Question 1

Which sentence from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” best supports the main idea of the article?

Accepted Answer

Most players here won’t ever put on a big-league uniform, but they come to IMG trying to find and reach their potential.

Answer

Ketch doesn’t think about the numbers.

Answer

He remembers being fascinated by how the players and coaches talked and how fans reacted to the game.

Answer

Tuition, room and board here for the combined academic and sports program is about $70,000 a year.

Question 2

Based on the article (“A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”), the coaches at IMG can best be described as —

Accepted Answer

caring about the future success of the students

Answer

focused on becoming coaches at a professional level

Answer

dismissive of the mistakes students make

Answer

concerned about the effectiveness of their coaching ability

Question 3

Read this quotation from paragraph 13 in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”. : [“Ketchum Marsh is one of the most successful stories that will come out of IMG,” Bolek says, focusing not just on baseball, but on life.]
What evidence does the author present in the article to support the opinion expressed in this quotation?

Accepted Answer

A reference to Marsh’s work ethic

Answer

A description of Marsh’s training regimen

Answer

An anecdote about Marsh’s time as a batboy

Answer

Information about Marsh’s future plans

Question 4

The author wrote “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” primarily to —

Accepted Answer

inform readers about a unique school and the students who attend it

Answer

persuade readers to support schools that specialize in training student-athletes

Answer

highlight the reasons people pursue a career in sports

Answer

convince student-athletes to enroll in a specialized school for sports

Question 5

Read paragraph 21 from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”. : [ Baseball folklore tells us that the scrappiest kid on the sandlot has a shot at going to “the show.”]
What does this sentence suggest?

Accepted Answer

Determination and grit could get a player to the big leagues.

Answer

Most major-league players come from humble circumstances.

Answer

Baseball players understand their potential at an early age.

Answer

Legends about baseball frequently inspire players to improve.

Question 6

What does the graphic from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” best suggest about the different levels of baseball competition?

Accepted Answer

Baseball leagues become more selective as players advance

Answer

More athletes prefer playing college baseball than minor-league baseball.

Answer

Most Little League baseball players participate in multiple sports when they reach high school.

Answer

Playing Little League baseball is necessary to becoming a major-league player.

Question 7

What can the reader conclude from the interaction between the pitching coach and Cameron Varga in paragraphs 17 through 20 (from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers”)?

Accepted Answer

The pitching coach wants his players to always strive to improve

Answer

Varga is confident in his ability to succeed in Florida.

Answer

The pitching coach is mainly concerned about winning games quickly.

Answer

Varga’s number of pitches will decrease as his speed increases.

Question 8

What is the author’s purpose for mentioning the children’s race through the house? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

To illustrate that some children value fun above competition

Answer

To emphasize that his child is athletically superior to her friends

Answer

To show that children lack concerns about safety when competing

Answer

To highlight that children often disregard household rules

Question 9

Based on the information presented in the essay, what is one message the reader can infer? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

Satisfaction comes from being dedicated and doing your best.

Answer

Persistence ensures that a loser will eventually become a winner

Answer

Being rewarded simply for participating belittles the efforts of the winners

Answer

Avoiding competition is better than participating when failure is certain

Question 10

Read the following dictionary entry.
validate \Ɏva-lǨ-ɑdāt\ v
1. declare or make legal 2. prove
or confirm to be true 3. approve an
expressed agreement 4. mark with
an indication of being official
Which definition best matches the use of the word validated in paragraph 3? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

Definition 2

Answer

Definition 3

Answer

Definition 1

Answer

Definition 4

Question 11

The author includes quotations in paragraph 8 primarily to — (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

emphasize Cyrus’s noncompetitive nature

Answer

point out the author’s concern for Cyrus

Answer

highlight that Naomi and Kean rarely agree

Answer

reveal Naomi’s and Kean’s athletic abilities

Question 12

Which quotation best expresses the author’s viewpoint about being an “also-ran”? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

"I believe in celebrating those that finish third in a three-horse race."

Answer

"At school I was fortunate to win enough to balance all the times I lost, and I began to
believe in this idea."

Answer

"Our family enjoys a large house with a great running track."

Answer

"Naomi and Kean have always been fast runners and very evenly matched, too."

Question 13

What can the reader conclude from paragraph 3? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

The author’s education did not fully prepare him for living in the real world.

Answer

The author was better at sports than at academics while growing up.

Answer

Educational priorities at elite schools differ from those in public schools

Answer

Students in England are required to attend school through the university level.

Question 14

What is the main idea of the selection? (“I Believe in the Also-Rans”)

Accepted Answer

People should celebrate their best efforts even if they don’t always succeed.

Answer

Parents should encourage their children to be active because fitness is important.

Answer

People who consistently win competitions as children have lifelong advantages over those who don’t.

Answer

Children usually develop friendships with others who have similar abilities.

Question 15

Both Ketchum Marsh in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” and the author of “I Believe in the Also-Rans” —

Accepted Answer

have attended exclusive schools that focus on achievement

Answer

are frustrated by their limited athletic abilities

Answer

are natives of the same geographic location

Answer

have families that emphasize the importance of athletics

Question 16

Read this sentence from paragraph 2 of “I Believe in the Also-Rans.”
[ As an English teenager I was schooled in an elite school where I was fed the idea that I was better than others and that achievement and winning were all-important.]
Which sentence from “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” contrasts with the attitude expressed in the sentence from “I Believe in the Also-Rans”?

Accepted Answer

“We are not sending the message that every one of our players are going to wind up
playing shortstop for the Mets.”

Answer

“You kind of just don’t want to leave the field at the end of the night,” he says

Answer

And there’s something else: Many of the coaches have given years to the game.

Answer

Bolek, who has coached in the minors, the majors and college, says his job is not always about baseball.

Question 17

Which sentence correctly describes the organizational pattern used by the authors of the two selections?

Accepted Answer

Both selections include anecdotes as examples to support their main ideas.

Answer

Both selections provide definitions of key terms to add meaning to the texts.

Answer

Both selections use cause-and-effect to highlight the relationships between key ideas.

Answer

Both selections use quotations from experts to support the main ideas in the texts.

Question 18

What do Ketchum Marsh in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” and Cyrus in “I Believe in the Also-Rans” have in common?

Accepted Answer

Neither is a natural-born athlete.

Answer

Both become easily frustrated by failure.

Answer

Both hope to play professional sports.

Answer

Neither has supportive adults in his life.

Question 19

What is the purpose of paragraph 32 in “A Baseball School for Big-League Dreamers” and paragraph 3 in “I Believe in the Also-Rans”?

Accepted Answer

To emphasize that the realities of adult life often differ from early experiences

Answer

To specify the most important qualities needed to become a successful adult

Answer

To explain that early disappointment can often lead to long-term failure

Answer

To point out the educational advantages of attending elite schools

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