Sports and Leisure

8
Questions 400–402 are based on the following passage.
In the following passage, the author attempts to define what separates a
sport from a leisure activity.
(1) The seemingly simple question of “what defines a sport?” has been
the fodder for argument and conversation for years, among profes-
sional and armchair athletes alike. There seems to be no doubt that
vigorous and highly competitive activities such as baseball, football,
(5) and soccer are truly “sports,” but when the subject of other activi-
ties such as darts, chess, and shuffleboard is broached we find our-
selves at the heart of a controversy.
If say, billiards, is not a sport, then what exactly is it? Those who
would dispute it to be a sport would respond that it is a simple leisure
(10) activity. They would go on to claim a true sport first and foremost
requires some form of physical exertion. More to the point, if a player
does not break a sweat, what he or she plays is not a sport. Beyond
that, more important criteria would be the need for decent hand-eye
coordination, and the ever-present possibility of sustaining injury. Bil-
(15) liards only fits one of those specifications (hand-eye coordination), so
according to the doubters, it is not a real sport.
To help resolve this dispute, the first text to consult would have to
be the dictionary. According to one dictionary, a sport is defined as “a

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diversion” or a “recreation.” Assuming one strictly adheres to the sim-

(20) ple guidelines laid out in that definition, it would seem that almost any
activity that provides enjoyment could be classified as a sport. And if,
according to the dictionary, watching a sport on television is a sport
itself, I guess that would make a couch potato an athlete. Play ball!

400. The author’s tone in this passage could be described as

a. serious.
b. light-hearted.
c. confrontational.
d. dark.
e. romantic.

401. The word vigorous in line 3 most nearly means

a. languorous.
b. boring.
c. intricate.
d. ancient.
e. strenuous.

402. According to the criteria given in lines 11–14, all of the following
would be considered a “true” sport EXCEPT
a. cheerleading.
b. skiing.
c. race car driving.
d. horse shoes.
e. gymnastics.

Questions 403–407 are based on the following passage.

The following passage describes the Native American games that were
predecessors to the modern sport of lacrosse.
(1) The roots of the modern-day sport of lacrosse are found in tribal stick
and ball games developed and played by many native North American
tribes dating back as early as the fifteenth century. The Native Amer-
ican names for these games reflected the bellicose nature of those early
(5) contests, many of which went far beyond friendly recreational com-
petition. For example, the Algonquin called their game Baggattaway,
which meant, “they bump hips.” The Cherokee Nation and the Six
Tribes of the Iroquois called their sport Tewaarathon, which translated
into “Little Brother of War.” Rules and style of play differed from

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(10) tribe to tribe and games could be played by as few as fifteen to as many
as 1,000 men and women at a time. These matches could last for three
days, beginning at dawn each day and ending at sunset. The goals
could be specific trees or rocks, and were a few hundred yards to a few
miles apart. Despite these differences, the sole object of every game
(15) was the same: to score goals by any means necessary. Serious injuries
caused by blows from the heavy wooden sticks used in the games were
not uncommon, and often expected. Not surprisingly, the Native
Americans considered these precursors to today’s lacrosse excellent
battle preparation for young warriors, and games were often used to
(20) settle disputes between tribes without resorting to full-blown warfare.
For the Six Tribes of the Iroquois, certain matches of Tewaarathon
held religious significance, as well. One of the most important gods
the Iroquois worshipped was the Creator, Deganawidah. In Iroquois
legend, the Creator united the Six Tribes into the one nation.
(25) Tewaarathon was played to please the Creator, and the competition was
viewed as a recreation of the Iroquois Creation Story, where super-
natural forces of good and evil battled each other in an epic struggle.

403. In line 4, bellicose most closely means

a. beautiful.
b. warlike.
c. peaceful.
d. family minded.
e. clumsy.

404. The passage describes the early versions of lacrosse as

a. strictly regulated competitions.
b. intense games played against the Pilgrims.
c. serious and meaningful matches.
d. played only by the best athletes selected from each tribe.
e. friendly exhibitions.

405. Which of the following titles would be the most appropriate for
this passage?
a. Little Brother of War
b. Lacrosse: America’s Most Violent Sport
c. The Origins of the Modern Lacrosse Stick
d. Deganawidah and the Six Tribes
e. Hockey: the Little Brother of Lacrosse

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406. In line 15, the author’s use of the phrase by any means necessary
emphasizes the
a. unpredictable nature of the game.
b. mild nature of the game.
c. violent nature of the game.
d. fact that both women and men participated in the games.
e. importance of scoring goals.

407. The author’s main purpose for writing this passage is to

a. illustrate the differences between the early games and today’s
lacrosse.
b. condemn the violent tactics often used by the Native American
players.
c. show how ancient games influenced many games played today.
d. teach the reader about the Iroquois Creation Story.
e. describe the importance of these games in Native American
culture.

Questions 408–412 are based on the following passage.

