The Sports Gene Final CCSS Assessment

Which of the following inferences about Carlos Mattis is best supported by the following passage?

Carlos Mattis, Lindenwood’s top high jumper, had enough of Thomas’ lip and bet him that he could not clear 6’6” in a high jump competition.

• Mattis became Lindenwood’s top high jumper because he liked to challenge people.

• Mattis thought that Thomas’ lack of experience would prevent him from succeeding at the high jump.

• Mattis was so angry that he was ready to fight Thomas over his boasting.

• Mattis did not believe that basketball stars made great track athletes.

Answer explanation

The title makes readers consider if athletic success is more attributable to hard work or genetics.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1

Based on the excerpt, what is most likely the significance of the book’s title, The Sports Gene?

• Epstein is studying why some people like to play sports and others do not.

• Having an incredibly long Achilles tendon is a weakness when it comes to playing sports.

• Epstein is showing that having a specific gift like a long Achilles tendon can be as valuable in sports as hours of practice.

• Understanding the genetic makeup of kangaroos will reveal what makes many of the most successful athletes so exceptional.

Answer explanation

The title makes readers consider if athletic success is more attributable to hard work or genetics.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2

On January 19, 2006, [Donald] Thomas was sitting in the cafeteria at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, boasting about his slam-dunking prowess with a few guys from the track team.

Which of the following words best replaces prowess as it is used in the following passage?

​ ​ (a)  

• ability
• fear
• robot
• trophy

Answer explanation

Thomas was boasting about his ability to make slam dunks.

Which detail most strongly supports the idea that a longer Achilles tendon might lead a person to have greater high-jumping abilities?

• Kangaroos have longer tendons that lead them to bouncing instead of walking.

• Donald Thomas had his long Achilles tendons studied by a neuromuscular scientist.

• Donald Thomas has not improved his high-jumping after doing it for six years.

• Neither Ishikawa nor Hunter think that the sole secret of a person’s jumping success is in their Achilles tendons.

Answer explanation

The author uses kangaroos as evidence of the importance of a long Achilles tendon.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2

The author suggests that Thomas’ high-jumps were remarkable mainly by fill in the blank____________.

• portraying Thomas as boastful before the first jumps

• explaining that Mattis set the bar before Thomas arrived for the jumps

• entioning that this was taking place in a college in Missouri

• pointing out that Thomas had very poor technique when he first tried high jumping

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1

Which passage from the text most strongly supports the answer to the question, "The author suggests that Thomas’ high-jumps were remarkable mainly by...?"

• “And then, on the seventh high jump attempt of his life, with rigid form akin to a man riding an invisible deck chair backward through the air, Thomas cleared 7’3.25”, a Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse record.”

• “Mattis rushed Thomas over to the office where head track coach Lane Lohr was organizing his roster for the upcoming Eastern Illinois University Mega Meet and told the coach he had a seven-foot high jumper.”

• “He went home and grabbed a pair of sneakers and returned to the Lindenwood field house where a smirking Mattis had already set the bar at 6’6”.”

• "[Donald] Thomas was sitting in the cafeteria at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, boasting about his slam dunking prowess with a few guys from the track team.”

Answer explanation

Setting a world record on the seventh high jump of his life makes Thomas’ achievement much more remarkable.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1

Which of the following inferences about the jumping success of Stefan Holm is best supported by the last third of the excerpt?

• Holm was a great high jumper because, like Donald Thomas, he had an exceptionally long Achilles tendon.

• Holm had a stiffer Achilles tendon that helped him jump to greater heights.

• Thomas passed Holm because Holm could not improve the height of his jumps after years of practice.

• Holm became an Olympic champion because of his hard work.

Answer explanation

The stiffness of Holm’s Achilles tendon is what most directly contributes to his success.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1

Which statement from the text most strongly supports the answer to "Which of the following inferences about the jumping success of Stefan Holm is best supported by the last third of the excerpt?"

• “The longer (and stiffer) the Achilles tendon, the more elastic energy it can store when compressed. All the better to rocket the owner into the air.”

• “For his first attempt, Holm stood with his eyes closed, envisioning himself floating over the bar. ”

• “Thomas has not improved one centimeter in the six years since he entered the professional circuit.”

• “Meanwhile, Holm was cruising, passing over 7’3”, 7’5”, 7’6.5, and 7’7.73” without a single miss, as his father watched through a video camera and pumped his fist in the stands.”

Answer explanation

This statement directly supports the idea that Holm’s stiff Achilles tendon contributes to his success.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1

Reorder the following

• Thomas becomes the world champion of high-jumping.

• Thomas lets neuromuscular researchers study his tendons.

• Coach Lane Lohr does not believe reports of how high Thomas can jump despite having no experience.

• Thomas does not improve his high-jumping after six years on the professional circuit.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3

One of the central ideas of the excerpt is the inexperience of Donald Thomas when he began high-jumping.

Drag the following detail about Donald Thomas’ inexperience at high-jumping that supports the central ideas.

​ ​ (a)  

• Wore baggy shorts
• Wore the colors of his native Bahamas
• Traveled to Osaka for the World Championships
• Set the Lindenwood University high-jump record

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