More Clarification Strategies
Reading Comprehension: Monitoring Comprehension
Changing the Game
Members of a football team form a huddle during a game.
Photo credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images
On any given weekend in autumn, athletes across the United States pull on their helmets, adjust their shoulder pads, and gather at the line of scrimmage to run a football down the gridiron in what has become the most popular sport in the country. Key to any team's success on the field is the quarterback's ability to call plays without being overheard by the opposing team. But what if the only way the quarterback could communicate to teammates was through sign language? And what if those signs had to be used out in the open where everyone could see them?
That's precisely the situation the Gallaudet Bison football team found themselves in during the 1894 season. The players attended Gallaudet University—the nation's first university for Deaf and hard of hearing students. From 1892 to 1895, the team was led by quarterback Paul Hubbard, who utilized sign language to call plays. However, the plays were easily intercepted when the Bison faced off against teams from other colleges for Deaf students.
In order to safeguard his playbook, Hubbard asked his teammates to move a few yards away from the ball and turn their backs to the line of scrimmage. The players advanced, creating a compact circle around their quarterback to block their opponents' view. Thus, the football huddle was born, kicking off a new tradition. Using the huddle to hand off plays was a huge success, and the Bison scored a series of wins throughout Hubbard's tenure as quarterback, including a well-celebrated victory against the U.S. Naval Academy.
After graduation, Hubbard took a teaching job at the Kansas School for the Deaf, where he also coached football. There, he passed the huddle idea on to his players, who used it during games. The huddle spread throughout the Midwest, eventually making its way to University of Illinois coach Robert Zuppke, who ran with the strategy and popularized it nationwide.
Though the Bison dropped the huddle from their lineup in 2005, the strategy remains a perennial part of the game—a reminder that sometimes the best plays are born from necessity.
QUESTION 1
1 / 4
According to the article, why did Hubbard ask his teammates to turn their backs to the line of scrimmage?
He wanted to block the other team from scoring a touchdown.
He didn't want the other team to hear him when he called the next play.
He didn't want the other team to see his signs when he called the next play.
He wanted to celebrate an important victory with his teammates.
The correct answer is: He didn't want the other team to see his signs when he called the next play.
QUESTION 2
2 / 4
Based on the article, which of these is true about the football huddle?
It was a strategy developed and perfected by a U.S. Naval Academy coach.
It was a strategy developed and perfected by a Gallaudet University coach.
It was a strategy popularized nationwide by a University of Illinois coach.
It was a strategy popularized nationwide by a Kansas School for the Deaf coach.
The correct answer is: It was a strategy popularized nationwide by a University of Illinois coach.
QUESTION 3
3 / 4
Which passage from the article best supports the belief that challenges can result in successful new ideas?
…the plays were easily intercepted when the Bison faced off against teams from other colleges for Deaf students.
…the strategy remains a perennial part of the game—a reminder that sometimes the best plays are born from necessity.
The players attended Gallaudet University—the nation's first university for Deaf and hard of hearing students.
The huddle spread throughout the Midwest, eventually making its way to University of Illinois coach Robert Zuppke.
The correct answer is: …the strategy remains a perennial part of the game—a reminder that sometimes the best plays are born from necessity.
QUESTION 4
4 / 4
Which is the closest synonym for the word perennial, as it is used in the article?
humorous
enduring
hideous
enchanting