WORLD SCHOLARS CUP 2025 QUESTIONS
AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
WhatvisvoddvaboutvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vSleptvforv100vyearsvandvyetvwokevupvwithvnovimpactvwhatsoevervtovhisvhealth.
WhovisvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vAvDutchvAmericanvvillagervlivingvinvthevCatskillvMountainsvwithvhisvwifevandvchildren.vHevisv
avfictionalvcharacter.
WherevdidvRipvVanvWinklevfirstvappear?v-vAnswerv-
vInv1819vinvavcollectionvcalledv"ThevSketchvBookvofvGeoffreyvCrayon,vGent"vbyvauthorvWas
hingtonvIrving.
WhatvhappenedvtovRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vHevwandersvintovthevmountainsvwithvhisvdog,vWolf.vHevencountersvavgroupvofvoddlyvdresse
dvmenvplayingvninepins.vHevdrinksvsomevofvtheirvalcoholvandvfallsvintovavdeepvsleep.
WhatvisvthevmessagevofvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vIt'svoftenvseenvasvavcommentaryvonvthevpassagevofvtimevandvthevchangesvbroughtvaboutvb
yvthevAmericanvRevolution.
Howvhasvlifevchangedvbetweenv1825vtov1925?v-vAnswerv-
vTechnologicalvadvancesvlikevrailwaysvandvtelephones,vincreasedvurbanization,vandvmove
mentsvforvlaborvandvwomen'svrights.vDemocraticvreformsvexpanded,vcolonialvempiresvgrew
,vandvmedicalvsciencevimprovedvhealth.vGlobalvtradevexpandedvdespitevchallengesvlikevthe
vGreatvDepression.
Howvhasvlifevchangedvbetweenv1925vtovnow?v-vAnswerv-
vTechnologyvlikevthevinternetvandvsmartphonesvrevolutionizedvlife.vCivilvrightsvmovementsv
promotedvequality.vSpacevexploration,vmedicalvadvances,vandvenvironmentalvawarenessv
grew.
Reignitev-vAnswerv-
vTovgivevtovlifevorvenergyvtovsomeonevorvsomething;vtovignitevorvcausevtovignitevagain.
,Burningvupv-vAnswerv-
vItvcanvmeanvyou'revveryvhot,veithervduevtovphysicalvexertionvorvfever.vItvcanvalsovbevusedvm
etaphoricallyvtovdescribevsomeonevwhovisvveryvexcitedvorvpassionatevaboutvsomething.
Burningvdownv-vAnswerv-
vThisvgenerallyvrefersvtovthevdestructionvofvsomethingvbyvfire,vusuallyvavbuilding.
Burningvwithv-vAnswerv-
vThisvphrasevisvoftenvusedvmetaphoricallyvtovdescribevavstrongvfeelingvorvemotion.
EzravKleinv-vAnswerv-
vAmericanvjournalist,vpoliticalvcommentator,vandvpodcastvhost.vHevwasvbornvonvMayv9,v198
4,vinvIrvine,vCalifornia.vHevisvcurrentlyvavcolumnistvforvThevNewvYorkvTimesvandvthevhostvofv
ThevEzravKleinvShowvpodcast.vHevco-foundedvVox.
SamvAltmanv-vAnswerv-
vAnvAmericanventrepreneurvandvinvestor,vbestvknownvasvthevCEOvofvOpenAI,vthevartificialvi
ntelligencevcompanyvbehindvChatGPT.vBornvonvAprilv22,v1985,vinvChicago,vIllinois,vAltman
vco-foundedvOpenAIvinv2015vandvhasvbeenvavleadingvfigurevinvthevAIvindustry.
Moore'svLawv-vAnswerv-
vStatesvthatvthevnumbervofvtransistorsvonvavmicrochipvdoublesveveryvtwovyears,vmakingvco
mputersvfastervandvcheaper.
SamvAltman'svinterviewvwithvEzravKleinv-vAnswerv-
vSamvAltmanvdiscussesvhowvAIvcouldvmakeveverythingvbettervandvcheaper,vbutvalsovwarnsv
ofvjobvlossesvandvwealthvconcentration.vHevsuggestsvresponsiblevmanagementvandvpolitic
alvmeasuresvlikevwealthvtaxesvtovensurevfairvdistributionvofvbenefits.
