Friday FocusFriday FocusMay 15

Read the Passage

You will have 10 minutes to read the passage and this slide will move forward

automatically

You will have 60 seconds to answer each of the questions that

follow…0The slides will move forward by

themselves. 0Use your column notes as a

resource

1. Read the introductory sentence.When he was 3 years old, Mohammad Abdelhamid told his mother that he was going to be a basketball player and – like the pros – buy a mansion.Which paragraph provides the strongest rational for why Mohammad may have a hard time accomplishing his dream?

0 A Abdelziz, who laughed off the promise of a mansion, was full of encouragement on a recent Sunday as she watched him take on Paramus Catholic High School in an area basketball tournament hosted at Fort Lee. Also in attendance were relatives, friends and recruiters taking in the action as the warm bodies on the court pushed up the temperature in the gym.

0 B But Breindel speculated that by the time kids get to high school and see a wider pool of talent, they become more realistic about their chances of playing at the next level. Which is fine, he said, because there is so much else to do. His son, for example, has been accepted into college to write screenplays.

0 C Jocelyn Picache, the mother of another Fort Lee player, said basketball is not even the most demanding of youth sports. She estimated that her family spent upward of $100,000 transporting her eldest daughter around the country for weekly gymnastics competitions when she was between the ages of 6 and 13. Her daughter, who was a prospect for the U.S. Olympic team, had to give up the sport after a serious back injury.

0 D Then there is the allure of playing ball in college. Kevin Goodson, whose son plays for Jersey City’s Henry Snyder High School, said playing basketball in college was a dream for everyone on his son’s team.

2. Each of the following questions can be answered with information found in the article

EXCEPT:

0A What kinds of sacrifices do parents supporting young athletes have to make?

0B What sport should a young athlete play if he or she wants the best chance of competing on a college team?

0C How many young athletes are able to continue their sport into college?

0D How many young athletes get serious injuries that prevent them from playing, like Picache's daughter?

3. The author develops the article in each of the following

ways EXCEPT:0A identifying some of the benefits of athletics for

children0B citing problems associated with becoming a

college athlete0C identifying some of the challenges faced by the

parents of young athletes0D citing statistics about the likelihood of becoming a

college or professional athlete

4. Read the sentence from the article.“We could have made a down payment on a house,” Picache said.Why does the author include this sentence in the article?

0A To explain the biggest problem with childhood sports.

0B To show sacrifices the parents have made.0C To show sacrifices the children have made.0D To explain one of many problems with childhood

sports

Answers

1. Read the introductory sentence.When he was 3 years old, Mohammad Abdelhamid told his mother that he was going to be a basketball player and – like the pros – buy a mansion.Which paragraph provides the strongest rational for why Mohammad may have a hard time accomplishing his dream?

0 A Abdelziz, who laughed off the promise of a mansion, was full of encouragement on a recent Sunday as she watched him take on Paramus Catholic High School in an area basketball tournament hosted at Fort Lee. Also in attendance were relatives, friends and recruiters taking in the action as the warm bodies on the court pushed up the temperature in the gym.

0 B But Breindel speculated that by the time kids get to high school and see a wider pool of talent, they become more realistic about their chances of playing at the next level. Which is fine, he said, because there is so much else to do. His son, for example, has been accepted into college to write screenplays.

0 C Jocelyn Picache, the mother of another Fort Lee player, said basketball is not even the most demanding of youth sports. She estimated that her family spent upward of $100,000 transporting her eldest daughter around the country for weekly gymnastics competitions when she was between the ages of 6 and 13. Her daughter, who was a prospect for the U.S. Olympic team, had to give up the sport after a serious back injury.

0 D Then there is the allure of playing ball in college. Kevin Goodson, whose son plays for Jersey City’s Henry Snyder High School, said playing basketball in college was a dream for everyone on his son’s team.

2. Each of the following questions can be answered with information found in the article

EXCEPT:

0A What kinds of sacrifices do parents supporting young athletes have to make?

0B What sport should a young athlete play if he or she wants the best chance of competing on a college team?

0C How many young athletes are able to continue their sport into college?

0D How many young athletes get serious injuries that prevent them from playing, like Picache's daughter?

3. The author develops the article in each of the following

ways EXCEPT:0A identifying some of the benefits of athletics for

children0B citing problems associated with becoming a

college athlete0C identifying some of the challenges faced by the

parents of young athletes0D citing statistics about the likelihood of becoming a

college or professional athlete

4. Read the sentence from the article.“We could have made a down payment on a house,” Picache said.Why does the author include this sentence in the article?

0A To explain the biggest problem with childhood sports.

0B To show sacrifices the parents have made.0C To show sacrifices the children have made.0D To explain one of many problems with childhood

sports