The following passage is adapted from a critical commentary about
commercialism in today’s society.
(1) Traditional body signage seems largely to have disappeared. Well,
many of the old symbols and names are still around, of course, but
they are part of the commercial range of options. Seeing someone in
a Harvard or Oxford sweatshirt or a kilt or a military tie now com-
(5) municates nothing at all significant about that person’s life other than
the personal choice of a particular consumer. Religious signs are still
evocative, to be sure, but are far less common than they used to be.
Why should this be? I suspect one reason may be that we have lost a
sense of significant connection to the various things indicated by such
(10) signs. Proclaiming our high school or university or our athletic team
or our community has a much lower priority nowadays, in part
because we live such rapidly changing lives in a society marked by con-
stant motion that the stability essential to confer significance on such
signs has largely gone.
(15) But we still must attach ourselves to something. Lacking the con-
viction that the traditional things matter, we turn to the last resort of
the modern world: the market. Here there is a vast array of options,
all equally meaningless in terms of traditional values, all equally
important in identifying the one thing left to us for declaring our

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(20) identity publicly, our fashion sense and disposable income. The mar-
ket naturally manipulates the labels, making sure we keep purchasing
what will most quickly declare us excellent consumers. If this year a
Chicago Bulls jacket or Air Jordan shoes are so popular that we are
prepared to spend our way into a trendy identity, then next year there
(25) will be something else.

408. The main purpose of the passage is to

a. discuss basketball’s importance in today’s fashions.
b. relate the tribal history of tattoos.
c. tell a story about the good old days.
d. help the reader discover his or her own true identity.
e. discuss commercialism’s powerful influence upon personal
identity.

409. What does the author mean by the commercial range of options
(line 3)?
a. the variety of commercials on television and radio
b. the numerous products available to today’s consumer
c. the ability to shop on the Internet
d. let the buyer beware
e. technology’s impact upon the world

410. In line 20, disposable income refers to

a. recyclable goods.
b. spending money.
c. life savings.
d. a donation to charity.
e. garbage.

411. The author would agree with all the following statements
EXCEPT
a. A person wearing a New York Yankees baseball hat is not neces-
sarily a fan of the team or a resident of New York.
b. Pride in our school or community is not as strong today as it
was years ago.
c. In today’s society, being trendy is more important than keeping
tradition.
d. You can tell a lot about somebody by what they are wearing.
e. The last resort of the modern world is the marketplace.

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412. Which statement best simplifies the author’s point of view of

today’s society in lines 12–14?
a. Times have changed.
b. People’s lives today are very similar to those of a generation
ago.
c. Fashion is very important in today’s world.
d. People today don’t have proper nutrition.
e. Life is short.

Questions 413–421 are based on the following passage.

The following passage is an excerpt from Jack London’s The Cruise of the
Snark. In this selection, London discusses his experience of learning to surf
in Waikiki in the early 1900s.
(1) A wave is a communicated agitation. The water that composes the
body of a wave does not move. If it did, when a stone is thrown into a
pond and the ripples spread away in an ever-widening circle, there
would appear at the center an ever-increasing hole. No, the water that
(5) composes the body of a wave is stationary. Thus, you may watch a par-
ticular portion of the ocean’s surface and you will see the same water
rise and fall a thousand times to the agitation communicated by a
thousand successive waves. Now imagine this communicated agitation
moving shoreward. As the bottom shoals, the lower portion of the
(10) wave strikes land first and is stopped. But water is fluid, and the upper
portion has not struck anything, wherefore it keeps on communicat-
ing its agitation, keeps on going. And when the top of the wave keeps
on going, while the bottom of it lags behind, something is bound to
happen. The bottom of the wave drops out from under and the top of
(15) the wave falls over, forward, and down, curling and cresting and roar-
ing as it does so. It is the bottom of a wave striking against the top of
the land that is the cause of all surfs.
But the transformation from a smooth undulation to a breaker is
not abrupt except where the bottom shoals abruptly. Say the bottom
(20) shoals gradually from a quarter of a mile to a mile, then an equal dis-
tance will be occupied by the transformation. Such a bottom is that off
the beach of Waikiki, and it produces a splendid, surf-riding surf. One
leaps upon the back of a breaker just as it begins to break, and stays on
it as it continues to break all the way in to shore.
(25) And now to the particular physics of surf-riding. Get out on a flat
board, six feet long, two feet wide, and roughly oval in shape. Lie
down upon it like a small boy on a coaster and paddle with your hands

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out to deep water, where the waves begin to crest. Lie out there qui-
etly on the board. Sea after sea breaks before, behind, and under and
(30) over you, and rushes in to shore, leaving you behind. When a wave
crests, it gets steeper. Imagine yourself, on your board, on the face of
that steep slope. If it stood still, you would slide down just as a boy
slides down a hill on his coaster. “But,” you object, “the wave doesn’t
stand still.” Very true, but the water composing the wave stands still,
(35) and there you have the secret. If ever you start sliding down the face
of that wave, you’ll keep on sliding and you’ll never reach the bottom.
Please don’t laugh. The face of that wave may be only six feet, yet you
can slide down it a quarter of a mile, or half a mile, and not reach the
bottom. For, see, since a wave is only a communicated agitation or
(40) impetus, and since the water that composes a wave is changing every
instant, new water is rising into the wave as fast as the wave travels.
You slide down this new water, and yet remain in your old position
on the wave, sliding down the still newer water that is rising and
forming the wave. You slide precisely as fast as the wave travels. If it
(45) travels fifteen miles an hour, you slide fifteen miles an hour. Between
you and shore stretches a quarter of mile of water. As the wave trav-
els, this water obligingly heaps itself into the wave, gravity does the
rest, and down you go, sliding the whole length of it. If you still cher-
ish the notion, while sliding, that the water is moving with you, thrust
(50) your arms into it and attempt to paddle; you will find that you have to
be remarkably quick to get a stroke, for that water is dropping astern
just as fast as you are rushing ahead.

