- a. The word bucolicis most often used to describe something typi-
cal of or relating to rural life. If you did not know what bucolic
meant, there are contextual clues to help you. In lines 11-15,
the passage tells us that Althea was born on a cotton farmand
her father was a sharecropper.Also, in lines 13–14, the author
contrasts the bucolic Silverwith New York City’s urban bustle. - e.The passage states that Althea Gibson was a two-time Wimble-
don champion. However, the passage does not offer the exact
number of defeats Althea suffered at Wimbledon in her career. - a. Althea’s accomplishments in 1949 and 1950 should have earned
her an invitation to the 1950 U.S. Nationals, but her and the
ATA’s efforts to secure an invitation from the USTLA fell on
deaf ears (lines 51–57). It was not until the national uproar
spurred by Alice Marble’s editorial (lines 62–66) that the
USTLA, buckling under the weight of public pressure (choice
a), relented and extended Althea an invitation to play. - c. Althea was an extraordinarily gifted athlete, yet because of the
color of her skin and the time in which she lived, her path to
success from the very beginning was obstructed by segregation
and discrimination. Althea was not allowed to practice on public
tennis courts (lines 47–48), barred from USLTA-sponsored
events (line 57), and was refused hotel rooms and restaurant
reservations (lines 76–78). Althea’s ability to put these distrac-
tions aside and excel was a triumph of mental toughness, and
the author uses the quote on line 80 to illustrate that fact. - b.When looking at questions such as this one, it’s important to
think each choice through before hastily picking an answer.
This question has two tough distracters: choices cand d. At first
glance, choice cseems like a good pick, but the word immediate
is what makes it incorrect. Althea Gibson’s achievements were
certainly victories for the civil rights movement, but in lines 6–7
it is stated that the color barrier did not come tumbling down
overnight.Choice dis attractive, but Althea did not take on the
world alone. The ATA and people like Dr. Eaton and Alice
Marble all had a hand in guiding and assisting Althea on her
pioneering path. Choice eis incorrect because Althea’s historic
achievements on and off the court were groundbreaking, and
she accomplished it all in the face of adversity. - b.Alice Marble believed that talent should decide who can be a
champion, not race (choice b). Nowhere in her comments did
Alice Marble say baseball, football, and boxing are more enter-
taining than tennis (choice a), or that there were undeserving
sean pound
(Sean Pound)
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