WASHINGTON — Karan Menon knew his answer was right but wasn’t sure how to argue his case. Contestants in the National Geographic Bee aren’t instructed on challenging what they’re told is a wrong answer. He raised his hand and hoped host Soledad O’Brien would notice.
O’Brien called on him. Karan — a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Edison, N.J. — explained that his answer was correct. The question: “The Mesabi Range contains a large deposit of what metal-bearing mineral?”
The answer O’Brien was looking for was “iron ore.” Karan said “taconite,” which is a form of iron ore. After conferring, the judges gave him credit.
That point was enough for Karan to avoid elimination and make the top three. After that, he got every championship-round question right to become the 27th National Geographic Bee champion on Wednesday.
“I didn’t know why I had been marked wrong,” he said, “so I decided to speak up for myself and challenge the question.”