PurposevofvAltman'svessayv-vAnswerv-
vTovdesignvavsystemvthatvembracesvourvtechnologicalvfuturevandvtaxesvthevassetsvthatvwillv
makevupvmostvofvthevvaluevinvthatvworld-companiesvandvland-
invordervtovfairlyvdistributevsomevofvthevcomingvwealth.
ThevAIvRevolutionv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vWevareventeringvthevfourthvtechnologicalvrevolutionv(informationvage)vaftervagricultural,vind
ustrialvandvcomputational.vMorevprogressvwillvbevmadevinvthevnextv100vyearsvthanvanyvprog
ressvupvtovthisvpoint.
,Moore'svLawvforvEverythingv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vAltmanvpredictsvthatvthanksvtovAI,vwevwillvreachvavpointvwhenveverythingvisvgettingv50%vch
eaperveveryv2vyears.
CapitalismvforvEveryonev(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vSamvAltmanvpredictsvthatvtaxingvincomevwillvbecomevineffectivevasvAIvtransformsvthevecon
omy.vHevproposesvavnationalvequityvfund,vfundedvbyvtaxingvlargevcompanies'vcapitalvandvpr
ivatelyvheldvland,vandvdistributingvitvtovallvcitizensvoverv18.
ImplementationvandvTroubleshootingv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vTenvyearsvaftervthevequityvfund'svimplementation,veachvAmericanvcitizenvwouldvreceivev$1
3,500vannually.vHevbelievesvthisvamountvwillvprovidevgreatervpurchasingvpowervduevtovdecr
easedvprices.
ShiftingvtovthevNewvSystemv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vAvgradualvimplementation vofvthevproposedvtaxesvonvcapitalvandvland,vtiedvtovGDPvgrowth.v
Hevbelievesvthisvapproachvwillvmakevpolicymakersvpopularvandvconcludes,v"Thevfuturevcan
vbevalmostvunimaginablyvgreat."
Author'svopinionvonvAltman'svessayv-vAnswerv-
vTheyvwishvhevprovidedvmorevconcretevexamplesvofvAIvbenefits.vTheyvfeelvhisvproposalvisvv
aguevandvhavevconcernsvaboutvincomevcomparisonsvandvAI-
drivenvcostvreductions.vTheyvthinkvhevshouldvmakevavstrongervcasevforvAI'svpotentialvbenefi
tsvovervrisks.
MichaelvCrawfordv-vAnswerv-
vEnglishvactorvandvsinger,vbestvknownvforvhisvrolesvinvSomevMothersvDov'Avev'EmvandvThev
PhantomvofvthevOpera.
CountingvUpvTovTwentyv(MichaelvCrawford)v-vAnswerv-
vAvsongvbyvMichaelvCrawfordvfromvhisvalbumvEFX,vwhichvwasvthevoriginalvcastvalbumvforvhi
svhitvVegasvshowvofvthevsamevname.vThevsongvisvavwhimsicalvandvreflectivevtunevthatvtalksv
aboutvovercomingvchallengesvandvlookingvforwardvtovavbrightervfuture.
Trump'svverbalvticv-vAnswerv-
vInvanvinterviewvwithvpodcastervEzravKlein,vTrumpvrepeatedvthevphrasev"manyvpeoplevarevs
aying...".vKleinvdoesvnotvbelievevthisvtovbevanveffectvofvoldvage.
WhyvhasvTrumpvbeenvundervscrutinyvlately?v-vAnswerv-
vTrump'svspeechvhasvbeenvundervscrutinyvbyvhisvrival,vVicevPresidentvKamalavHarris,vandvh
, ervrunningvmate,vMinnesotavGovernorvTimvWalz,vwhovhavevquestionedvhisvcognitivevstatev
andvsuggestedvhevisvtoovoldvtovbevpresident.
DonaldvTrumpv-vAnswerv-
vBornvJunev14,v1946,visvanvAmericanvpolitician,vbusinessman,vandvmediavpersonality.vHevs
ervedvasvthev45thvPresidentvofvthevUnitedvStatesvfromv2017vtov2021vandvwasvre-
electedvinv2024,vmakingvhimvthev47thvPresident.
WhatvisvdifferentvaboutvTrump'sv'style',vaccordingvtovKlein?v-vAnswerv-
v"Trumpvmovesvthroughvthevworldvwithoutvthevbehavioralvinhibitionvmostvofvusvlaborvunder,"
vKleinvsaid,vaftervstatingvthevRepublicanvshowedvsignsvofvbeingvlowvonvconscientiousnessvb
utvhighvinvdisinhibition.
