WorksheetsInformational Text Passage-"Baseball Smarts"
Total questions: 14
Worksheet time: 7mins
What is MOST LIKELY the author’s main purpose for writing the passage?
to give readers a better understanding of life in the 1900s
to tell the interesting life story of a famous baseball player
to describe baseball from its beginnings up until the present day
to offer information about a mostly forgotten time in sports history
The MAIN contrast made in Paragraphs 9 and 13 is between
playing catcher and playing first base.
wearing gloves and not wearing gloves.
the glove invented by Albert Spalding and the glove invented by Harry Decker.
playing for the St. Louis Brown Stockings and playing for the Boston Red Stockings.
Based on the passage, the reader can conclude that
wearing leather gloves on both hands is still a common practice in baseball today.
many popular baseball players wore leather gloves in 1874.
outfielders are more likely to wear leather gloves than infielders while playing baseball.
wearing leather gloves has made the game of baseball safer.
Read this sentence from Paragraph 11.
He also admitted that he had chosen a color as inconspicuous as possible because he didn’t care to attract attention.
What does the word inconspicuous mean in that sentence?
bright
simple
not easily seen
fitting a pattern
In Paragraphs 1 through 7, how does the author MOST often appeal to the readers’ emotions?
by describing intense physical sensations
by offering key details about Charlie’s past
by giving the historical information about baseball
by listing the different positions of baseball players
Which sentence from the passage BEST expresses the author’s opinion about Charlie Waitt’s contribution to baseball?
Waitt takes an ordinary leather glove and cuts off the fingers.
Other players and fans watching the game don't like Waitt's idea.
He was what baseball folks call a journeyman ballplayer.
It would also be hard to find a player who did more to change the way a baseball is caught.
What method does the author use to show the reader how Charlie Waitt developed his idea?
He recreates Waitt’s thoughts.
He interviews Waitt’s teammates.
He describes Waitt’s glove.
He discusses Waitt’s baseball-playing techniques.
Read the sentences from the passage.
Charlie played in 113 professional games from 1875 to 1883, never spending more than one season with any team. He was what baseball folks call a journeyman ballplayer.
What does the word journeyman MOST LIKELY mean in Paragraph 17?
brilliant and colorful
creative and artistic
experienced and reliable
young and untrained
In Paragraph 3, what feeling is suggested by the use of the words wince, stinging, and ached?
confusion
discomfort
fright
worry
Which statement shows how Charlie Waitt feels about wearing a glove when playing baseball?
He will use it when playing the outfield.
Wearing a glove is a sign of weakness.
He doesn’t want to attract attention.
The thought of it makes him wince.
Which statement BEST summarizes Paragraph 14?
In 1890, everyone but catchers used the Spalding style glove.
The catchers needed gloves that were not as thin as the gloves worn by the other fielders.
The heavily padded mitt that was invented was not as big as catchers’ mitts are today
In 1890, Harry Decker designed a padded catcher’s glove that offered more protection than other gloves.
Based on the passage, which of Waitt’s qualities does the author MOST admire?
his popularity
his athleticism
his problem-solving ability
his self-confidence
What structure of organization does the author use in the passage?
compare and contrast
chronological order
problem and solution
cause and effect
Which detail from the article best supports the author’s claim that people thought wearing a glove was a sign of weakness?
Waitt cut the fingers of the glove he used.
Many players began to wear gloves on both hands.
Waitt confessed that he was ashamed to wear the glove.
Players knew it was tricky to use bare hands to stop a baseball.