413. The author compares surfing to

a. an ever-increasing hole forming in the water.
b. a chemistry experiment gone wrong.
c. a boy sledding down a hill on a coaster.
d. a transformation of time and space.
e. flying through the air like a bird.

414. All of the following questions can be answered based on

information from the passage EXCEPT
a. When a wave crests, it gets steeper.
b. If a wave is moving at eight miles per hour, so is the surfer on
that wave.
c. A wave is constantly recomposing itself with new water.
d. A flat board is the most popular type of surfboard.
e. The conditions at Waikiki make are excellent for surfing.

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415. According to the author, why is Waikiki ideal for surfing?

a. The weather is great and the water is warm.
b. The waves break abruptly as they approach the shore.
c. The waves at Waikiki are a communicated agitation.
d. Waikiki has some of the biggest waves in the world.
e. The waves break gradually as they approach the shore.

416. The word shoals in line 9 refers to

a. the sand kicked up as the waves break upon the beach.
b. water becoming shallower as it approaches the shore.
c. the steep cresting of a wave.
d. the salty smell of the sea.
e. water becoming deeper as you move away from the shore.

417. What part of a wave is responsible for the forming of surf?

a. the upper portion of the wave
b. the lower portion of the wave
c. the strongest part of the wave
d. the trailing portion of the wave
e. the roaring part of the wave.

418. The word impetus in line 40 most nearly means

a. a moving force.
b. a serious obstacle.
c. a slight annoyance.
d. a slight hindrance.
e. an area of very warm water.

419. The author’s description of the transformation of a smooth

undulating wave to a breaking wave (lines 18–21) indicates that
a. The distance of a wave’s break is dependent upon the bottom of
the approaching the shoreline.
b. It is rare for a wave to break gradually.
c. It common for a wave to break abruptly.
d. The size of a wave has to do with its speed through the water.
e. A wave only travels through deep water.

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420. The sentence A wave is a communicated agitation (line 1) is best

defined by which statement?
a. the roar of a wave sounds angry when it breaks upon the shore.
b. waves are a display of the ocean’s fury.
c. a wave is a surging movement that travels through the water.
d. the size of a wave can vary.
e. the ocean has baffled sailors for centuries.

421. What is the secret referred to in line 35?

a. why a good wave for surfing must to be at least six feet tall
b. A six-foot wave is between a quarter mile and a half mile in length.
c. how a surfer can slide down a six-foot wave for a quarter of mile
d. The smarter surfers paddle out to the deep water to catch the
best waves.
e. The water that composes a wave remains with the wave until it
reaches the shore.

Questions 422–430 are based on the following passage.

This passage details the life and career of Althea Gibson, an African-American
pioneer in the sport of tennis.
(1) Today, watching Venus and Serena Williams dominate the sport of
women’s tennis with their talent and flair, it is hard to imagine that just
over fifty years ago African-American tennis players were barred from
competing on the grandest stages of their sport. Jackie Robinson broke
(5) the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947, but the walls that kept
African-Americans from playing professional sports did not come tum-
bling down overnight. Almost four years passed from Jackie Robinson’s
major league debut until a female African-American made a similar
impact upon the sport of women’s tennis. That woman’s name was Althea
(10) Gibson.
Althea Gibson was born on a cotton farm on August 25, 1927, in Sil-
ver, South Carolina. The early stages of the Great Depression forced her
sharecropper father to move the family from the bucolic Silver to the
urban bustle of New York City when she was just three years old. As a
(15) child growing up in the Harlem section of the Manhattan, Althea found
she had an affinity for athletics. Basketball and paddle tennis were her
favorite sports, and she excelled at both. In fact, her talent at paddle ten-
nis was so remarkable that in 1939 she won her age group at the New
York City paddle tennis championships. Shortly after, a very good friend
(20) of Althea’s suggested that she try lawn tennis. She showed an incredible
aptitude for the sport and her play caught the attention of members of the

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predominately African-American Harlem Cosmopolitan Tennis Club,

