Reading set 3
The Invention of Basketball
Most sports do not have a definite beginning. They do not have one inventor. We often
think of baseball, for example, as an American game. But British people had a game
called “rounders” that was similar. We know that children were kicking balls in ancient
Greece and Rome long before soccer became a popular game. Basketball is different. It
has a definite starting point, and a definite inventor. It was completely new. There were
no games like it before.
Basketball began in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. This is in the northeast part of
the United States. In the winter it is very cold. James Naismith was teaching physical
education at the YMCA International Training School. Today the school is called
Springfield College. One day Naismith’s boss told him to invent a new game. He wanted
something that students could play during the winter. It would have to be an indoor
game. At first, Naismith thought about modifying football or soccer. But these games
were too difficult to play indoors. Naismith wanted a game that many could play, and
that was easy to learn. He started studying all the team games.
Naismith saw that all team games used a ball. He decided to use a soccer ball for his
new game. Naismith also noted that the object of team games was to move the ball
into some kind a goal, while opponents tried to tackle the player with the ball. Tackling
would be too rough indoors, on a wooden floor. If players can’t run with the ball, they
can’t be tackled, Naismith thought. But what kind of goal should they put the ball into?
In other team games, the goal was horizontal. Indoors, Naismith thought this type of
goal would be too easy to guard. He remembered a game he had played as a child,
called “Duck on a Rock.” Players threw a small rock at an object on top of a large rock,
trying to knock the object off. They had to throw the rock up in the air. Naismith decided
his game would have vertical goals. He wanted to use boxes, but the school didn’t have
any. It did have two peach baskets, however. Naismith wrote 13 rules for his new game,
nailed the baskets to the balcony at each end of the gym, and posted the rules on the
wall. Then he waited for his PE class to come and test his invention. The date was Dec.
21, 1891.
Right away, his students loved the new game. ■ Basketball, as it was called, quickly
became popular throughout the school, then the country, and then the world. ■ It was
first played in American colleges in 1896, and became an Olympic sport in 1936. ■
Professional basketball – the NBA – began in the 1940s. Two years after that initial
basketball game, Naismith replaced the peach baskets with an iron rim and a new type
of basket. ■ It wasn’t until 10 years later, though, that the bottom of the basket was
opened so the ball could pass through. Until then, the game had to stop after each score
while players retrieved the ball. The modern “basketball” was invented in 1929.
In some ways, the sport has changed little since that first game in a Springfield gym.
Many of Naismith’s original rules are still used today. For instance, teams score points
when the ball enters the basket. Players still cannot run with the ball. And players
cannot foul their opponents by holding, pushing, striking or tripping them. Some of the
rules have changed, however. Originally, putting the ball in the basket counted for only
one point. Today a basket counts for two points, and sometimes three. The first
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basketball game had nine players on each team, because Naismith wanted all of his
students to participate. Today there are five. Naismith ruled that players could not
bounce the basketball, but had to pass it from the place they caught it. Today they can
bounce or pass. In addition, Naismith ruled that if a team made three fouls in a row,
their opponents would get a point. That is not true today. Naismith died in 1939, and
was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.
Questions
25. The word definite in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) confusing
(B) perfect
(C) clean
(D) certain
Answer: (D)
26. Why does the author mention Rome in paragraph 1?
(A) to help explain the beginning of baseball
(B) to support his point about how most sports begin
(C) to prove that soccer was invented in Italy
(D) to show how old basketball is
Answer: (B)
27. The word this in the passage refers to
(A) basketball
(B) 1891
(C) Massachusetts *
(D) The United States
Answer: (C)
28. According to paragraph 2, why did James Naismith try to invent a new game?
(A) His boss was angry with Naismith and was trying to punish him.
(B) Naismith was bored with football and soccer, and wanted something different.
(C) His boss wanted students to have something to play during winter. *
(D) Naismith’s PE students asked him to invent something new.
Answer: (C)
29. The word indoor is closest in meaning to
(A) inside
(B) interior
(C) within
(D) into
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Answer: (A)
30. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the
highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in
important ways or leave out essential information.
(A) At first, Naismith had his students try playing football and soccer inside the gym.
(B) Naismith’s initial idea was to try and adapt an outdoor sport, especially football or
soccer, for play indoors.
(C) Naismith first changed the rules of soccer and football, but stopped because his PE
students didn’t like it.
(D) The first thought Naismith had was to find a way to play football or soccer in the
cold Massachusetts weather.
Answer: (B)
31. The word object in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) reason
(B) item
(C) result
(D) aim
Answer: (D)
32. Which of the following is true about the first basketball game?
(A) It used boxes as goals.
(B) The goals were horizontal.
(C) It was played in 1891.
(D) It had 31 rules.
Answer: (C)
33. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence could be added
to the passage.
Within a few days the class attracted fans, and teachers from a nearby
girls school watched the game and took it away with them to organize the first
girls' basketball team.
Where would the sentence best fit? Click on the square ■ to add the sentence to the
passage.
Answer: ■
34. All of the following are true about basketball EXCEPT
(A) The first college basketball game was played in 1896.
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(B) Basketball was first played in the Olympics in 1932.
(C) The bottom of the basket was opened in 1903.
(D) The NBA started in the 1940s.
Answer: (B)
35. What can be inferred from paragraph 5 about Naismith’s PE class?
(A) There were 18 students in the class.
(B) The players did not follow his rules.
(C) The students were good basketball players.
(D) The students did not like physical education.
Answer: (A)
36. In paragraph 5, the author states that Naismith’s original rules
(A) are better than modern rules
(B) have been changed completely
(C) are the same as modern rules
(D) have been changed a little
Answer: (D)
37. Complete the table below about the changes in basketball rules discussed in the
passage. Match the appropriate statements to the type of rule with which they are
associated. There are more answer choices than correct choices. Some answer choices
will not be used.
Original rule Modern rule
C B
D G
F
(A) If a player gets two fouls, he must leave the game until the next point is scored.
(B) There are five players on each team.
(C) A basket counts for one point.
(D) Players cannot bounce the basketball.
(E) The game will have two 15-minute halves.
(F) A team gets a point if its opponent fouls three times in a row.
(G) A basket can count for three points.
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