Pass Auf Rules

• Varsity teams and Novice teams compete in separate tournaments.

• A Varsity team consists of up to 7 students who are in any level of German, with the exception of exchange students from German-speaking countries. A school may enter 1 Varsity team.
• A Novice team consists of up to 7 German I and German II students who have never played in a regional or State Pass auf! competition (no exchange students from German-speaking countries). A school may enter 1 Novice team. Novice teams do not advance to State (except in rare instances in which the State director may invite one or more Novice teams to fill up the State Varsity bracket of 16 teams). High schools may enter a Novice team only if they are also entering a Varsity team. Middle schools may enter a Novice team, a Varsity team, or one of each (but with no duplication of players between the 2 teams).
• No more than 5 students per team may play at a time. A team may begin playing with fewer than 5 players and players may be added after the game begins, if the team notifies the moderator before the game begins that certain players, who must be identified by name, will be coming late (but the number of players starting the game plus the number of players designated as potential late-comers may not exceed 5 players). Once a team starts playing, players may leave to go to other contests, but they may not be replaced. (If by coincidence a player leaves and another player arrives who was previously designated as someone who might arrive late, the arriving player can be admitted; they are not considered a “replacement” of the player who left.). Alternates will be considered as spectators and may not observe unless the game is open for spectators (see next rule).
• Spectators may be allowed during the “semifinal” game (for 3rd/4th place) and the final game (for 1st/2nd place) but at no other games. They may not communicate in any way with the teams that are playing.
• There will be no changes to the times of Pass auf! games in a contest. If a team is more than 5 minutes late to a scheduled game, it may be eliminated.
• Each team must designate a captain. This is the only person from whom an answer may be accepted, unless for a particular question the captain designates one of the other team members to give the answer. This must be done verbally and it must be acknowledged by the moderator before the answer may be accepted. If someone other than the captain or an acknowledged designee gives an answer, the answer will not be acknowledged by the moderator. In this instance, the appropriate person on the team must begin to give the answer before the allotted time expires.
• Each game consists of 25 questions, 5 questions each from the following categories: Arts & Letters, Current Events & Special Topic, Erdkunde, History & Politics, and Odds & Ends. For each category, there will be 1 question each valued at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 points, based upon difficulty. Except in the Erdkunde category, the main language of the questions and answers is English, but some questions in the other four categories may contain German words and/or require answers in German. The categories may include but are not limited to the following types of information:

Arts & Letters: literature, fairy/folk tales, drama, cinema, philosophy, theology, music and composers, art, architecture, scientists, inventors, etc.

Current Events & Special Topic: “Current Events” covers events from the prior calendar year through the date of contest. Each year a special topic is announced. Make sure to check the special topic for each year!!

Erdkunde: geography; questions will be asked in German and must be answered in German.

History & Politics: early German history (beginnings through the Folk Migrations), the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the 17th and 18th centuries, the 19th century, the World Wars, the post-WWII period, German-American history, Texas-German history, government, the European Union, political parties, etc.

Odds & Ends: proverbs, holidays, food, games, sports, education, folk festivals, customs and traditions, travel vocabulary, communication, idioms, language functions, vocabulary, days/months/seasons, etc.