Thev2016vPresidentialvRacev-vAnswerv-
vJebvBushvlookedvlikelyvtovbecomevthevnominee,vbutvTrumpvcamevalongvandvsaidvwhatvma
nyvofvthemvhadvbeenvafraidvtovsay.v"GeorgevBushvmadevavmistake.vWevcanvmakevmistakes
,vbutvthatvonevwasvavbeauty.vWevshouldvhavevnevervbeenvinvIraq.vWevhavevdestabilizedvthev
MiddlevEast,"vTrumpvsaidvinvavdebatevinvFebruaryv2016.
JebvBushv-vAnswerv-
vJebvBush,vbornvFebruaryv11,v1953,visvanvAmericanvpoliticianvandvbusinessman.vHevserve
dvasvthev43rdvGovernorvofvFloridavfromv1999vtov2007vandvranvforvthevRepublicanvpresidenti
alvnominationvinv2016.
GeorgevW.vBushv-vAnswerv-
vGeorgevW.vBush,vbornvJulyv6,v1946,visvanvAmericanvpoliticianvwhovservedvasvthev43rdvPre
sidentvofvthevUnitedvStatesvfromv2001vtov2009vandvwasvthev46thvGovernorvofvTexasvfromv1
995vtov2000.
WhatvarevDonaldvTrump'svflaws?v-vAnswerv-
vitvmeantvthevRepublicanvdidvnotvnecessarilyvhavevthevabilityvtovthinkvstrategicallyvandvcaref
ullyvaboutvwhatvcomesvoutvofvhisvmouth.
2020vElectionvresultsv-vAnswerv-vTrumpvrefusedvtovadmitvhevlost
Trump'svterm(s)vinvthevWhitevHousev-vAnswerv-
vHevhasvopenlyvmusedvaboutvusingvnuclearvweapons,vpullingvoutvofvNATO,vandvspeculated
vaboutvtreatmentsvforvCOVID-19.
Surveyv-vAnswerv-vAvlotvofvyoungvpeoplevstatedvtheyvfeltvdepressedvaboutvthevfuture.
AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
WhatvisvoddvaboutvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vSleptvforv100vyearsvandvyetvwokevupvwithvnovimpactvwhatsoevervtovhisvhealth.
WhovisvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vAvDutchvAmericanvvillagervlivingvinvthevCatskillvMountainsvwithvhisvwifevandvchildren.vHevisv
avfictionalvcharacter.
WherevdidvRipvVanvWinklevfirstvappear?v-vAnswerv-
vInv1819vinvavcollectionvcalledv"ThevSketchvBookvofvGeoffreyvCrayon,vGent"vbyvauthorvWas
hingtonvIrving.
WhatvhappenedvtovRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vHevwandersvintovthevmountainsvwithvhisvdog,vWolf.vHevencountersvavgroupvofvoddlyvdresse
dvmenvplayingvninepins.vHevdrinksvsomevofvtheirvalcoholvandvfallsvintovavdeepvsleep.
WhatvisvthevmessagevofvRipvVanvWinkle?v-vAnswerv-
vIt'svoftenvseenvasvavcommentaryvonvthevpassagevofvtimevandvthevchangesvbroughtvaboutvb
yvthevAmericanvRevolution.
Howvhasvlifevchangedvbetweenv1825vtov1925?v-vAnswerv-
vTechnologicalvadvancesvlikevrailwaysvandvtelephones,vincreasedvurbanization,vandvmove
mentsvforvlaborvandvwomen'svrights.vDemocraticvreformsvexpanded,vcolonialvempiresvgrew
,vandvmedicalvsciencevimprovedvhealth.vGlobalvtradevexpandedvdespitevchallengesvlikevthe
vGreatvDepression.
Howvhasvlifevchangedvbetweenv1925vtovnow?v-vAnswerv-
vTechnologyvlikevthevinternetvandvsmartphonesvrevolutionizedvlife.vCivilvrightsvmovementsv
promotedvequality.vSpacevexploration,vmedicalvadvances,vandvenvironmentalvawarenessv
grew.
Reignitev-vAnswerv-
vTovgivevtovlifevorvenergyvtovsomeonevorvsomething;vtovignitevorvcausevtovignitevagain.
