Wrestling: More Than Throws, Takedowns, Kicks and Pins.

Watch out-soccer, baseball, and basketball! Wrestling is on the rise! More and
more youth are giving wrestling a try. What entices these boys and girls to
join a sport that has them tossing each other around like mini silverback
1 gorillas? Those committing to the sport will tell you there is much more than
the actual wrestling that motivates them and lures them to the sport. It’s the
satisfaction they feel when setting a personal best and overcoming
challenging situations. It’s the relationships they build with teammates and the
comradery that develops from supporting each other and celebrating each
other's successes.
Wrestling is a sport that trains kids in more than just the moves they use
on the mat. Above all they learn to be respectful, respectful to teammates,
2 coaches, and the sport itself. At the end of each match, wrestlers shake the
hands of their opponents and coaches. This firm handshake is a show of
respect regardless of the result of the match. Many wrestlers will compete
against the same opponents year after year. Both competitors are hoping for
a win, but only one will walk away with the title. Yet, they learn to respect and
appreciate their opponents as they understand the preparation it takes before
they step foot on the mat.
Before the competitions even begin, wrestlers must train physically and
mentally. Wrestling is more than just using throws, takedowns, and trips to get
3 their opponent down to the ground and pinned. Wrestlers must be mentally
prepared to determine what move their opponent will make next and how they
will respond. This requires consistent training sessions that are rigorous and
require stamina and perseverance. Physical and mental strength and
endurance are key to be successful at wrestling and in life.
While “ball'' sports are currently more popular than the sport of wrestling,
4 parents should keep an open mind to other sports that can benefit their child
in areas off the ball field. When combined with academics, and other
extracurricular activities, wrestling may prove to be more than just the
numbers on a scoreboard or the championship ring. Wrestling will have kids
not only winning mentally and physically on the mat but more importantly
being champions in life off the mat.

(c) Literacy Tweets 2021

 Wrestling: More Than Throws, Takedowns, Kicks and Pins.
Answer Key

1) Why did the author select this title for the article?
B) To Suggest that wrestling is more than just a sport.

2) What is a synonym for “comradery” in the first paragraph?

D) Friendship

3) What is the author’s best reason for mentioning the “firm handshake” in the
2nd paragraph?
D) The author wanted to give an example of the respect given.

4) Refer again to the 2nd paragraph. What did the author mean when they wrote:
"wrestlers appreciated their opponents... because they understood the
preparation it takes...”
A) Wrestlers understand how hard their opponents have worked.

5) What does the word "rigorous" mean in the 3rd paragraph?

D) all of the above

6) Which pronoun would be best to substitute for the proper noun in this
sentence? “Wrestling is something that was not difficult for Seth.”
C) him

7) In paragraph 1, what word could be used to replace the word, “entices”?

B) Attracts

8) Max wrestled with the decision to compete in the match or rest like the doctor
suggested. What type of figurative language is “wrestled with the decision”?
B) Idiom

9) What’s for dinner? I am famished after the wrestling match. Which word is a
synonym for the word famished?
B) Starved

10) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a wrestler?

D) self-centered

(c) Literacy Tweets 2021

 Wrestling: More Than Throws, Takedowns, Kicks and Pins.
Answer Key

11) To commit to wrestling, kids must be prepared to

C) work hard and not give up

12) What sentence from the text supports your answer from the previous
question?
B) "training sessions are rigorous and require stamina, and perseverance."

13) Paragraph 1 states, "What entices these boys and girls to join a sport that has
them tossing each other around like mini silverback gorillas.” What type of
figurative language is used to compare wrestlers to mini silverback gorillas?
C) Simile This can be confusing for students, because the
rule for possessives is usually ’s for singular
count and non-count nouns and s’ for plural
14) What change is needed to the underlined word? count nouns. However, each other is treated as
Celebrating each others successes a singular pronoun and emphasizes two or more
separate people. Each other’s is always
C) other’s correct, and each others’ is never correct.
Think of it this way: You would say We talked to
each other for hours. You would never say We
15) What best describes the central idea/message talked to each others for hours.

of this article?
B) Wrestling takes hard work and dedication but has a positive impact on
the mat and off the mat.

16) If this image was in the text, what would be the best caption?
C) Wrestlers show respect at that end of a challenging match.

17) What can readers infer based on paragraph 3?

C) Wrestling is about being physically and mentally fit and showing
respect for teammates and the sport itself.

18) What is the author’s point of view about wrestling?

B) Wrestling can help kids in life in other ways than just sports.

19) What quote from the test supports your answer for the previous question?
A) "Before competitions even begin, wrestlers must train physically and
mentally.”
20) Student guess who was the imposter. The imposter continues to play along until
you ask the imposter to reveal their self. Then they move their piece to the center.
(c) Literacy Tweets 2021