third.
After 10 gruelling rounds, the years 7 and 8 quiz was settled by a solitary point.
After sitting in second place at the halfway stage, Queenstown Primary School team 17 finished strongly to pip the early pace-setter, St John's Primary School team 19, by one point to secure victory.
The team of Alivia Steele, Freddie Hore and Grace Farquhar finished with an impressive 98 points out of a possible 100.
Alivia and Grace credited Freddie for being the ''brains'' of the team, but conceded they had worked together well.
As well as the flag identification round, they had performed strongly in the map round.
It was a three-peat for Freddie, who was a member of winning teams at Extra! quizzes last year and in 2017.
For their efforts, they each won a crossword book, a pen and pad, sweets and a gift voucher.
The Holy Family Catholic School team 36 was third.
Extra! is a monthly educational publication produced by the Otago Daily Times for senior primary, intermediate and junior secondary school pupils.
- Full results here