,Burningvupv-vAnswerv-
vItvcanvmeanvyou'revveryvhot,veithervduevtovphysicalvexertionvorvfever.vItvcanvalsovbevusedvm
etaphoricallyvtovdescribevsomeonevwhovisvveryvexcitedvorvpassionatevaboutvsomething.
Burningvdownv-vAnswerv-
vThisvgenerallyvrefersvtovthevdestructionvofvsomethingvbyvfire,vusuallyvavbuilding.
Burningvwithv-vAnswerv-
vThisvphrasevisvoftenvusedvmetaphoricallyvtovdescribevavstrongvfeelingvorvemotion.
EzravKleinv-vAnswerv-
vAmericanvjournalist,vpoliticalvcommentator,vandvpodcastvhost.vHevwasvbornvonvMayv9,v198
4,vinvIrvine,vCalifornia.vHevisvcurrentlyvavcolumnistvforvThevNewvYorkvTimesvandvthevhostvofv
ThevEzravKleinvShowvpodcast.vHevco-foundedvVox.
SamvAltmanv-vAnswerv-
vAnvAmericanventrepreneurvandvinvestor,vbestvknownvasvthevCEOvofvOpenAI,vthevartificialvi
ntelligencevcompanyvbehindvChatGPT.vBornvonvAprilv22,v1985,vinvChicago,vIllinois,vAltman
vco-foundedvOpenAIvinv2015vandvhasvbeenvavleadingvfigurevinvthevAIvindustry.
Moore'svLawv-vAnswerv-
vStatesvthatvthevnumbervofvtransistorsvonvavmicrochipvdoublesveveryvtwovyears,vmakingvco
mputersvfastervandvcheaper.
SamvAltman'svinterviewvwithvEzravKleinv-vAnswerv-
vSamvAltmanvdiscussesvhowvAIvcouldvmakeveverythingvbettervandvcheaper,vbutvalsovwarnsv
ofvjobvlossesvandvwealthvconcentration.vHevsuggestsvresponsiblevmanagementvandvpolitic
alvmeasuresvlikevwealthvtaxesvtovensurevfairvdistributionvofvbenefits.
PurposevofvAltman'svessayv-vAnswerv-
vTovdesignvavsystemvthatvembracesvourvtechnologicalvfuturevandvtaxesvthevassetsvthatvwillv
makevupvmostvofvthevvaluevinvthatvworld-companiesvandvland-
invordervtovfairlyvdistributevsomevofvthevcomingvwealth.
ThevAIvRevolutionv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vWevareventeringvthevfourthvtechnologicalvrevolutionv(informationvage)vaftervagricultural,vind
ustrialvandvcomputational.vMorevprogressvwillvbevmadevinvthevnextv100vyearsvthanvanyvprog
ressvupvtovthisvpoint.
,Moore'svLawvforvEverythingv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vAltmanvpredictsvthatvthanksvtovAI,vwevwillvreachvavpointvwhenveverythingvisvgettingv50%vch
eaperveveryv2vyears.
CapitalismvforvEveryonev(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vSamvAltmanvpredictsvthatvtaxingvincomevwillvbecomevineffectivevasvAIvtransformsvthevecon
omy.vHevproposesvavnationalvequityvfund,vfundedvbyvtaxingvlargevcompanies'vcapitalvandvpr
ivatelyvheldvland,vandvdistributingvitvtovallvcitizensvoverv18.
ImplementationvandvTroubleshootingv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vTenvyearsvaftervthevequityvfund'svimplementation,veachvAmericanvcitizenvwouldvreceivev$1
3,500vannually.vHevbelievesvthisvamountvwillvprovidevgreatervpurchasingvpowervduevtovdecr
easedvprices.
ShiftingvtovthevNewvSystemv(Altman'svessay)v-vAnswerv-
vAvgradualvimplementation vofvthevproposedvtaxesvonvcapitalvandvland,vtiedvtovGDPvgrowth.v
Hevbelievesvthisvapproachvwillvmakevpolicymakersvpopularvandvconcludes,v"Thevfuturevcan
vbevalmostvunimaginablyvgreat."
Author'svopinionvonvAltman'svessayv-vAnswerv-
vTheyvwishvhevprovidedvmorevconcretevexamplesvofvAIvbenefits.vTheyvfeelvhisvproposalvisvv
aguevandvhavevconcernsvaboutvincomevcomparisonsvandvAI-
drivenvcostvreductions.vTheyvthinkvhevshouldvmakevavstrongervcasevforvAI'svpotentialvbenefi
tsvovervrisks.