who helped her raise money to become a member. At the age of fourteen,
Althea took her first real tennis lesson at the club under the tutelage of
(25) one-armed tennis coach Fred Johnson. She would never look back.
A year later in 1942, the major governing body for African-American
tennis tournaments—the American Tennis Association (ATA)—sponsored
the New York Girls Singles Championship at Althea’s club. With her
aggressive and dominating style of play, she won the title easily. It was her
(30) first of what was to be many victories, on and off the court.
Althea dropped out of high school shortly after winning the New York
Girls Championship. She found the classes boring and wanted to con-
centrate on tennis. Her decision raised many eyebrows amongst members
of the ATA, who had hoped that she would become one of the sport’s new
(35) stars. She was encouraged to leave New York City and move to Wilm-
ington, North Carolina to live with the family of Hubert Eaton, a wealthy
doctor who was active in the African-American tennis community. Dr.
Eaton welcomed Althea into his family. He not only offered her guidance
with her tennis career, he also convinced her to finish the remaining three
(40) years of high school. While living with the Eaton family in Wilmington,
she would travel around the country to compete in ATA tournaments. By
the time she graduated in 1949, Althea had already won the first two of
what would be ten consecutive ATA national titles. She was regarded by
many as one of the most impressive young talents in the female game,
(45) but because of segregation she was not permitted to practice on any of
the public courts in Wilmington. She was also yet to be invited to any
of the major segregated tournaments.
By early 1950 Althea was making some headway. She was the first
African American to play in the national indoor tournament, where she
(50) finished second. Althea believed her two national championships and her
strong showing at the indoor tournament was proof that she was one of
female tennis’s elite players. She and the ATA tried to lobby the United
States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) for an invitation to the 1950
U.S. Nationals, but despite the ATA’s efforts and Althea’s obvious merit,
(55) the USLTA failed to extend her an invitation.
Not every member of the USLTA was pleased with the organization’s
decision. Former U.S. National and Wimbledon champion Alice Marble
wrote a scathing editorial in the July 1950 issue of American Lawn Tennis
magazine criticizing the USLTA’s segregationist stance. Ms. Marble
(60) wrote, “The entrance of (African-Americans) into national tennis is as
inevitable as it has proven in baseball, in football, or in boxing; there is no
denying so much talent. . . . If Althea Gibson represents a challenge to the
present crop of players, then it’s only fair that they meet this challenge on

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the courts.” The editorial caused a national uproar that quickly led the
(65) USLTA to finally extend Althea an invitation to play in the 1950 U.S.
Nationals tournament. This invitation would open many doors for
Althea, and the following year she was the first African American to com-
pete at Wimbledon.
It took a few years for Althea to adjust to the world-class level of play.
(70) She won her first major tournament in 1956 and would dominate the
sport for the next five years, winning six doubles titles and a total of eleven
Grand Slam events including the U.S. Nationals and Wimbledon twice.
Yet even at the height of her career as an international tennis champ,
Althea was forced to endure discrimination. She was often refused hotels
(75) rooms and reservations at restaurants simply because of her skin color.
Althea once said that her extraordinary success was the product of
being “game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way.” The pio-
neering example set by Althea Gibson paved the way for future genera-
tions of African-American tennis players, and proved that beyond her
(80) tennis glory she was a true champion of the human spirit.

422. What is the main purpose of the passage?

a. to glimpse a piece of the past
b. to glorify athletes
c. to disparage segregation
d. to teach the history of tennis
e. to tell a story

423. The word bucolic in line 13 most nearly means

a. rural.
b. urban.
c. sickly.
d. depressing.
e. wealthy.

424. All of the following questions can be answered based on

information from the passage EXCEPT
a. What factors influenced the USLTA to invite Althea Gibson to
the U.S. Nationals?
b. Did Althea play in another ATA tournament after she was
invited to the U.S. Nationals?
c. Why did Althea go to live with Dr. Eaton?
d. To what specific types of discrimination was Althea subjected?
e. How many times did Althea compete at Wimbledon?

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425. Which of the following best describes the USLTA’s change of heart
regarding Althea’s invitation?
a. buckling under the pressure of public opinion
b. a calculated strike against segregation
c. a sudden recognition of Althea’s abilities
d. a bold marketing strategy
e. a desire to diversify the women’s game

426. The author uses Althea’s quote about being game enough in line 80
to illustrate that
a. Althea’s career was plagued with injuries.
b. the sport of tennis is more grueling than people realize.
c. Althea believed the discrimination she faced served only to
make her a stronger competitor.
d. Althea was often fined for yelling at the referee.
e. Althea believed talent was more important than mental
toughness.

427. Althea’s achievements are best described as

a. remarkable displays of talent and athleticism.
b. groundbreaking triumphs in the face of adversity.
c. important events that led to immediate civil rights reform.
d. one woman’s fight against the world.
e. historically insignificant.

428. Which statement best summarizes Alice Marble’s quote in

lines 60–64?
a. Baseball, football, and boxing are more entertaining than tennis.
b. Talent should dictate who could be a champion at a USLTA
tournament, not race.
c. There are players in the U.S. Nationals who do not deserve to
be there.
d. The USLTA should do away with invitations and make the
tournament open to anybody.
e. The ATA and USTLA should merge for the benefit of the sport.

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429. Why did Althea’s friend suggest that she try lawn tennis?
a. Lawn tennis is a more competitive game than paddle tennis.
b. The friend preferred playing lawn tennis.
c. There was more money to be made playing lawn tennis than
paddle tennis.
d. The friend thought Althea might enjoy playing lawn tennis, and
excel at it.
e. The friend was looking for a tennis partner.

430. All of the following statements are supported by the passage

EXCEPT
a. Alice Marble was a white tennis player.
b. Dr. Eaton’s guidance helped Althea’s career.
c. Althea won the New York Girls Singles championship when she
fifteen.
d. The public tennis courts in Wilmington were segregated.
e. Althea Gibson won more Grand Slam titles than any other
female tennis player.

