Dedicated to the Goal

Which statement identifies the central idea of the text? [RI.2]

• From a young age, Lloyd was encouraged to pursue sports and other activities uncommon for young girls.

• Soccer is a sport built on teamwork, a skill that Lloyd had to develop before being accepted on the women’s national team.

• Lloyd worked hard and overcame many challenges to become one of the top women in soccer.

• Lloyd was a natural athlete and found the journey to succeeding in sports to be easy.

Read the following sentences from paragraph 4: “As if three unanswered goals are not enough, the unthinkable happens. In a burst of energy, Lloyd steals the ball. She sees that Japan’s goalie is out of position. The crowd roars as Lloyd launches a high, arcing shot from 55 yards out. The goalkeeper can only stumble backward and swat at the ball as the improbable shot sails over her head and into the net.” What does the word improbable mean in this context? [RI.4]

• fake

• realistic

• skillful

• unbelievable

How does paragraph 8 contribute to the development of ideas in the text? [RI.5]

• It shows that Lloyd’s siblings gave up playing soccer because Lloyd was better than them.

• It shows Lloyd’s love of soccer and how willing she was to work hard to get good at it.

• It emphasizes Lloyd’s interest in many types of activities, not just sports.

• It reveals that Lloyd’s parents gave her a lot of freedom as a child.

Several other people were important in Lloyd’s journey towards attaining her goals. Explain who they were and how they helped her achieve success.

Which of Lloyd’s habits gave her the biggest advantage over her competition? Explain your answer.

"Despite injuries and setbacks, she has become the highest-scoring midfielder in U.S. women’s soccer history."

In this sentence, what does the word "despite" mean?

• fear

• to bite

• not being effected by something

• in response to

In the story, Lloyd is dedicated to the sport of soccer. What does the word "dedicated" mean?

• devoted to

• disagree with

• to talk about

• to make a decision

If you have a ____, there will always be challenges.

"She turned her weakness into ________."

What are 3 characteristics of Lloyd, according to her coach?​ ​ (a)   ​ (b)   ​ (c)  

• determination
• mental toughness
• endurance
• fast runner
• she's tall
• intelligent