MichaelvCrawfordv-vAnswerv-
vEnglishvactorvandvsinger,vbestvknownvforvhisvrolesvinvSomevMothersvDov'Avev'EmvandvThev
PhantomvofvthevOpera.
CountingvUpvTovTwentyv(MichaelvCrawford)v-vAnswerv-
vAvsongvbyvMichaelvCrawfordvfromvhisvalbumvEFX,vwhichvwasvthevoriginalvcastvalbumvforvhi
svhitvVegasvshowvofvthevsamevname.vThevsongvisvavwhimsicalvandvreflectivevtunevthatvtalksv
aboutvovercomingvchallengesvandvlookingvforwardvtovavbrightervfuture.
Trump'svverbalvticv-vAnswerv-
vInvanvinterviewvwithvpodcastervEzravKlein,vTrumpvrepeatedvthevphrasev"manyvpeoplevarevs
aying...".vKleinvdoesvnotvbelievevthisvtovbevanveffectvofvoldvage.
WhyvhasvTrumpvbeenvundervscrutinyvlately?v-vAnswerv-
vTrump'svspeechvhasvbeenvundervscrutinyvbyvhisvrival,vVicevPresidentvKamalavHarris,vandvh
, ervrunningvmate,vMinnesotavGovernorvTimvWalz,vwhovhavevquestionedvhisvcognitivevstatev
andvsuggestedvhevisvtoovoldvtovbevpresident.
DonaldvTrumpv-vAnswerv-
vBornvJunev14,v1946,visvanvAmericanvpolitician,vbusinessman,vandvmediavpersonality.vHevs
ervedvasvthev45thvPresidentvofvthevUnitedvStatesvfromv2017vtov2021vandvwasvre-
electedvinv2024,vmakingvhimvthev47thvPresident.
WhatvisvdifferentvaboutvTrump'sv'style',vaccordingvtovKlein?v-vAnswerv-
v"Trumpvmovesvthroughvthevworldvwithoutvthevbehavioralvinhibitionvmostvofvusvlaborvunder,"
vKleinvsaid,vaftervstatingvthevRepublicanvshowedvsignsvofvbeingvlowvonvconscientiousnessvb
utvhighvinvdisinhibition.
Thev2016vPresidentialvRacev-vAnswerv-
vJebvBushvlookedvlikelyvtovbecomevthevnominee,vbutvTrumpvcamevalongvandvsaidvwhatvma
nyvofvthemvhadvbeenvafraidvtovsay.v"GeorgevBushvmadevavmistake.vWevcanvmakevmistakes
,vbutvthatvonevwasvavbeauty.vWevshouldvhavevnevervbeenvinvIraq.vWevhavevdestabilizedvthev
MiddlevEast,"vTrumpvsaidvinvavdebatevinvFebruaryv2016.
JebvBushv-vAnswerv-
vJebvBush,vbornvFebruaryv11,v1953,visvanvAmericanvpoliticianvandvbusinessman.vHevserve
dvasvthev43rdvGovernorvofvFloridavfromv1999vtov2007vandvranvforvthevRepublicanvpresidenti
alvnominationvinv2016.
GeorgevW.vBushv-vAnswerv-
vGeorgevW.vBush,vbornvJulyv6,v1946,visvanvAmericanvpoliticianvwhovservedvasvthev43rdvPre
sidentvofvthevUnitedvStatesvfromv2001vtov2009vandvwasvthev46thvGovernorvofvTexasvfromv1
995vtov2000.
WhatvarevDonaldvTrump'svflaws?v-vAnswerv-
vitvmeantvthevRepublicanvdidvnotvnecessarilyvhavevthevabilityvtovthinkvstrategicallyvandvcaref
ullyvaboutvwhatvcomesvoutvofvhisvmouth.
2020vElectionvresultsv-vAnswerv-vTrumpvrefusedvtovadmitvhevlost
Trump'svterm(s)vinvthevWhitevHousev-vAnswerv-
vHevhasvopenlyvmusedvaboutvusingvnuclearvweapons,vpullingvoutvofvNATO,vandvspeculated
vaboutvtreatmentsvforvCOVID-19.
Surveyv-vAnswerv-vAvlotvofvyoungvpeoplevstatedvtheyvfeltvdepressedvaboutvthevfuture.