Questions 431–439 are based on the following passage.

The following passage chronicles the 1919 “Black Sox” baseball scandal.

(1) Professional baseball suffered during the two years the United States
was involved in World War I. Many Americans who were preoccupied
with the seriousness of the war raging overseas had little concern for
the trivialities of a baseball game. After the war ended in 1919, many
(5) Americans wanted to put those dark years behind them and get back
to the normal activities of a peaceful life. One of those activities was
watching baseball. In the summer of 1919, ballparks that just one year
earlier had been practically empty were now filled daily with the sights
and sounds of America’s favorite pastime. That year, both the Cleve-
(10) land Indians and New York Yankees were two of the strongest teams
in baseball’s American League, but one team stood head and shoulders
above the rest: The Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox, called The White Stockings until 1902,
were owned by an ex-ballplayer named Charles Comiskey. Between the
(15) years of 1900 and 1915 the White Sox had won the World Series only
once, and Comiskey was determined to change that. In 1915, he pur-
chased the contracts of three of the most promising stars in the league:
outfielders “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and “Happy” Oscar Felsch, and sec-
ond baseman Eddie Collins. Comiskey had only to wait two years for his
(20) plan to come to fruition; the 1917 White Sox, playing in a park named

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for their owner, won the World Series. Two years later they had the best
record in all of baseball and were again on their way to the Series.
Baseball players’ salaries in that era were much different than the exor-
bitant paychecks of today’s professional athletes. Often, ballplayers would
(25) have second careers in the off-season because of the mediocrity of their
pay. To make matters worse, war-torn 1918 was such a horrible year for
baseball attendance that many owners cut player salaries for the follow-
ing season. However, it is said in all of baseball there was no owner as
parsimonious as Charles Comiskey. In 1917 he reportedly promised
(30) every player on the White Sox a bonus if they won the American League
Championship. After winning the championship, they returned to the
clubhouse to receive their bonus—a bottle of inexpensive champagne.
Unlike other owners, Comiskey also required the players to pay for the
cleaning of their uniforms. The Sox had the best record in baseball, but
(35) they were the least paid, were the most discontented, and wore the dirt-
iest uniforms.
Comiskey’s frugality did not sit well with the players. They were
most upset with the fact that he did not raise salaries back to their
1918 levels, even though the ballpark attendance figures for 1919
(40) were higher than any previous year. One player, Eddie Ciccotte, felt
especially ill-treated by Comiskey. The owner promised the pitcher
a bonus of $10,000 if he won thirty games, but after Ciccotte won his
twenty-ninth game he was benched by Comiskey for the rest of the
season.
(45) Gamblers were such a common sight around the Chicago ballpark
that Charles Comiskey had signs proclaiming “No Betting Allowed
In This Park” posted conspicuously in the stands. The money with
which these gamblers tempted the players was hard to refuse, and it
was rumored that to supplement their income some of the lower-paid
(50) athletes would offer inside tips to the bettors. But gamblers’ mingling
with ballplayers wasn’t solely confined to the White Sox. In 1920,
allegations involving gambling among Chicago Cubs players brought
to light a scandal that would shock Chicago and the rest of America:
Eight members of the White Sox had thrown the 1919 World Series.
(55) The exact facts regarding the scandal will never be known, but the
most accepted theory is that just prior to the World Series, White Sox
player Chick Gandil had approached a gambler by the name of
Joseph Sullivan with a proposal that for $100,000 Gandil would make
sure the Sox lost the Series. Gandil needed to recruit other players for
(60) the plan to work. It was not hard for him to do—there were many
underpaid players on the White Sox who were dissatisfied with the
way Comiskey operated the team. Ultimately, the seven other play-

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ers that were allegedly involved in the scheme were Eddie Cicotte,
Happy Felsch, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles “Swede” Ris-
(65) berg, Buck Weaver, and Claude Williams.
They were successful. The Chicago White Sox, heavily favored to
beat an inferior Cincinnati Reds team, lost the nine-game World Series
in eight games, due in most part to the inferior play of the eight con-
spiring players. When the scandal made headlines the following year
(70) the press began to refer to them as the Black Sox, and the ignominious
label would be used to describe them forever.
When the eight players stood before an Illinois grand jury, it was
determined that that there was not enough substantial evidence for
any convictions, and the players were all eventually acquitted of any
(75) criminal wrongdoing. Interestingly enough, Charles Comiskey paid
for the players’ high-priced defense lawyers. Unfortunately for
Comiskey, there was to be no similar reprieve from major league base-
ball: Every single one of the accused players was banned from the
game for life. Comiskey’s once mighty team was decimated by the loss
(80) of its most talented players, and the 1921 White Sox finished the sea-
son in seventh place.

431. According to the passage, who was the supposed ringleader of the
Black Sox scandal?
a. Charles Comiskey
b. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson
c. Eddie Ciccotte
d. Eddie Collins
e. Chick Gandil

432. In line 29, the word parsimonious most nearly means

a. generous.
b. stingy.
c. powerful.
d. friendly.
e. jovial.

