LEVEL T

Quick Check Jesse Owens

Name Date
Instructions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer.

1. Why did Jesse Owens take 3. What was called “the greatest 45
a part-time job running a minutes in sports history”?
freight elevator?
A Owens’s performance at
A His family needed help a 1935 championship meet
paying bills. in Michigan
B He did not receive a B Owens’s performance at the
scholarship to attend OSU. 1936 Olympics in Berlin
C It helped him teach the world C Owens’s performance racing
about humility. against a horse in 1948
in California
D He wanted to teach
his brothers and sisters D Owens’s performance racing
about grit. in the 100-yard dash in
high school
2. What discrimination did Owens
face during his travels with his 4. One significant result of Owens’s
college track team? friendship with Luz Long
was .
A Jesse was not allowed to
compete at the same time A Owens won the gold medal
as his team. in the 100-meter dash
B Jesse was not allowed to B Owens won the gold medal
shake hands with others. in the 200-meter dash
C Jesse was not allowed to stay C Owens won the gold medal
in the hotel with his team. in the 4 x 100-meter relay
D Jesse was not allowed to D Owens won the gold medal
practice with his team. in the long jump

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Quick Check (continued)
Name Date
5. How many gold medals did Jesse
earn at the 1936 Olympic games
in Berlin?
A four
B three
C six
D two
6. What is the main idea of the
section “Back in the States”?
A Owens worked as a janitor
and started a dry-cleaning
company, but he still could
not support his family.
B Owens set three world
records at the Berlin games
but was never congratulated
by President Roosevelt.
C Owens’s accomplishments at
the Olympics made Owens
a hero, but he still faced
discrimination.
D Owens was one of eighteen
African Americans on the
Olympic team but was one
of the most successful.
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LEVEL T
Jesse Owens
7. Which event helped Owens
become the head of the Illinois
State Athletic Commission?
A Owens received the
Presidential Medal of
Freedom from President Ford.
B Owens was named the
greatest track athlete of the
early twentieth century.
C Owens defeated German
Luz Long at the Olympic
games in Berlin.
D Owens won a race against
a racehorse in Cuba.
8. What did Owens do in order to
help raise money for athletes’
training and equipment?
A Owens traveled to Asia,
talking about the
importance of sports.
B Owens moved to Chicago
and started a public
relations company.
C Owens joined the United
States Olympic Committee.
D Owens walked two miles
a day, swam, and lifted
weights.
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 LEVEL T
Quick Check (continued) Jesse Owens

Name Date

9. After Owens’ victories in Berlin 11. Extended Response: What was

he was . significant about Jesse Owens’s
accomplishments at the 1936
A congratulated by Olympic games in Berlin?
President Roosevelt
B awarded the Presidential 12. Extended Response: What can
Medal of Freedom by readers learn from the life of
President Ford Jesse Owens?
C given the Living Legends
award by President George
H. W. Bush
D given the Congressional Gold
Medal by President Carter
10. What was the author’s purpose
for writing Jesse Owens?
A to persuade readers to
participate in track events
like Jesse Owens did
B to describe Jesse Owens’s
experience at the 1936 Berlin
Olympic games
C to answer a question about
how Jesse Owens earned
the Presidential Medal
of Freedom
D to explain the life and
accomplishments of
Jesse Owens

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 LEVEL T
Quick Check Answer Sheet Jesse Owens
Main Comprehension Skill: Elements of a Biography

1. B Cause and Effect

2. C Main Idea and Details
3. A Main Idea and Details
4. D Cause and Effect
5. A Main Idea and Details
6. C Main Idea and Details
7. B Cause and Effect
8. C Cause and Effect
9. B Sequence Events
10. D Author’s Purpose
11. Answers will vary. Sample: Jesse
Owens’s accomplishments were
significant because at the time
Germany was under Nazi control.
Nazis believed people of color
were less than human. Owens
defeated German athletes and
won many medals, ruining Hitler’s
plan to show the world that the
German team was the best.
12. Answers will vary. Sample: From
the life of Jesse Owens, readers can
learn to never give up, even in the
face of challenges and obstacles;
to chase dreams, no matter
how hard it might be; and that
dedication and effort can help
achieve any goal.

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