SC Ready -Jackie Robinson, Baseball Legend

This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A: Which conclusion about Jackie Robinson is best supported by information in the passage?

• Jackie Robinson went out of his way to be friendly to new team members.

• Jackie Robinson made personal sacrifices to ensure the welfare of his family.

• Jackie Robinson had difficulty deciding what career he wanted to pursue.

• Jackie Robinson wanted to become financially rich by playing baseball.

Part B: Which sentence from the passage most strongly supports the answer in part A?

• Partway through earning his degree, however, his mother needed help taking care of his siblings, so Robinson decided to quit school to offer his support.

• He joined the Army for a couple of years, then went to Hawaii to play football professionally.

• When Robinson heard that the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team was scouting new players, he knew it could be his big opportunity.

• At the end of his first year with the Dodgers, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

Which is the best summary of the passage?

• Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 in the town of Cairo, Georgia. There were four children in his family. When he was young, he enjoyed sports. He set records in football, basketball, and track. He played professional football in Hawaii. He also enjoyed going to the movies. For a little while, he went to the University of California, Los Angeles. Later, he joined a professional baseball team and proved that he was a great athlete. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year and later won the Most Valuable Player award.

• Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia and was one of four children. He was a very good athlete and could play most sports. He played football, baseball, basketball, and track. He set many records. After he left college, Robinson met a man named Branch Rickey. Rickey was the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team and wanted new players. He asked Robinson to join the team. Robinson joined the professional team and set many records for them. At the end of his first year of professional baseball, Robinson won the Rookie of the Year award. The United States Postal Service eventually put his picture on a stamp.

• Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 in the town of Cairo, Georgia. Robinson excelled at different sports in college, including football, baseball, basketball and track. In 1947, Robinson tried out for and was asked to join the Brooklyn Dodgers, which was a major-league baseball team. This was a significant achievement since major league baseball teams had not included AfricanAmerican players since 1889. In 1949, Robinson won the Most Valuable Player award for his achievements with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1997, the United States Postal Service released a commemorative Jackie Robinson Stamp.

• Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia and was one of four children. He was a good athlete and played football, baseball, basketball, and track. He enjoyed the movies. When he went to the movies, he learned about a boxer named Joe Louis. Robinson considered Louis one of his heroes. Robinson left college to help his mother take care of his siblings. Later in life, a man named Branch Rickey asked Robinson to join the Brooklyn Dodgers, a professional baseball team. Robinson set many records. Robinson eventually became a hero to Joe Louis.

Which sentences from the passage best support the central idea that Jackie Robinson was a talented athlete? Choose two answers.

• While he was in college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Robinson became a sports legend, setting records in football, baseball, basketball, and track.

• Not long after, in 1947, Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was looking for new players for the team.

• Not everyone accepted Robinson as part of the team

• Just two years later, in 1949, Robinson won the Most Valuable Player.

• Meanwhile, Robinson recalled his admiration for boxer Joe Louis and credited Louis for making great strides in racial equality.

Read the sentences from the passage.

Robinson played with the Dodgers through early 1957. During his time with them, little by little, baseball began to change, and more African-American players joined the Major Leagues. Robinson had been the trailblazer who helped make their careers possible. Meanwhile, Robinson recalled his admiration for boxer Joe Louis and credited Louis for making great strides in racial equality.

How does the word trailblazer impact meaning in the passage?

• by describing Robinson's life in the Major Leagues

• by emphasizing Robinson's role as a pioneer

• by emphasizing Robinson's respect for Joe Lewis

• by describing Robinson's ability on the field

How does the author respond to the idea that Jackie Robinson was unpopular with some people when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers?

• by indicating how Joe Louis influenced Jackie Robinson to become a professional athlete

• by describing the personal qualities that Jackie Robinson had to apply to become a professional athlete

• by explaining how Branch Rickey awarded Jackie Robinson his initial contract as a professional athlete

• by suggesting the specific ways that Jackie Robinson arranged to work for a different team as a professional athlete

How do the headings contribute to the development of the author’s ideas in the passage?

• The headings compare the skills that Jackie Robinson had with the skills of other athletes of the time.

• The headings summarize the important jobs in Jackie Robinson’s career.

• The headings provide an outline of Jackie Robinson’s transformation into a successful athlete.

• The headings categorize each of the difficulties Jackie Robinson faced during his life.

Read the claim about Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson’s baseball career has great historical significance. Which sentence provides relevant support for this claim?

• However, the Major Leagues and its teams, including the Dodgers, had not had an African-American player since the year 1889.

• Some fans and even teammates were unkind to him, even when he was playing on the field, and it sometimes took incredible strength and confidence for Robinson to continue his game.

• Robinson played with the Dodgers through early 1957.

• Robinson’s life was certainly one well lived.