433. According to facts from the passage, what was the name of the
White Sox’s ballpark?
a. Chicago Park
b. Comiskey Park
c. Sullivan Stadium
d. White Sox Park
e. Sox Field

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434. In line 54, the word thrown refers to

a. losing intentionally.
b. pitching a baseball.
c. projecting upon.
d. dashing upon.
e. abandoning something.

435. According to the passage, how many World Series’ did the White
Sox win between 1900 and 1919?
a. none
b. one
c. two
d. three
e. four

436. All of the following questions can be answered based on

information from the passage EXCEPT
a. Who was the second baseman for the 1915 White Sox?
b. Did the White Sox play in the American League or the
National League?
c. What was the White Sox’s original name?
d. How many games did Eddie Ciccotte pitch in 1918?
e. Why did many baseball owners lower player salaries for the
1919 season?

437. In lines 71–72, word ignominious most nearly means

a. uneducated.
b. dishonorable.
c. exalted.
d. worthy.
e. unentertaining.

438. The last paragraph of the passage suggests that Charles Comiskey
a. thought the team was better off without the eight players.
b. hoped all eight players would be convicted and sent to jail.
c. wanted the players involved in the scandal to return to the
team.
d. was contemplating retirement.
e. had a plan to get the White Sox back to the World Series.

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439. The passage as a whole suggests that

a. The White Sox probably fixed the 1917 World Series, too.
b. Charles Comiskey may have been in part to blame for his play-
ers’ actions.
c. ballplayers betting on games was a highly unusual occurrence.
d. baseball never recovered after World War I.
e. Charles Comiskey often bet against his own team.

Questions 440–449 are based on the following passage.

The following passage is adapted from a magazine article entitled The
Revival of the Olympic Games: Restoring the Stadium at Athens, published
prior to the first modern Olympics.
(1) For several months an unwonted activity has prevailed in one quarter
of Athens. Herodes Atticus Street behind the royal garden, one of the
most retired streets of the city, has resounded all day long with the rat-
tle of heavy wagons bringing blocks of marble from Pentelikon. At
(5) sunrise and sunset crowds of workingmen are seen moving through
this street, the lower end of which opens upon a bridge across the Ilis-
sos, and on the opposite bank lies the Panathenaic Stadium, now being
lined with marble for the Olympic games which are to be held in it
early in April. The time is short, and the work is being pressed for-
(10) ward. When the International Athletic Committee, at a session in
Paris last year, decided to have a series of athletic contests once in four
years in various countries, it is not surprising that they selected Greece
for the first contest. Although Greece now has as little of the athletic
habit as any nation of the civilized world, its past is interwoven with
(15) athletics. Olympia is a magic word, and the committee were doubtless
swayed partly by sentimental reasons in the choice of name and place.
But some may wonder why, since the games come to Greece, they
are not to be held at Olympia, to justify the name which they have
taken. This is because the originators of the scheme, although they
(20) have conceded something to sentiment, are no visionaries, but men of
practical common sense. Even their concession to sentiment is likely
to turn out to be a clever piece of practical management, calculated to
launch the games upon the world with more success than could have
been secured in any other way. The games also have a name which will
(25) be just as true in 1900 at Paris, and 1904 in America, as it is this year
in Athens.
Now, however fine a thing it might be to let athletes stir real
Olympic dust, and to let runners put their heels into the very groove

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of the old starting-sill, with the feeling that thirty centuries looked
(30) down upon them, it would not be practical. A successful athletic con-
test cannot be held in the wilderness. It demands a crowd and suste-
nance for a crowd. The crowd is the one essential concomitant of the
athletes. But a crowd will not go where it cannot eat and sleep. To
bring to Olympia a concourse sufficient to in modern times make the
(35) games anything like a success would demand the organization of a
first-class commissary department, and that too for a service of half a
month only. Shelter and food for such an occasion come naturally only
in connection with some city with a market. Ancient Olympia, with all
its magnificent buildings, was of course that sort of city, albeit practi-
(40) cally a deserted city except for a few days once in four years.
The visitors at Athens next April—and it is hoped that there will be
tens of thousands of them—will doubtless feel keenly enough the
inadequacy even of a city of 130,000 inhabitants, to give them all that
they seek in the way of material comforts. The problem of seating a
(45) large crowd of spectators did not come up before the International
Committee. But it is this problem which has found a most happy solu-
tion in Athens. The Stadium at Olympia, although excavated at each
end by the Germans, still lies in most of its course under fifteen or
twenty feet of earth. But the Stadium at Athens has always been a fit
(50) place for a monster meeting, provided people would be contented to
sit on its sloping sides without seats. When a local Athenian commit-
tee was formed, composed of most of the citizens conspicuous for
wealth or position, and some resident foreigners, under the presidency
of Constantine, crown prince of Greece, one of the first questions
(55) before it was this question of seating; and its attention was naturally
directed to the Stadium.
A wealthy and generous Greek of Alexandria, George Averoff, who
was known as a man always on the watch to do something for Athens,
readily took upon himself the expense of restoring the Stadium to
(60) something like its former splendor, when it was lined with marble and
seated fifty-thousand spectators. He has already given over nine hun-
dred thousand drachmas, which, if the drachma were at par, would be
$180,000, but which now amounts to only about $100,000. There is
a sub-committee of the general committee above described, desig-
(65) nated as the committee on the preparation of the Stadium, composed
of several practical architects, but including also the Ephor General of
Antiquities, and the directors of the foreign archaeological schools.
The presence of the archaeological element on this committee empha-
sizes the fact that the new work is to be a restoration of the old.

