Lebanese United High School Points

Bourj Al Barajneh

Name: _________________ English Test Date:

Grade Seven
Read the following text; then answer the questions set on it.
Muhammad Ali Clay
1. Muhammad Ali, a boxer and humanitarian, was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville,
Kentucky. He’s considered one of the greatest athletes in the boxing history; at an early
age, he showed that he wasn’t afraid of any bout inside or outside the ring. Growing up in
the segregated South, Ali experienced racial discrimination, which likely contributed to his
early passion for boxing.

2. At the age of 12, Ali discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. His
bike was stolen, and Ali told a police officer, Joe Martin, that he wanted to beat up the
thief. “Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people,” Martin
reportedly told him at the time. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained
young boxers at a local gym.

3. Ali started working with Martin to learn how to compete in the sport of boxing, and soon
he began his boxing career. In 1956 Ali won the Golden Gloves tournament for novices,
and three years later he won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

4. In 1960, Ali won a spot on the U.S. Olympic boxing team. He traveled to Rome, the
capital of Italy, to compete. At 6 feet and 3 inches tall, Ali was a magnificent figure in the
ring. He was known for possessing a powerful punch. In Italy Ali won the gold medal.

5. Soon Ali was announced an American hero, he seemed unstoppable winning all of his
bouts. In 1963 Ali became the heavyweight champion of the world.

6. Ali was a Christian, yet he converted to Islam in 1964. At first, he called himself “Cassius
X”, but finally he settled on the name Muhammad Ali.

7. Outside the ring, Ali attained success as a musician, where he received two Grammy
animations. He also featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies. Ali
retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion and charity. In 1984, he made public
his diagnosis of Parkinson’s syndrome, which some reports attribute to boxing-related
injuries, though he and his specialist physicians disputed this. He remained an active public
figure globally, but in his latter years made increasingly limited public appearances as his
condition worsened, and he was cared for his family until his death on June 3, 2016.

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Part One: Comprehension Questions:
A- Answer the following questions below in complete sentences:
1. How did Muhammad Ali discover his love for boxing? (1.5pt)
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2. Who was Muhammad Ali’s first teacher? And what did Ali learn from him? (2pts)
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3. According to the text, mention three achievements of Muhammad Ali: (2pts)

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4. Based on paragraph 7, what were Muhammad Ali’s other non-boxing interests? (1.5pt)
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5. How old was Muhammad Ali when he died? (1pt)

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6. Skim the text, and then fill the web below with proper adjectives that describe
Muhammad Ali. (2pts)

B- The following statements are false because they misinterpret information in the text.
Rewrite them correctly: (1pt)
1. Ali won his first tournament at the age of twelve.
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2. Ali’s parents were Muslims.
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C- Fill in the following time line table based on the details in the text: (4pts)

Year Events
1954
1959
1964
1981

D- Text Analysis: (2pts)

1. What is the genre of the text?
a- Autobiography b- Biography c- Realistic Fiction
2. What kind of writing is the text?
a- Narrative b- Descriptive c- Expository
3. What is the writer’s purpose?
a- Inform b- Describe c- Amuse and entertain
4. What is the main idea of the text?
a- Muhammad Ali and his achievement.
b- Muhammad Ali and his personal life.
c- How Muhammad Ali spent his personal and professional life.

E- What do the pronouns in bold type in the text refer to? (2pts)
1. Which (paragraph 1): ______________________
2. He (paragraph 2) : ________________________
3. His (paragraph 3) : ________________________
4. Which (paragraph 8): ______________________

F- Decide whether each of the following statements is a “Fact” or “Opinion” : (1pt)

1. Ali is the best, greatest and famous boxing player ever. ______________
2. Ali discovered his talent for boxing at an early age. ______________

G- Vocabulary:
Match each definition to its underlined word in the text: (2pts)
1. _________________: marvelous; majestic; gorgeous
2. _________________: boxing match; an area for sports competitions
3. _________________: moving images created from drawings, models…
4. _________________: a period of activity such as an athletic match

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Part Two: Grammar:
A- Pick from the text:
1- complex sentence: _______________________________________________________
2- modal verbs: ____________________________________________________________
B- Choose the most appropriate answer of modal auxiliaries:
1- You ____________ park your car on bends.
a- mustn’t b- couldn’t c- shouldn’t
2- Excuse me! ____________ you speak French?
a- May b- Can c- Will
3- I am so tired! I _____________ take a nap.
a- should b- need to c- could
4- It’s a beautiful day! We ______________ go outside.
a- can b- must c- should
5- He _____________ be careful, or he ____________ fall!
a- had better-will b- must-will c- had better- may

Part Three: Writing:

One day, you lost something special, and you spent all day looking for it. Write a
narrative paragraph about this thing (ring, diary, telephone, watch, etc…..) that you lost
indicating its importance to you. Provide a catchy title and a coherent paragraph.

Title
Setting Time: Place:
Characters
Plot Event(1)
Event(2)
Event(3)
Ending

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