Utslagsspørsmålet står i fasiten.

Norwegian often makes compound nouns by writing them as a single word.

So:

• utslag
  • spørsmål = utslagsspørsmål
• with the definite ending -et added: utslagsspørsmålet

This is very common in Norwegian. Where English often uses several words, Norwegian frequently joins them into one:

• togstasjon = train station
• skolebok = school book / textbook
• utslagsspørsmål = tie-break question / deciding question

So to a Norwegian learner, one long noun is completely normal here.

The -et is the definite article ending for a neuter noun.

The base form is:

• et utslagsspørsmål = a tie-break question

The definite form is:

• utslagsspørsmålet = the tie-break question

Unlike English, Norwegian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word like the in front.

A quick comparison:

• et spørsmål = a question
• spørsmålet = the question

So utslagsspørsmålet means that we are talking about a specific, known question.

That s is a linking s used in many Norwegian compounds.

The compound is built like this:

• utslag
• spørsmål

When combined, it becomes:

• utslagsspørsmål

This extra s does not usually have a separate meaning by itself. It is just a common way compounds are formed in Norwegian. English speakers often notice it because it can look mysterious at first.

You do not always predict it perfectly from logic alone, so it is often best to learn compounds as whole words.

In Norwegian, stå is often used for something that is written, listed, or appears in a text.

So:

• Det står i boka. = It says so in the book.
• Det står på tavla. = It is written on the board.
• Utslagsspørsmålet står i fasiten. = The tie-break question appears / is written in the answer key.

English often uses is or says in these situations, but Norwegian commonly uses står.

So står here does not literally mean that the question is physically standing upright. It is an idiomatic and very common usage.

It means something like is written in the answer key or appears in the answer key.

Here:

• står = is written / appears
• i fasiten = in the answer key

Together, the phrase suggests that if you look in the answer key, you will find that question there.

This is a good example of how Norwegian uses a verb of position, especially stå, in contexts involving written information.

Fasit means answer key, solutions, or correct answers, depending on context.

The form fasiten is the definite singular:

• en fasit = an answer key
• fasiten = the answer key

So in the sentence, it is not just any answer key, but a specific one already known from the context.

This noun is typically masculine/common gender, which is why the definite ending is -en.

The preposition i usually means in, and here it works much like English in the answer key.

Norwegian often uses i when something is found inside a book, list, text, document, or system:

• i boka = in the book
• i avisa = in the newspaper
• i fasiten = in the answer key

So this choice is very natural. It tells you that the question is contained within that written source.

This is standard Norwegian main-clause word order:

• subject: Utslagsspørsmålet
• verb: står
• adverbial/prepositional phrase: i fasiten

Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second position in main clauses.

In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb comes right after it:

• Utslagsspørsmålet står i fasiten.

If you moved another element to the front, the verb would still stay in second position:

• I fasiten står utslagsspørsmålet.

That is one of the big word-order patterns English speakers need to get used to in Norwegian.

Grammatically, yes, and people would understand it. But står i fasiten is more idiomatic if you mean that it is written there.

Compare the nuance:

• er i fasiten = is in the answer key
• står i fasiten = is written / appears in the answer key

So er is possible in a broad sense, but står sounds more natural when referring to written content.

It is understandable, but it is not as basic or common as a word like spørsmål.

It is a more specific compound used in contexts like:

• quizzes
• competitions
• tie-break situations
• deciding questions

Depending on context, Norwegian might also use other expressions for similar ideas. But as a compound, it is perfectly normal and easy for Norwegians to understand.

Then you would use the indefinite form:

• Et utslagsspørsmål står i fasiten.

That would mean a tie-break question is in the answer key.

But the original sentence uses the definite form:

• Utslagsspørsmålet står i fasiten.

That means we are talking about a particular question, not just any one.

So the definite form helps show that the listener or reader is expected to know which question is meant.