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440. In line 1, the word unwonted most nearly means

a. not welcome.
b. out of the ordinary.
c. unexpected.
d. ancient.
e. nocturnal.

441. Herodes Atticus Street (line 2) is located where in relation to the

Stadium at Athens?
a. behind the royal garden
b. on Mount Olympus
c. across the Illissos river
d. just north of Pentelikon
e. directly adjacent to

442. Based on information in the passage, what year were the first
modern Olympics to be held?
a. 1892
b. 1896
c. 1900
d. 1904
e. 1908

443. One of the sentimental reasons the author refers to in line 16 is

a. Athens was always the largest city in Greece.
b. Panathenaic Stadium is the oldest stadium in Ancient Olympia.
c. Olympia, Greece was the site of the original Olympics.
d. Paris was a better choice for the first modern Olympic games.
e. George Averoff was once the King of Greece.

444. All of the following are reasons why the first modern games were
held in Athens and not in Olympia EXCEPT
a. Olympia was a much smaller city than Athens.
b. Parts of the Stadium at Olympia were buried underground.
c. Athens offered better facilities for the crowd in terms of food
and shelter.
d. The Germans voted against Olympia in favor of Athens.
e. The city of Olympia would not attract the same crowd as
Athens.

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445. Who was in charge of solving the problem of seating the crowds
expected at Athens?
a. the International Athletic Committee
b. the Germans
c. George Averoff
d. the Ephor General of Antiquities
e. a local Athenian Committee

446. According to the passage, about how long were the games to be?
a. two weeks
b. the month of April
c. four years
d. three weeks
e. a few days

447. In line 62, the word drachma refers to

a. a block of marble.
b. the Greek word for marble.
c. the name of Greek money.
d. a type of stadium seat.
e. a type of Greek food.

448. In line 30, what does the author claim would not be practical?
a. trying to revive the spirit of the ancient games
b. holding the new Olympics in Olympia
c. excavating the Stadium at Olympia for use at the modern games
d. refurbishing the Stadium at Athens
e. seating fifty-thousand spectators

449. The phrase the feeling that thirty centuries looked down upon them
(lines 29–30) refers to the
a. political importance of holding the first modern games at the
site of Ancient Olympia.
b. decision to hold the second modern Olympics in France.
c. importance of reviving the spirit of the ancient Olympic games.
d. sentimental value of holding the modern games at the site of
Ancient Olympia.
e. need for the best amateur athletes to compete.

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Questions 450–460 are based on the following passages.

The following passages detail two very different perspectives of life aboard a
ship in the age of sail. The first passage describes an English pleasure yacht
in the early 1800s. The second passage recounts a young boy’s impressions
of the first time he set sail in a merchant vessel.

PASSAGE 1

(1) Reader, have you ever been at Plymouth? If you have, your eye must
have dwelt with ecstasy upon the beautiful property of the Earl of
Mount Edgcumbe: if you have not been at Plymouth, the sooner that
you go there the better. You will see ships building and ships in ordi-
(5) nary; and ships repairing and ships fitting; and hulks and convict ships,
and the guard-ship; ships ready to sail and ships under sail; besides
lighters, men-of-war’s boats, dockyard-boats, bum-boats, and shore-
boats. In short, there is a great deal to see at Plymouth besides the sea
itself: but what I particularly wish now is, that you will stand at the bat-
(10) tery of Mount Edgcumbe and look into Barn Pool below you, and
there you will see, lying at single anchor, a cutter; and you may also
see, by her pendant and ensign, that she is a yacht.
You observe that this yacht is cutter-rigged, and that she sits grace-
fully on the smooth water. She is just heaving up her anchor; her fore-
(15) sail is loose, all ready to cast her—in a few minutes she will be under
way. You see that there are ladies sitting at the taffrail; and there are
five haunches of venison hanging over the stern. Of all amusements,
give me yachting. But we must go on board. The deck, you observe,
is of narrow deal planks as white as snow; the guns are of polished
(20) brass; the bitts and binnacles of mahogany: she is painted with taste;
and all the moldings are gilded. There is nothing wanting; and yet
how clear and unencumbered are her decks! Let us go below.
There is the ladies’ cabin: can anything be more tasteful or elegant?
Is it not luxurious? And, although so small, does not its very confined
(25) space astonish you, when you view so many comforts so beautifully
arranged? This is the dining-room, and where the gentlemen repair.
And just peep into their state-rooms and bed-places. Here is the stew-
ard’s room and the buffet: the steward is squeezing lemons for the
punch, and there is the champagne in ice; and by the side of the pail
(30) the long-corks are ranged up, all ready. Now, let us go forwards: here
are, the men’s berths, not confined as in a man-of-war. No! Luxury
starts from abaft, and is not wholly lost, even at the fore-peak. This is
the kitchen; is it not admirably arranged? And how delightful are the

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fumes of the turtle-soup! At sea we do meet with rough weather at

(35) times; but, for roughing it out, give me a yacht.

