Yes, quiz shows have always been fun -- and even spelling bees. But in fact, intelligence and speed are not the same thing. I do not know what makes one person quick in recalling something and another needs a little more time, although he knows the answer just as well as the first person.

As I age, I do find it takes me longer to remember something, but I do know it and I remember it. In fact, often when going to look something up I thought I had forgotten, I suddenly remember it before opening the dictionary or encyclopedia. So there is some mechanism controlling speed of recall. Perhaps some brain expert could tell us; please do. But those who do well on quiz shows do not deserve inordinate praise and adulation -- just a modest handclap would do.

Norman Ravitch *62
Savannah, Ga.