Log inSign up for FREE
Library

04: Sports

Last updated 5 months ago
24 questions
RC 11 "The New Winter Sport"
The New Winter Sport
Snowboarding is a relatively new winter sport. Invented approximately forty years ago, it combines the skills and equipment of surfing and skateboarding but is practiced on ski slopes. Skiers and snowboarders often clash because some think snowboarding is a less technical sport than skiing, while others think skiing is not as fun and exciting. Snowboarders wear boots strapped horizontally to a wide, wooden board, similar to the skateboard, which they ride downhill through the snow. While most snowboarders ride on ski slopes, there are four styles of snowboarding: freeride, freestyle, alpine, and backcountry. Freeriders are like surfers in that they ride whatever conditions the mountains offer. They do not focus on tricks or racing. Freestylers practice tricks with their boards on the ground and in the air. This type of snowboarding is influenced by skateboarding and is the most popular style of the sport.
Snowboarding became an Olympic sport in 1998. In the Olympics, men and women compete separately in three categories: halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and snowboard cross. In the halfpipe competition, snowboarders ride on a U-shaped structure. The athletes ride the pipe to gather speed and then perform acrobatic twists and flips in the air. In the slalom, two snowboarders race each other through tracks. The racer with the quickest speed wins. The snowboard cross is the newest event. In this competition, four snowboarders race one another through an obstacle course. Judges watch the snowboarders and rate their tricks based on the difficulty of the moves, how high they jump, and how they perform overall. The snowboarder with the highest score winds. From its humble beginnings, snowboarding has gained immense popularity as the new exciting, challenging winter sport.
Required
1

The author thinks that snowboarding is

Required
1

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Required
1

As used in the passage, the word clash most nearly means

Required
1

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

Required
1

What is snowboarding?

Required
1

According to the passage, which statement is true?

RC 12 "The WNBA"
The WNBA
The game of basketball was created by James Naismith at the International YMCA Training School in January 1892, in Massachusetts. One month later, Sedna Berenson, the director of the gymnasium and an instructor of physical culture at Smith College, heard about the game and introduced new rules for female players that eliminated some of the sport’s roughness. In March of 1893, she organized the first women’s college basketball team; however, it took just over one hundred years for women’s basketball to become a professional sport.
On April 24, 1996, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) became official. The WNBA was scheduled to begin playing the following summer when there would be more airtime available to broadcast the games live. More than fifty million viewers watched the first season on the NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime Television networks. During the inaugural season, eight teams competed. By 2002, the WNBA expanded to sixteen teams comprising 176 professional women basketball players. In 2001, the games were broadcast to almost sixty million fans, in twenty-three different languages, and in 167 countries.
The WNBA is not only about the game, however, since players and the organization have established programs to benefit communities. One of their primary focuses is the “Read to Achieve” initiative, which promotes adult literacy and urges families to read to children. There are also youth basketball teams, the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, which support and develop young players. The WNBA is also a partner of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO). The WNBA is a dedicated organization that has come a long way since the game’s creation.
Required
1

What would be a good title for this passage?

Required
1

As mentioned in the passage, inaugural most nearly means

Required
1

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Required
1

What can you infer about the last sentence of the first paragraph?

Required
1

What is the author's purpose in the second paragraph?

Required
1

Why might the WNBA be partnered with the NABCO?

RC 13 "The Marathon"
The Marathon
In Ancient times, Greece was a war-riddled territory. The people of Athens, Greece, frequently fought others who threatened their customs and ways of life. In 490 BC, they battled the Persians in the city of Marathon, Greece. The Persians were fierce fighters and had more soldiers than the Athenians. The soldiers of Athens were worried that they would lose this important battle. Surprisingly, the Athenian soldiers won. According to the legend, a messenger named Pheidippides ran nearly twenty-five miles from Marathon to Athens to give the news about the victory. When he got to Athens, he shouted “Niki!” which means victory, then collapsed and died from exhaustion. The modern Athens marathon was born to commemorate Pheidippides’ journey from the battlefield.
In 1896, Pheidippides’ legendary feat was repeated when the Greeks hosted their first Olympic games. They created a 24.86 mile run from Marathon Bridge to the Olympic stadium in Athens. A Greek runner, Spiridon Louis, won the race with a time of two hours ,fifty-eight minutes, and fifty seconds. Since then, Athens has held an annual marathon that attracts people from all over the globe. The marathon’s one-hundredth anniversary in 1996 attracted 3,000 runners.
The marathon is still run in the Olympic games today, but the distance has changed. In 1908, the Olympic games were held in London, England. Here, the runners were to travel from Windsor Castle to White Clay Stadium. The extra distance of almost two miles was added so the race would finish in front of the royal family’s viewing box at the stadium. Although the English may cry out “God save the Queen!” at the twenty-four-mile mark, Pheidippides’ cry of victory can be heard by all those who cross the finish line--no matter what country they call home.
Required
1

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Required
1

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Required
1

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the first paragraph?

Required
1

Which of the following best describes the reason for Pheidippides' run?

Required
1

As used in the passage, the word commemorate most nearly means to

Required
1

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

RC 14 "Judo"
Judo
Imagine being able to defend yourself from an attacker without needing to strike a blow or use weapons. This is the basic principle of the sport of judo, which means “gentle way” in Japanese. Jigoro Kano developed judo in 1882, based on an ancient hand-to-hand fighting style called jujitsu.
Judo has also become a popular sport in countries other than Japan, including the U.S. During training and competitions, judo students wear a white jacket and pants. The loose-fitting jacket is held in place with a belt, the color of which indicates a student’s skill level. As beginners, competitors wear white belts. When they have reached the highest skill level, they wear black belts. The different levels in between are represented by other belt colors. Reaching a new belt level requires substantial training and competition. Judo students compete in two ways: randori and kata. In randori, competitors can use free combat; in kata, fighters use planned movements.
In competitions, and if they were attacked on the street, judo experts are able to overcome people larger and stronger than they are. This is possible because the sport of judo focuses on self-defense by using nonresistance and leverage to knock opponents off balance. In other words, judo fighters use their opponents' own moves and force against them. Once this happens, they can overcome attackers using two techniques: throws and locks. Throws are named for the body parts involved in the move (hand, foot, shoulder, etc.). Locks are used on the legs, arms, and neck to keep the opponent from moving. Because these moves can be dangerous, anyone interested in learning judo should train with an instructor. Above all, the art of judo is a way of life, of yielding or giving way in order to succeed. As such, judo is never used to overpower others, but rather to let them defeat themselves.
Required
1

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Required
1

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Required
1

As used in the passage, the word nonresistance most nearly means

Required
1

Which of the following best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

Required
1

According to the passage, what type of sport is judo?

Required
1

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the second paragraph?