Achaemenid Empire - 2025 PACE NSC

Question

A ruler of this empire [emphasize] completed a canal passing through the Bitter Lakes, whose construction (0[1])began under (0[1])Necho (20[1]0[1])("NECK-oh") II. A ruler of this empire was apocryphally so enraged that a traditional festival was being celebrated (20[1])after a military defeat that he slew the Apis (20[3]0[1])bull. (20[1])This (0[1])empire's army (0[1])crushed (20[1])Psamtik ("SAHM-tick") III's (20[1]0[1])forces (20[1])at the Battle (20[1])of (20[1])Pelusium. A ruler of this (0[1])empire authored a text detailing the overthrown of the magus Gaumata, called the (*) Behistun (10[3])Inscription. This (10[1])empire conquered (0[1])Egypt under (10[1])Cambyses II, (10[1])whose father conquered the Neo-Babylonians and the (10[1])Median (0[1])empire. (0[1])The Gordian (0[2])knot was split by (0[1])Alexander (0[1])the Great during his conquest of, for 10 (10[1])points, (10[1])what Iranian (10[1])empire ruled by (10[1])Darius I and Cyrus (10[1])II? (10[12])■END■

ANSWER: Achaemenid Empire [or the first Persian Empire; or Persia]

= Average correct buzz position

Buzzes

Player	Team	Opponent	Buzz Position	Value
Ben Hesser	Walter Payton B	Saint Joseph	15	0
Khang Le	Strake Jesuit A	Montgomery Blair A	17	0
Keefe Yang	Carmel B	Centennial B	18	20
Joshua Koch	Grosse Pointe South	Innovation Academy A	18	0
Andrew Peuster	Audrain County AT	Eastchester	35	20
Walker Varghese	Hunter B	Herron	44	20
Lyn Redman	Northside College Prep	Montgomery Blair B	44	20
Alvan Hossain	Lexington	Northmont	44	0
Haughton Neppl	Georgetown Day	Quince Orchard	44	20
Arjun Vijaykumar	Saratoga	Uni School of Nashville B	45	20
Edward Kim	Johns Creek	Walter Payton A	46	0
Ayaan Ghori	Carl Sandburg	Great Valley	48	0
Luke Whitehead	Lee's Summit	Kane County AT	49	20
Evan Ting	Park Tudor	Fremd	51	0
Adhrit Yadav	Lambert B	Edina	51	20
Tate Osborne	Alabama Cyber Tech	Lindbergh	52	20
George Aljarbo	Detroit Catholic Central C	Irvington	55	20
Kevin Yang	Adlai E. Stevenson B	Northview	56	20
Danny "Raj" Morris	Strake Jesuit B	Hinsdale Central A	61	0
Anthony Pho	Carmel A	Barrington	75	10
Pranav Srambikkal	Lambert A	Richard Montgomery	75	10
Samy El-Zahabi	Chattahoochee B	Virginia	75	10
Evan Schleck	Hunter A	Wayzata	77	10
Brodie Henry	West Point	Uni School of Nashville A	79	0
Jasper Xu	Westwood	Detroit Catholic Central A	81	10
Alex Bach	Yukon A	Homewood-Flossmoor	83	10
James Wray	Glenbrook South	Downingtown STEM	90	10
Eli Oster	Solon	White Pigeon	91	0
Samanyu Bhupalam	Innovation Academy B	Walker	92	0
Rajiv Pujara	Fairfield County AT	North Quincy	94	0
Belle Li	North Quincy	Fairfield County AT	94	0
Hunter Davis	Milton	Winston Churchill A	98	0
Robert Young Jr	Page	Lincoln-Way East B	99	0
Christian Curtis	Detroit Catholic Central B	Yukon B	107	10
Martin Ames	Chattahoochee A	Thomas Jefferson B	108	10
Jack Mangrum	Innovation Academy A	Grosse Pointe South	110	10
Reed Karosich	Coronado	Lincoln-Way East A	113	10
Russell Dillak	Northmont	Lexington	117	10
Smeet Thaker	Great Valley	Carl Sandburg	118	10
Vedanth Srihari	Fremd	Park Tudor	118	10
Karthik Jayaram	Walker	Innovation Academy B	118	10
Elena Whitford	Walter Payton A	Johns Creek	118	10
Stephen Langdon	Lincoln-Way East B	Page	118	10
Gugan Thuduppathy	Montgomery Blair A	Strake Jesuit A	118	10
Charlie Doehring	Hinsdale Central A	Strake Jesuit B	118	10
Tiger Wu	Winston Churchill B	Thomas Jefferson E	118	10
Daniel Guo	Uni School of Nashville A	West Point	118	10
Cormac Kennedy	Saint Joseph	Walter Payton B	118	10
Jack Williams	White Pigeon	Solon	118	10
Aaron Zhou	Winston Churchill A	Milton	118	10

Summary

Tournament	Edition	Exact Match?	TUH	Conv. %	Power %	Neg %	Average Buzz
2025 PACE NSC	06/07/2025	Y	36	97%	31%	0%	86.29