Rough Water

The narrator of the passage can best described as a swimmer who primarily:

• recalls the swim of his life and the factors that motivated him during that swim.

• remembers the events that inspired him to participate in a time trial at the Junior Nationals.

• Contrasts the joy of winning competitions early in the season with his later struggles to succeed.

• chronicles his swimming career, from childhood through high school.

Which of the following events mentioned in the passage happened first chronologically ?

• The narrator stood on the blocks at the Sunday time trial his senior year.

• The narrator leapt out over the diving well in late September.

• The narrator swam the 500-yard freestyle in the high school regional meet as a senior.

• The narrator heard a boy from a rival school cheering.

The narrator describes the natatorium as being nearly empty of spectators the day of his race in order to:

• Illustrate that the perfect racing conditions the narrator had hoped for weren't likely to occur.

• demonstrate that, contrary to the narrator's expectations, the meet was energetic.

• explain why the narrator's coach paced at the sound of the horn.

• identify why the narrator felt a rush of energy before the race.

The narrator indicates that when he swam the 1,000-yard freestyle in the time trials, the world, for a moment, seemed to:

• speed up, blurring past and present events.

• rush past, forcing him to reflect in retrospect.

• move in slow motion, as did everything around him.

• slow down, allowing him to reflect in real time.

The passage indicates that during the narrator's swim at the time trial, he understood for the time that:

• his goals would always be one step farther on.

• he had trained for this swim for over a year.

• the swim was an event that was important to him alone.

• swimming is a choice between the now and the later.

Based on the passage, the "end" the narrator mentions in line 80 most likely refers to his:

• final pursuit of fitness.

• last chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.

• memory of his final Friday night practice.

• ultimate realization that he had defeated the other competitors in the race.

the narrator of the passage characterizes the time trial in Houston as:

• one long sprint in which swimmers attempted to improve their times.

• a meet advertised as a way to qualify for the Junior Nationals.

• a regional meet that featured only the 500-yard free style and 1,000-yard freestyle.

• an informal swimming event put together at the last minute.

The statement "That's where you're going, now hurry up" (lines 35-36) can most directly be attributed to the:

• cheering boy, as he verbally criticizes the narrator's efforts.

• cheering boy, as he shouts encouragement to the narrator.

• narrator, as he speculates about what the cheering boy meant when the boy pointed at the pool.

• narrator, as he angrily contemplates his response to the cheering boy.

For the narrator, compared to practicing in the outdoor pool, practicing in the indoor pool is:

• more productive

• more liberating

• less appealing

• less competitive

When the narrator heard "Jump!" in his mind while swimming (line 67), he was most likely remembering:

• his teammate's command the day the narrator caught the flag line.

• his own shout as he leapt off the outdoor pool's deck that fall.

• the cheers of the boy from the rival school.

• the abrupt start of his race that Sunday.