8E Part 1

Which statement BEST describes the central idea of paragraphs 19–27?

• a. Jesse Owens was by far the best athlete at the 1936 Olympics.

• b. Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe helped the United States’ Olympic team dominate the games.

• c. Owen’s history-making performance disproved the myth of Aryan supremacy.

• d. Jesse Owens is an underappreciated athlete.

Part 2: Which paragraph BEST supports your answer?

• Paragraph 22

• Paragraph 23

• Paragraph 24

• Paragraph 25

Which of these athletic accomplishments in the 1936 Olympics did Owens NOT achieve?

• a. Tied the 100-meter dash world record

• Won the 200-meter dash

• Set the Olympic broad jump record three times

• Awarded the Medal of Freedom

What is the BEST option for replacing “dazzling” in this sentence? Owens captivated the crowd with a __________ performance.

• sparkling

• solid

• thrilling

• confusing

Read this sentence from paragraph 20: Competing against his fellow Black American, future Congressman Ralph Metcalfe, and four other sprinters, Owens “ripped out of his starting holes,” an eyewitness said, “as though slung by a giant catapult,” and led from the first stride. Which choice BEST describes what role this sentence plays in the passage?

• It provides evidence that multiple athletes on the American Olympic team performed well.

• It creates suspense by making readers wonder whether Owens will be successful.

• It provides a firsthand account of how Owens’s speed seemed superhuman.

• . It develops the idea that Black Americans faced harsh discrimination in the 1936 Olympics.

Which of the following BEST describes how Owens’s performance affected the crowd in Germany?

• a. The German crowd was divided in their reactions to Owens.

• b. The German crowd was united in support of Owens.

• c. The German crowd was excited but hostile toward Owens.

• d. The German crowd began to leave after Owens received a medal.

Which of the following quotes from the text BEST supports your answer to Part 1?

• “It is interesting—and refreshing—to note that the German crowds anticipated this verdict by abandoning Nazi orthodoxy and cheering Owens.” (19)

• “Everything stopped in the stadium as the two men limbered up for the final three jumps.” (22)

Reread the descriptions of Owens’s performance in paragraphs 20–24. The author’s language characterizes Owens’s performance as

• fast

• tenacious

• grueling

• effortless

• reckless

How is the writing of paragraph 26 different from paragraphs 19–25?

• a. Paragraph 26 is told from Owens’s point of view.

• b. Paragraph 26 tells the reader about many years of Owens’s life.

• c. Paragraph 26 gives the reader a replay of Owens’s accomplishments at the Olympics.

• d. Paragraph 26 describes Hitler’s reaction to Owens’s performance.

Part 1: Which of the following is an inference you can make from paragraph 26?

• a. Jesse Owens was considered a hero in the United States.

• b. Jesse Owens’s celebrity helped him find employment after the Olympics.

• c. Jesse Owens faced discrimination when he returned to the USA.

• d. Jesse Owens never accomplished anything after the 1936 Berlin Olympics.