WORLD SCHOLARS CUP ACTUAL EXAM
PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
● Who is Rip Van Winkle? Answer: A Dutch American villager living in
the Catskill Mountains with his wife and children. He is a fictional
character.
● Where did Rip Van Winkle first appear? Answer: In 1819 in a
collection called "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent" by author
Washington Irving.
● What happened to Rip Van Winkle? Answer: He wanders into the
mountains with his dog, Wolf. He encounters a group of oddly dressed
men playing ninepins. He drinks some of their alcohol and falls into a
deep sleep.
● What is the message of Rip Van Winkle? Answer: It's often seen as a
commentary on the passage of time and the changes brought about by
the American Revolution.
● How has life changed between 1825 to 1925? Answer: Technological
advances like railways and telephones, increased urbanization, and
,movements for labor and women's rights. Democratic reforms expanded,
colonial empires grew, and medical science improved health. Global
trade expanded despite challenges like the Great Depression.
● How has life changed between 1925 to now? Answer: Technology like
the internet and smartphones revolutionized life. Civil rights movements
promoted equality. Space exploration, medical advances, and
environmental awareness grew.
● Reignite Answer: To give to life or energy to someone or something;
to ignite or cause to ignite again.
● Burning up Answer: It can mean you're very hot, either due to physical
exertion or fever. It can also be used metaphorically to describe someone
who is very excited or passionate about something.
● Burning down Answer: This generally refers to the destruction of
something by fire, usually a building.
● Burning with Answer: This phrase is often used metaphorically to
describe a strong feeling or emotion.
● Ezra Klein Answer: American journalist, political commentator, and
podcast host. He was born on May 9, 1984, in Irvine, California. He is
currently a columnist for The New York Times and the host of The Ezra
Klein Show podcast. He co-founded Vox.
,● Sam Altman Answer: An American entrepreneur and investor, best
known as the CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind
ChatGPT. Born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, Altman co-
founded OpenAI in 2015 and has been a leading figure in the AI
industry.
● Moore's Law Answer: States that the number of transistors on a
microchip doubles every two years, making computers faster and
cheaper.
● Sam Altman's interview with Ezra Klein Answer: Sam Altman
discusses how AI could make everything better and cheaper, but also
warns of job losses and wealth concentration. He suggests responsible
management and political measures like wealth taxes to ensure fair
distribution of benefits.
● Purpose of Altman's essay Answer: To design a system that embraces
our technological future and taxes the assets that will make up most of
the value in that world-companies and land-in order to fairly distribute
some of the coming wealth.
● The AI Revolution (Altman's essay) Answer: We are entering the
fourth technological revolution (information age) after agricultural,
industrial and computational. More progress will be made in the next
100 years than any progress up to this point.
, ● Moore's Law for Everything (Altman's essay) Answer: Altman
predicts that thanks to AI, we will reach a point when everything is
getting 50% cheaper every 2 years.
● Capitalism for Everyone (Altman's essay) Answer: Sam Altman
predicts that taxing income will become ineffective as AI transforms the
economy. He proposes a national equity fund, funded by taxing large
companies' capital and privately held land, and distributing it to all
citizens over 18.
● Implementation and Troubleshooting (Altman's essay) Answer: Ten
years after the equity fund's implementation, each American citizen
would receive $13,500 annually. He believes this amount will provide
greater purchasing power due to decreased prices.
● Shifting to the New System (Altman's essay) Answer: A gradual
implementation of the proposed taxes on capital and land, tied to GDP
growth. He believes this approach will make policymakers popular and
concludes, "The future can be almost unimaginably great."
● Author's opinion on Altman's essay Answer: They wish he provided
more concrete examples of AI benefits. They feel his proposal is vague
and have concerns about income comparisons and AI-driven cost
reductions. They think he should make a stronger case for AI's potential
benefits over risks.
PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
● Who is Rip Van Winkle? Answer: A Dutch American villager living in
the Catskill Mountains with his wife and children. He is a fictional
character.
● Where did Rip Van Winkle first appear? Answer: In 1819 in a
collection called "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent" by author
Washington Irving.
● What happened to Rip Van Winkle? Answer: He wanders into the
mountains with his dog, Wolf. He encounters a group of oddly dressed
men playing ninepins. He drinks some of their alcohol and falls into a
deep sleep.
● What is the message of Rip Van Winkle? Answer: It's often seen as a
commentary on the passage of time and the changes brought about by
the American Revolution.
● How has life changed between 1825 to 1925? Answer: Technological
advances like railways and telephones, increased urbanization, and
,movements for labor and women's rights. Democratic reforms expanded,
colonial empires grew, and medical science improved health. Global
trade expanded despite challenges like the Great Depression.
● How has life changed between 1925 to now? Answer: Technology like
the internet and smartphones revolutionized life. Civil rights movements
promoted equality. Space exploration, medical advances, and
environmental awareness grew.
● Reignite Answer: To give to life or energy to someone or something;
to ignite or cause to ignite again.
● Burning up Answer: It can mean you're very hot, either due to physical
exertion or fever. It can also be used metaphorically to describe someone
who is very excited or passionate about something.
● Burning down Answer: This generally refers to the destruction of
something by fire, usually a building.
● Burning with Answer: This phrase is often used metaphorically to
describe a strong feeling or emotion.
● Ezra Klein Answer: American journalist, political commentator, and
podcast host. He was born on May 9, 1984, in Irvine, California. He is
currently a columnist for The New York Times and the host of The Ezra
Klein Show podcast. He co-founded Vox.
,● Sam Altman Answer: An American entrepreneur and investor, best
known as the CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind
ChatGPT. Born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, Altman co-
founded OpenAI in 2015 and has been a leading figure in the AI
industry.
● Moore's Law Answer: States that the number of transistors on a
microchip doubles every two years, making computers faster and
cheaper.
● Sam Altman's interview with Ezra Klein Answer: Sam Altman
discusses how AI could make everything better and cheaper, but also
warns of job losses and wealth concentration. He suggests responsible
management and political measures like wealth taxes to ensure fair
distribution of benefits.
● Purpose of Altman's essay Answer: To design a system that embraces
our technological future and taxes the assets that will make up most of
the value in that world-companies and land-in order to fairly distribute
some of the coming wealth.
● The AI Revolution (Altman's essay) Answer: We are entering the
fourth technological revolution (information age) after agricultural,
industrial and computational. More progress will be made in the next
100 years than any progress up to this point.
, ● Moore's Law for Everything (Altman's essay) Answer: Altman
predicts that thanks to AI, we will reach a point when everything is
getting 50% cheaper every 2 years.
● Capitalism for Everyone (Altman's essay) Answer: Sam Altman
predicts that taxing income will become ineffective as AI transforms the
economy. He proposes a national equity fund, funded by taxing large
companies' capital and privately held land, and distributing it to all
citizens over 18.
● Implementation and Troubleshooting (Altman's essay) Answer: Ten
years after the equity fund's implementation, each American citizen
would receive $13,500 annually. He believes this amount will provide
greater purchasing power due to decreased prices.
● Shifting to the New System (Altman's essay) Answer: A gradual
implementation of the proposed taxes on capital and land, tied to GDP
growth. He believes this approach will make policymakers popular and
concludes, "The future can be almost unimaginably great."
● Author's opinion on Altman's essay Answer: They wish he provided
more concrete examples of AI benefits. They feel his proposal is vague
and have concerns about income comparisons and AI-driven cost
reductions. They think he should make a stronger case for AI's potential
benefits over risks.