• The questions will be read by the moderator in order as printed. The category and point value for each question will be stated before the question is read.
• After the question is read for the first time, the teams have up to 30 seconds in which to signal. They may confer during this time. If there is no signal within the 30-second period, the question is passed. To expedite the game, teams may elect to pass a question before the 30-second period expires.
• If a team signals while a question is being read, the moderator will stop reading immediately and may not complete the question or give any additional information or answer any questions.
• After signaling, the team has 30 seconds to begin giving an answer. It may confer during this time, but once the team starts giving an answer, it may not pause in order to gain more time. The first attempt by a team will be considered the answer – a team may not start over once it has begun to answer a question. In any case, the determination of whether to accept an answer lies with the moderator and not with the players, assistants, or spectators.
• If the signaling team gives an incorrect answer or fails to answer the question in the time given, the moderator will repeat the question for the other team. The other team has 30 seconds to decide whether they want to try giving an answer or to pass. After deciding to attempt the question, the team has 30 seconds to begin giving an answer.
• If a team gives a correct answer, it will receive the designated points, but no points will be deducted for failing to give a correct answer. For multi-part questions, there is no “partial credit” for partially-correct answers.
• Appropriate behavior is expected of all players and spectators. No interruptions will be tolerated while a team is attempting to answer a question. Clarification of rules may be addressed to the moderator between questions, before the game, or after the game, but never while a question is in play.
• Any challenge to a question or ruling by the moderator must be made immediately following the question or decision that is being challenged or before the game is declared finished. The judgment of the moderator is final.
• Should the moderator misread a question, give the answer before the other team has a chance to answer, etc., a replacement question from the same category and the same point value will be read.
• If the score is tied after the 25 questions are completed, the moderator will select a tiebreaker from the alternate set of questions. If neither team answers it correctly, the moderator will continue selecting tiebreakers from the alternate set until a team answers one correctly. However, no points are added to the team’s final score for a successfully answered tiebreaker (because points earned per game may be used later when ranking the lower places, and adding points for a tiebreaker question would skew the comparison).
• If a team signals while a question is being read, the moderator will stop reading immediately and may not complete the question or give any additional information or answer any questions.
• After signaling, the team has 30 seconds to begin giving an answer. It may confer during this time, but once the team starts giving an answer, it may not pause in order to gain more time. The first attempt by a team will be considered the answer – a team may not start over once it has begun to answer a question. In any case, the determination of whether to accept an answer lies with the moderator and not with the players, assistants, or spectators.
• If the signaling team gives an incorrect answer or fails to answer the question in the time given, the moderator will repeat the question for the other team. The other team has 30 seconds to decide whether they want to try giving an answer or to pass. After deciding to attempt the question, the team has 30 seconds to begin giving an answer.
• If a team gives a correct answer, it will receive the designated points, but no points will be deducted for failing to give a correct answer. For multi-part questions, there is no “partial credit” for partially-correct answers.
• Appropriate behavior is expected of all players and spectators. No interruptions will be tolerated while a team is attempting to answer a question. Clarification of rules may be addressed to the moderator between questions, before the game, or after the game, but never while a question is in play.
• Any challenge to a question or ruling by the moderator must be made immediately following the question or decision that is being challenged or before the game is declared finished. The judgment of the moderator is final.
• Should the moderator misread a question, give the answer before the other team has a chance to answer, etc., a replacement question from the same category and the same point value will be read.
• If the score is tied after the 25 questions are completed, the moderator will select a tiebreaker from the alternate set of questions. If neither team answers it correctly, the moderator will continue selecting tiebreakers from the alternate set until a team answers one correctly. However, no points are added to the team’s final score for a successfully answered tiebreaker (because points earned per game may be used later when ranking the lower places, and adding points for a tiebreaker question would skew the comparison).

2026: Expressionism in the arts of the German-speaking world

Previous themes include:

• 2025: Die Wende
• 2024: UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Heritage Elements in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
• 2023: Scientists from DACHL-Länder: Space, Medicine, & Math
• 2022: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms
• (2021: Virtual contest, no Pass Auf)
• 2020: German Texans
• 2019: German-Americans
• 2018: The German-speaking World, 1914-1945
• 2017: The Reformation

10-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Name the German scientist who is considered the father of the American space program?
ANSWER: Werner von Braun

[History & Politics] Name the last major German offensive of WWII in the West.
ANSWER: Battle of the Bulge

[Odds & Ends] As of January 1, 2002, what is the basic monetary unit in Germany?
ANSWER: Euro

[Erdkunde] Wie heißt die Hauptstadt von Deutschland?
ANSWER: Berlin

20-Point Questions

[Arts and Letters] Which king of Bavaria was the royal patron of Richard Wagner?
ANSWER: Ludwig II

[History and Politics] Name the Prussian king who preferred French to German and often calmed his nerves before battle by playing the flute?
ANSWER: Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great)

[Odds and Ends] Give the German equivalent of “We believe what we wish to believe.”
ANSWER: Was man wünscht, glaubt man gern.

[Erdkunde] In welchem Bundesland fliesst die Mosel?
ANSWER: Rheinland-Pfalz

30-Point Questions

[Arts and Letters] What was the name of the group of artists who gathered in Munich before WWI and included the famous Russian-born artist Wassily Kandinsky?
ANSWER: Der Blaue Reiter

[History and Politics] Two part question: Who is the current Chancellor of Germany and to which political party does he belong?
ANSWER: Angela Merkel, CDU

[Odds and Ends] What is the German name for the famous boy’s choir from Vienna?
ANSWER: Wiener Sängerknaben

[Erdkunde] Wie heißt die Landeshauptstadt von Niederösterreich?
ANSWER: Sankt Pölten

40-Point Questions

[Arts and Letters] During the 15th century, guilds were formed to cultivate poetry and music. What were the members of these guilds called?
ANSWER: Meistersinger (Meistersänger)

[History and Politics] Name the missionary who attempted to Christianize the Germanic tribes. He established the bishoprics of Salzburg, Regensburg, Passau, and Erfurt.
ANSWER: St. Boniface

[Odds and Ends] Give the German equivalent of “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
ANSWER: Ein Sperling in der Hand ist besser als eine Taube auf dem Dache.

