Staar Reading Passage

The author suggests that Cook had frustrating moments while coaching at Gallaudet largely because he —

• believed that his players lacked the skills necessary for success

• knew he was not communicating well with his team

• thought the university expected too much of its team

• knew that his team could not overcome their disadvantage

In paragraph 5, the phrase privy to means —

• knowledgeable of

• amused by

• happy with

• worried about

Which of these best describes why some of the Gallaudet players lacked confidence in Cook when he first became coach of the team?

• They thought the standards he set for the team were too high.

• He had previously been the coach of a professional team.

• They thought he could not understand what the world was like for the deaf.

• He thought that winning games was more important than the players did.

The author presents the events that led to the team’s winning record in chronological order to emphasize that —

• the university was very supportive of the women’s basketball team

• deaf basketball teams have an advantage over hearing basketball teams

• the university gained recognition because of the team’s improvement

• changing the team’s perspective on winning did not happen quickly

The title of the selection emphasizes the idea that Cook —

• wanted his team to focus on playing to their greatest potential

• knew that his team would learn more from winning than from losing

• thought that coaching the team would help him understand Deaf culture

• believed that his players could play better if they practiced more

What is the best summary of the selection?

• One of the reasons Gallaudet University had suffered many losing seasons was that the players were unable to communicate with spoken words. When Kevin Cook took over the team, he brought a history of successful coaching of professional, college, and foreign basketball teams. He worked hard to understand his players.

• Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1864. All the students there are either deaf or hard of hearing. Players on the women’s basketball team communicated using facial movements, lipreading, or sign language. Their coach Kevin Cook noticed that this caused them to take their eyes off the ball and lose games.

• When Kevin Cook took over the head coaching job at Gallaudet University, he experienced many challenges. The team of hearing-impaired players had not been playing well for many years. Cook worked to understand the players and eventually built a successful team.

• Kevin Cook became the coach of the women’s basketball team at Gallaudet University. He organized an important scrimmage against a highly ranked team, and it had a big effect on his players. Although the team lost the scrimmage, it was invited to play in an NCAA tournament.

Which sentence suggests that Cook benefited from his experience as a coach?

• He said that the biggest lesson he had learned was to be grateful, and he also noted that he learned patience—both on and off the court.

• And when the opposing team’s coach called a play, sometimes Cook could communicate that message to his team.

• It hadn’t had a championship-filled history, so it was Cook’s mission at Gallaudet to change the team’s record from a losing one to a winning one.

• Although it was an impressive turnaround, Cook knew the team could play better.