Read these paragraphs from I Never Had It Made.He not only told me about it, but he acted out the part of a white player charging into me, blaming me for the "accident" and calling me all kinds of foul racial names. He talked about my race, my parents, in language that was almost unendurable."They'll taunt and goad you," Mr. Rickey said. "They'll do anything to make you react. They'll try to provoke a race riot in the ballpark. This is the way to prove to the public that a Negro should not be allowed in the major league. This is the way to frighten the fans and make them afraid to attend the games."What is the author’s purpose for including these paragraphs?
Read this excerpt from I Never Had It Made.He had never forgotten the agony of that black athlete. When he became a front-office executive in St. Louis, he had fought, behind the scenes, against the custom that consigned black spectators to the Jim Crow section of the Sportsman's Park, later to become Busch Memorial Stadium. His pleas to change the rules were in vain. Those in power argued that if blacks were allowed a free choice of seating, white business would suffer. Which statement best summarizes this excerpt?
Read this paragraph.When Javier arrived at his first meet, his coach jogged toward him breathlessly. He alerted Javier that swimmers were already lining up for his first event, the fifty-meter freestyle. The coach ushered him to the clerk of the course, signed him in, and got him seated with the other swimmers in his heat. Javier tugged on his cap and nervously tapped his feet. Soon the group was asked to proceed to the starting blocks. Javier glanced left and right, and the starter’s signal sounded. Before he knew it, he was reaching for the wall in his final stretch, with all of his competitors behind him. With relief, he confirmed that his time was the fastest.Which statement best summarizes this paragraph?
Read this paragraph from I Never Had It Made.I wasn't just another athlete being hired by a ball club. We were playing for big stakes. This was the reason Branch Rickey's search had been so exhaustive. The search had spanned the globe and narrowed down to a few candidates, then finally to me. When it looked as though I might be the number-one choice, the investigation of my life, my habits, my reputation, and my character had become an intensified study.What is the author’s purpose for including this paragraph?
Read this paragraph from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I.We have shown that woman is not correctly represented by man at the ballot-box. Could her voice be heard, it would alter the choice of public men and their character. With legislators compelled to respect her opinions, the law itself, constitutions, and politics reflect, to a just extent, her peculiar views and interests. Nor is it for us to decide whether these would be for the better or worse. Let the majority rule.What is the author’s purpose for including this paragraph?
Read this excerpt from I Never Had It Made.Here we go again, I thought. Another time-wasting experience. But Sukeforth looked like a sincere person, and I thought I might as well listen. I agreed to meet him that night. When we met, Sukeforth got right to the point. Mr. Rickey wanted to talk to me about the possibility of becoming a Brown Dodger. If I could get a few days off and go to Brooklyn, my fare and expenses would be paid. At first I said that I couldn't leave my team and go to Brooklyn just like that. Sukeforth wouldn't take no for an answer. He pointed out that I couldn't play for a few days anyhow because of my bum arm. Why should my team object?I continued to hold out and demanded to know what would happen if the Monarchs fired me. The Dodger scout replied quietly that he didn't believe that would happen.I shrugged and said I'd make the trip. I figured I had nothing to lose.Which statement best summarizes this excerpt?
Read this excerpt from I Never Had It Made.The team went to South Bend, Indiana, for a game. The hotel management registered the coach and team but refused to assign a room to a black player named Charley Thomas. In those days college ball had a few black players. Mr. Rickey took the manager aside and said he would move the entire team to another hotel unless the black athlete was accepted. The threat was a bluff because he knew the other hotels also would have refused accommodations to a black man. While the hotel manager was thinking about the threat, Mr. Rickey came up with a compromise. He suggested a cot be put in his own room, which he would share with the unwanted guest. The hotel manager wasn't happy about the idea, but he gave in.Which detail supports the idea that Branch Rickey is personally involved in his players’ struggle for acceptance?
Read this paragraph.Jodi, Jan, and Seth peered out the window. They could not believe that a line was forming! Their flier had advertised tryouts for a garage band guitarist, because Epic Noise had been one musician short since their friend Zach moved to Michigan. Now it looked as though their need would be met. Eleven or twelve kids their age lined the driveway, some propping up oversize cases, and others with guitars strapped on their backs. The three hosts of the audition believed that they would find what they were listening for among the assembled crowd.Which statement best summarizes this paragraph?
Read this excerpt from I Never Had It Made.Branch Rickey lost that fight, but when he became the boss of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, he felt the time for equality in baseball had come. He knew that achieving it would be terribly difficult. There would be deep resentment, determined opposition, and perhaps even racial violence. He was convinced he was morally right, and he shrewdly sensed that making the game a truly national one would have healthy financial results. He took his case before the startled directors of the club, and using persuasive eloquence, he won the first battle in what would be a long and bitter campaign. He was voted permission to make the Brooklyn club the pioneer in bringing blacks into baseball.Winning his directors' approval was almost insignificant in contrast to the task which now lay ahead of the Dodger president. He made certain that word of his plans did not leak out, particularly to the press.Which detail best supports the central idea that Branch Rickey understood the risks involved in integrating baseball?
Read this paragraph from I Never Had It Made.Branch Rickey lost that fight, but when he became the boss of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, he felt the time for equality in baseball had come. He knew that achieving it would be terribly difficult. There would be deep resentment, determined opposition, and perhaps even racial violence. He was convinced he was morally right, and he shrewdly sensed that making the game a truly national one would have healthy financial results. He took his case before the startled directors of the club, and using persuasive eloquence, he won the first battle in what would be a long and bitter campaign. He was voted permission to make the Brooklyn club the pioneer in bringing blacks into baseball.What is the author’s purpose for including this paragraph?
Read this excerpt from a short story.For her science project, Rina had predicted that beans planted in potting soil would sprout first. To her surprise, the first sprouts to appear were planted in her mother’s compost mix."I told you, Rina," her mother said. "Never underestimate the power of coffee grounds and orange peels."Two days later, the beans in potting soil sprouted, but they were never as hearty as the other sprouts. Rina’s inaccurate prediction did not bother her. She was just happy to know how to improve her flower garden in the spring. Which statement best summarizes this excerpt?
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