Q: I am sometimes taken aback by the fact that contestants know the answers to some of the “Jeopardy!” questions. Do they have any literature to study prior their appearance on the show?
—Joyce Lyle, Jonesboro
A: Former contestants and champions suggest watching "Jeopardy!" constantly to get to know the categories and then to read and study as much as possible leading up to an appearance on the show.
“ ‘Jeopardy!’ can ask you questions on literally any subject from the entire history of all human knowledge, ever,” past champion Ken Jennings wrote at ken-jennings.com. “This makes it a little bit hard to cram. That said, there are topics that, ‘Jeopardy!’ fans know, come up time and again on the show: U.S. presidents, world capitals, Shakespeare, and so on.”
Jennings wrote that he also focused on learning about alcoholic drinks for the “Potent Potables” category.
Jared Hall, another former champ, told the Daily Texan: “I used a reference book, I used different trivia guides, I made flashcards and I read a lot of Wikipedia articles,” to prepare for his 2013 appearance on the show.
“Given the right resources and the right mindset, it’s quite possible to gain an edge through studying. On every episode I played, I knew at least a handful of responses as a direct result of my preparations,” he wrote at mic.com.
Several books about “Jeopardy!” are available from online retailers.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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