Luo wrote:Yeah, I don't think it was appropriate for a nationals test to be 1/3-1/2 straight-up identification like it was this year. Last year, identification was implicit instead of explicit, and I think that was a much better gauge of teams' in-depth knowledge and preparation than this year's trivia speed-fest. We actually filed an appeal about the supervisor including samples not on the official list without advance notice, because that is a direct violation of rule 3e. I'm not sure whether the appeal was accepted though.
Yeah, that's a pretty blatant violation.
Did you actually have to identify them, or did you just have to note the crystal structure/habit, hardness, density, etc.? Because if you don't have to identify them, it's fine, but if you're asked to ID something not on the list, that's complete bs.