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An excerpt from a typical "Conventions" section in the event rules:
In most cases, the questions are more difficult in the smaller and more remote cemeteries. Answers may be found either inside or outside the cemetery. If you are at a very large cemetery the answer can usually be found near the main gate, unless there is some other indication (such as “near the flagpole”).
Unless specified otherwise, the main gate is the biggest, most central, or most obvious entrance to the cemetery, regardless of a physical gate. An arch over or columns surrounding an entrance may be indicative of the main gate, and big arches and columns beat smaller ones. All other things being equal, a sign with the cemetery name may indicate the main gate.
If the cemetery name is followed by the word “outside”, the question must be answered from outside the cemetery. If the cemetery is marked “outside” and there’s no fence, you will find the answer up to the first row of markers, but not beyond. In other words, you might need to walk along the outside edge of the cemetery until you find the answer.
Some cemeteries are located near a church, and the answer might be located by the church rather than the cemetery. If an address or fire number is given, it may be that of the church. If there’s not a church, it might be the address or fire number of an adjacent building or other property.
Names may be abbreviated as initials in the questions, but never referenced in part nor embellished. Middle names or maiden names may or may not be included. In other words, John F Kennedy could be called John, Kennedy, John Kennedy, J. F. Kennedy, or John F, but not JFK or John Fitzgerald or John Ken. Hillary Rodham Clinton could be Hillary Rodham or Hillary Clinton, but not R Clinton.
Ages are given in complete years, unless exact dates are specified. For example, 5 years and 8 months is 5 years of age, not 6. Persons with a birth date and no death date are presumed to be still living. Years, months and days may be abbreviated on tombstones, but the abbreviations will be obvious. Examples include, but are not limited to “y”, “yrs”, “mo”, “mos”, “d”, etc.
Anything in the instructions in quotation marks refers to exact text. Punctuation and case are irrelevant. So “3 yrs.” is the same as “3 YRS”, but “years” is not the same as “yrs” when it’s in quotes.
You will be required to apply a little deductive reasoning. For example, if there are two people on a marker and the question asks about a man, you could assume the man was the person with the man’s name. If a woman’s name indicated remarriage, you might find that children of the right age with different surnames could all be hers. Don’t use this rule to do anything goofy, like assuming a woman had children after the age of 60, or anything like that. We just use a little logic to find interesting things for you to look out for.
If you think you have an answer that does not match any the multiple choice answers, you may have found something that we didn’t notice. Keep looking.
You may use anything you find on the course - signs, phone books, newspapers, etc., if you think they will help. You may NOT use anything else you’ve prepared in advance (pictures, cemetery rosters, Internet research, etc.) except in the GPS class. GPS equipment is NOT allowed except in the GPS class. If information gathered by any other means conflicts with a tombstone, the tombstone prevails.
Please close all gates behind you when you leave. We want to be welcomed back.
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