Basketball Beginnings

Which statement BEST expresses TWO central ideas developed over the course of the article?

• The original game of basketball has been modified significantly since its invention.  Now players toss a ball into a hoop instead of a peach basket.

• The first basketball players were students of a gym teacher in Mass.    Teams were made up of nine players who threw the ball to each other.

• Basketball was developed years ago to give students indoor exercise during the winter.  The details of the game have changed/improved over the years.

• A gym teacher invented basketball for male students over one hundred years ago.  Soon after, a coach at a women’s college adapted the game for her students.

What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

• To explain the history of basketball.

•    To entertain the reader with a story about basketball.

• To explain how basketball goals/baskets have changed over the years.

• To persuade the reader to play basketball.

Which statement provides the BEST description of the author’s point of view in the article?

• The author thinks basketball is a dangerous sport that needs more rules.

• The author believes that girls are better at basketball than boys.

• The author thinks basketball has evolved into a popular sport.

• The author believes that basketball is a thing of the past.

What is the MOST LIKELY reason the author includes a paragraph about females playing basketball?

• To imply that basketball is a better sport for females rather than males.

• To show how basketball became both a male and female sport.

• To prove that women play the sport better than men.

• To help the reader understand what sports were played in college.

Which sentence would be the MOST important to include in an objective summary of the passage?

• A gym teacher in Massachusetts, James Naismith, invented the game of basketball in 1891 to give students something to do in the winter.

• Another solution was to replace the hard wooden basket with a net hanging inside a metal hoop.

• Winter in Massachusetts can be very cold, with deep snow on the ground.

• I can’t believe that women locked the doors so men couldn’t watch them play!

What was the MAIN reason James Naismith invented the game of basketball?

• He wanted to be famous for inventing a sport.

• He was bored with his job as a gym teacher.

• To give students something to do in the winter.

• To teach students to get along and work together.

Part A: How does the author connect ideas in this passage?

• By comparing and contrasting the different rules players have used to play basketball

• By providing historical information about the people who played on the first basketball teams

• By explaining how the game of basketball was steadily improved upon over time.

• By demonstrating the important role basketball has played in the lives of many athletes.

Part B: Which detail BEST supports the answer to part A 

(By explaining how the game of basketball was steadily improved upon over time)?

• A gym teacher in Massachusetts, James Naismith, invited the game of basketball in 1891 to give students something to do in the winter.

• The physical education teacher there, Senda Berenson, introduced Naismith’s new game to students at the college in 1892.

• Another solution was to replace the hard wooden basket with a net hanging inside a metal hoop.

• After 1897, most teams had five players, and teams became known as “fives.”

Read the following sentence from the passage:

“Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, so it might surprise you to learn that the game is just over a hundred years old.” 

What type of sentence structure is used here?

• Simple

• Compound

• Complex

• Compound-Complex

Read the following sentence from the passage:

“Naismith studied and taught at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.” 

What type of sentence structure is used here?

• Simple

• Compound

• Complex

• Compound-Complex