Question

Passage 1 Jackie Robinson began his professional baseball career in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the leading teams of the then-separate Negro Leagues. Later that year, Robinson was recruited and signed by Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers). Robinson was called up from the minor leagues to the Brooklyn team in 1946, becoming the first black player to compete in the major leagues in the 20th century. Breaking baseball’s color barrier was a serious challenge, and Robinson met fierce resistance from many players and fans. Robinson endured malicious catcalls and racial slurs shouted from the stands and even anonymous death threats. Some rival players threw pitches at Robinson’s head, spat on him when he slid into a base, and attempted to injure him with the spikes on their shoes. However, the determined Robinson survived these attacks and helped the Dodgers win the National League (NL) pennant in 1947. During the season, Robinson led the NL with 29 stolen bases and was named rookie of the year in the major leagues. Passage 2 Wilma Rudolph was one of America’s first great track and field athletes. Born in Tennessee, Rudolph had far from a normal childhood. At the age of four she came down with pneumonia, polio, and scarlet fever. The illnesses so ravaged her body that Rudolph could not even walk normally until she turned eleven years old. In high school, Rudolph was an outstanding basketball player. But track was the sport in which she really shone. In 1956 she ran at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and won a bronze medal in the 4X100-meter relay. At the 1960 Olympics, she won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and again ran on the 4X100-meter relay team. In 1961, Rudolph won the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, an award that goes each year to the outstanding amateur athlete in the US. Later that year Rudolph retired from competition. Passage 1 and Passage 2 both provide information about A. athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to excel in sports. B. how easy it is to excel in track and baseball. C. famous athletes who excelled in baseball and track. D. athletes who were famous in the post World War II era.

Answer 1

The correct answer to the comparison of passages is A, highlighting both Jackie Robinson and Wilma Rudolph as athletes who overcame significant hurdles to excel in their respective sports.

Step-by-step explanation:

Passages 1 and 2 both provide information about athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to excel in sports. In Passage 1, Jackie Robinson is highlighted as the first black player in the 20th century to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball, facing vicious racism but remaining determined and contributing to the Brooklyn Dodgers' success. In Passage 2, Wilma Rudolph's triumphs in track and field are described, despite overcoming serious childhood illnesses and disability to become a decorated Olympian. These narratives demonstrate the challenges and achievements of these pioneering athletes. Therefore, the answer to the question is A. athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to excel in sports.

Answer 2

A. Athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to excel in sports.

Step-by-step explanation:

As seen in the given passages, both passages talk about the way both Jackie Robinson and Wilma Rudolph came to be sports greats. The passages contain details about how both of them overcame the many and hard obstacles to get to where they are now.

Passage 1 provides details of the great baseball legend Jackie Robinson and his way to becoming one of the greats in the game and also the very first black man to play in the Major Leagues in the 20th century. His journey was filled with "malicious catcalls and racial slurs shouted from the stands and even anonymous death threats", even at times enduring "rival players [who] threw pitches at Robinson’s head, spat on him when he slid into a base and attempted to injure him with the spikes on their shoes".

Passage 2 reveals the journey of Wilma Rudolph who had to overcome "pneumonia, polio, and scarlet fever" that left her unable to walk properly. But despite all odds, she came to be "one of America’s first great track and field athletes".

Thus, both passages provide information about these two athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to be what they are now, excelling in their own fields.