PASSAGE 2

(1) My very first sea voyage was in a small merchant vessel out of New
York called the Alba. I was only twelve years old at the time, and full
of dreams of boundless adventure upon the high seas. I was to serve
as the ship’s boy. I was given the post by my Uncle Joseph, the weath-
(5) ered old captain of the Alba who uttered few words, choosing to speak
more with his menacing gaze than with his mouth. The moment I
stepped upon the bustling deck my Uncle Joseph set me straight about
shipboard life. There were to be no special privileges afforded to me
because of our relations. I was to live and mess in the ‘tween decks
(10) with the other seamen, and because I was his nephew, I would proba-
bly have to work twice as hard as the others to prove my worth. From
that point on I was to refer to my uncle as “Sir” or “Captain,” and only
speak to him when he addressed me. He then told me a bit about the
Alba. I learned that she was a cutter, and all cutters were fore-and-aft
(15) rigged, and possessed only a single mast. After my brief lesson, he then
sent me below deck to get myself situated.
What I found when I dismounted the ladder below was an entirely
different world than the orderly brightness of the top deck. Here was
a stuffy and dimly lit space barely tall enough for me to stand up
(20) straight in. It was the middle of July, and the heat was oppressive.
There seemed to be no air at all, there certainly were no windows, and
the stench that rose up from the bilge was so pungent it made me gag.
From the shadows, a pair of eyes materialized. They belonged to a
grimy boy no older than me.
(25) “Hello mate, you must be the new lubber just shipped aboard. I’m
Nigel. Follow me, we’re just in time for dinner.”
My new friend led me into the tiny dining room where the crew
messed. The men ate shoulder to shoulder on wooden tables bolted to
the deck. The horrific smell of so many men crammed together was
(30) overpowering. We received our food from the ship’s cook, a portly
man in a filthy apron who, with the dirtiest hands I’d ever seen, ladled
us out a sort of stew. We found two open spots at a mess table and sat
down to eat. The stew was lukewarm and the mysterious meat in it was
so tough I could barely chew it. I managed to swallow a few spoonfuls
(35) and pushed my dish aside.

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With a smile that was graveyard of yellow sincerity, Nigel pushed

the dish back to me and said, “I’d get used to the grub, mate. It ain’t
so bad. Besides, this is the freshest it’ll be on the voyage.”
After dinner, Nigel showed me our berth. It was a tiny lightless cub-
(40) byhole near the bow of the boat that was barely six feet long and only
five feet high. There was a small area where I could stow my clothes,
and at night we would string up our hammocks side by side with two
other boys, both of whom were on duty at the moment.
That night when we were under way, the boat ran into a vicious
(45) Atlantic storm. The waves tossed the Alba around like it was a tiny raft.
The ship made such noises; I was afraid it would simply break apart at
any moment. The seawater that crashed upon the deck leaked through
the planks and dripped upon my head. It would have bothered me if
I were not already horribly seasick. As I lay there miserably rocking
(50) back and forth in my damp hammock, I asked myself, “What have I
gotten myself into?”

450. According to both passages, it is not uncommon for ships to

a. meet rough seas.
b. run out of fresh drinking water.
c. not return home for quite a while.
d. leak in heavy weather.
e. have children onboard.

451. In the last sentence of Passage 2 the narrator suggests that he

a. may never recover from the seasickness.
b. does not like Nigel.
c. made a mistake taking the voyage aboard the Alba.
d. should have eaten the stew.
e. should have stayed in school.

452. Which statement best summarizes the narrator’s description of

Plymouth in lines 3–8?
a. The port at Plymouth is full of rowdy sailors.
b. Plymouth is a dreary and overcrowded place.
c. Plymouth is a deserted and over-industrialized area
d. There are many interest sights to behold at Plymouth.
e. The British Royal Navy anchors at Plymouth.

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453. What do the yacht in Passage 1 and the Alba in Passage 2 have in
common?
a. They were both built in England.
b. They both have only a single mast.
c. They are both made of iron.
d. They both have lifeboats.
e. They are both fast.

454. How do the yacht in Passage 1, and the Alba in Passage 2 differ?
a. The yacht does not carry cargo.
b. The yacht is much bigger than the Alba.
c. There are no passengers aboard the Alba, only crew.
d. The yacht is much more luxurious than the Alba.
e. The yacht is much faster than the Alba.

455. Why does the captain in Passage 2 (lines 11–12) demand that his
nephew call him Sir or Captain?
a. The captain wanted his nephew to understand who was
in charge.
b. The captain did not want any member of the crew to know the
narrator was his nephew.
c. The captain was afraid that if he showed affection to his
nephew, he would lose his authority over the crew.
d. The captain was not really the narrator’s uncle.
e. It was important that the crew understood that the boy was no
more privileged than anyone else aboard.

456. In Passage 1, line 26, the use of the word repair most nearly means
a. go.
b. fix things.
c. sit in pairs.
d. get dressed.
e. exercise.

457. The narrator of Passage 1 most probably

a. is a seasoned sea captain.
b. is very wealthy.
c. is an experienced yachtsman.
d. suffers from seasickness.
e. was in the Royal Navy.

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