[Erdkunde] Zweiteilig! Wie heißt Deutschlands höchster Berg und in welchem Bundesland steht er?
ANSWER: Zugspitze, Bayern

50-Point Questions

[Arts and Letters] Multi-part question. What period of German Literature followed the Aufklärung and was characterized by a love of sentimentality, nature and liberty? Who were its two most famous authors?
ANSWER: Sturm und Drang; Goethe and Schiller

[History and Politics] Multi-part question. For the first time since 1933, a freely elected all-German parliament met in what year, in what building, in which German city?
ANSWER: 1990; Reichstag; Berlin

[Odds and Ends] In Germany and Austria most prices include a value-added tax. What is the German term for this tax?
ANSWER: Mehrwertsteuer

[Erdkunde] Welche Insel Gruppe liegt an der Nordsee Küste von Schleswig-Holstein?
ANSWER: Nordfriesische Inseln

10-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Which German author, living from 1749-1832, is considered the greatest figure in German literature?
ANSWER: (Johann Wolfgang von) Goethe

[History & Politics] Who became the first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 962?
ANSWER: Otto I

[Odds and Ends] What is a Stau?
ANSWER: traffic jam

[Erdkunde] Wie heißt die älteste Stadt Deutschlands?
ANSWER: Trier

20-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Which German wrote the words for the hymn “Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott”?
ANSWER: Martin Luther

[History & Politics] Which German Texas settlement was founded on Good Friday, 1845?
ANSWER: New Braunfels

[Odds & Ends] Give the German equivalent of “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
ANSWER: Aus nichts, wird nichts.

[Erdkunde] Welcher Fluß ist die Grenze zwischen Liechtenstein und der Schweiz?
ANSWER: (der) Rhein

30-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Which group of Expressionist painters gathered in Dresden in 1905? Emil Nolde and Max Beckmann are well known members of this group.
ANSWER: Die Brücke

[History & Politics] The first all-German elections to the German Bundestag were held on what date?
ANSWER: Dec. 2, 1990

[Odds & Ends] Give the German name for the famous boy’s vocal group from Vienna.
ANSWER: Wiener Sängerknaben

[Erdkunde] Wie heißt der größte See Bayerns?
ANSWER: Chiemsee

40-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Which German archeologist discovered and excavated the ancient city of Troy?
ANSWER: Heinrich Schliemann

[History & Politics] After the death of Charles VI, Austria was attacked by Prussia, Bavaria and France. During this war which lasted from 1740-1748 Prussia seized and held Silesia. Name this war.
ANSWER: War of Austrian Succession

[Odd & Ends] Give the German name for the warm, dry winter winds that come over the northern Alps from the Mediterranean and are blamed for everything from an increase in accidents to an increase in headaches?
ANSWER: Föhn(wind)

[Erdkunde] Welcher Wald liegt zwischen der Tschechische Republik und Deutschland?
ANSWER: Der Böhmerwald

50-Point Questions

[Arts & Letters] Give the composers for each of the following pieces: Academic Festival Overture, Träumerei, and Der Rosenkavalier.
ANSWER: Academic Festival Overture – Johannes Brahms; Träumerei – Robert Schumann; Der Rosenkavalier – Richard Strauss

[History & Politics] What agreement issued in 1122 ended the investiture dispute between Henry III and the pope over the selection of bishops?
ANSWER: Concordat of Worms

[Odds and Ends] Two-part question. Name the oldest zoo in the German-speaking world and the city in which it is found.
ANSWER: Schönbrunn Zoo; Vienna (Wien)

[Erdkunde] Wie heißen die fünf neuen Länder Deutschlands?
ANSWER: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen

If there is a question about an answer, the team with the questionable answer must have proof. Any dispute must be settled with the moderator before the round ends and the team disputing must have documented proof. The judgement of the moderator is final.

General settlement: Throw out the controversial question and ask a new question.

All documents from the Internet must be printed directly from the the Internet showing the source. Any printed source must be in the room with the players, who may not leave the room.

A maximum of three protests per round per team may be allowed. To avoid any unpleasant controversy there will be a referee, who is an impartial party, such as a professor. The referee will have the last word in disputes.

The Pass Auf Coordinator may have a recording device ready for moderators to use to record each round. This should alleviate disputes concerning pronunciation, as well as content of questions and answers. Before recording, the moderator will say to the teams: “This round is being recorded for your protection. This recording will be used to settle all disputes.”

Study Guide Link  This is a comprehensive guide and vocabulary study list to facilitate training and team practices. 

Watch a Pass Auf game here