The Beginning of Football Reading Answers

Jan 20, 2023

The Beginning of Football Reading Answers has 13 questions that have to be answered by the candidates in a span of 20 minutes. The topic has two different sorts of questions: Choose the correct heading and complete the sentence. Candidates should undertake the IELTS passage carefully and then should opt to choose the correct heading which suits the paragraph. Candidates are required to finish the statement given below from the provided options, in order to complete the sentence.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Beginning of Football Reading Answers

Football as we now know it developed in Britain in the 19th century, but the game is far older than this. In fact, the term has historically been applied to games played on foot, as opposed to those played on horseback, so ‘football’ hasn’t always involved kicking a ball. It has generally been played by men, though at the end of the 17th century, games were played between married and single women in a town in Scotland. The married women regularly won.

The very earliest form of football for which we have evidence is the ‘tsu’chu’, which was played in China and may date back 3,000 years. It was performed in front of the Emperor during festivities to mark his birthday. It involved kicking a leather ball through a 30-40 cm opening into a small net fixed onto long bamboo canes – a feat that demanded great skill and excellent technique.

Another form of the game, also originating from the Far East, was the Japanese ‘kemari’ which dates from about the fifth century and is still played today. This is a type of circular football game, a more dignified and ceremonious experience requiring certain skills, but not competitive in the way the Chinese game was, nor is there the slightest sign of struggle for possession of the ball. The players had to pass the ball to each other, in a relatively small space, trying not to let it touch the ground.

The Romans had a much livelier game, ‘harpastum’. Each team member had his own specific tactical assignment took a noisy interest in the proceedings and the score. The role of the feet was so small as scarcely to be of consequence. The game remained popular for 700 or 800 years, but, although it was taken to England, it is doubtful whether it can be considered as a forerunner of contemporary football.

The game that flourished in Britain from the 8th to the 19th centuries was substantially different from all the previously known forms – more disorganised, more violent, more spontaneous and usually played by an indefinite number of players. Frequently, the games took the form of a heated contest between whole villages. Kicking opponents were allowed, as in fact was almost everything else.

There was tremendous enthusiasm for football, even though the authorities repeatedly intervened to restrict it, as a public nuisance. In the 14th and 15th centuries, England, Scotland and France all made football punishable by law, because of the disorder that commonly accompanied it, or because the well-loved recreation prevented subjects from practicing more useful military disciplines. None of these efforts had much effect.

The English passion for football was particularly strong in the 16th century, influenced by the popularity of the rather better organised Italian game of ‘calcio’. English football was as rough as ever, but it found a prominent supporter in the school headmaster Richard Mulcaster. He pointed out that it had positive educational value and promoted health and strength. Mulcaster claimed that all that was needed was to refine it a little, limit the number of participants in each team and, more importantly, have a referee to oversee the game.

The game persisted in a disorganised form until the early 19th century, when a number of influential English schools developed their own adaptations. In some, including Rugby School, the ball could be touched with the hands or carried; opponents could be tripped up and even kicked. It was recognised in educational circles that, as a team game, football helped to develop such fine qualities as loyalty, selflessness, cooperation, subordination and deference to the team spirit. A ‘games cult’ developed in schools and some form of football became an obligatory part of the curriculum.

In 1863, developments reached a climax. At Cambridge University, an initiative began to establish some uniform standards and rules that would be accepted by everyone, but there were essentially two camps: the minority – Rugby School and some others – wished to continue with their own form of the game, in particular allowing players to carry the ball. In October of the same year, eleven London clubs and schools sent representatives to establish a set of fundamental rules to govern the matches played amongst them. This meeting marked the birth of the Football Association.

The dispute concerning kicking and tripping opponents and carrying the ball was discussed thoroughly at this and subsequent meetings, until eventually, on 8 December, the die-hard exponents of the Rugby style withdrew, marking a final split between rugby and football. Within eight years, the Football Association already had 50 member clubs, and the first football competition in the world was started – the FA Cup.

Questions 1-7:
Reading Passage has ten paragraphs A-J.
Choose the correct headings for paragraphs D-J from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

Limited success in suppressing the game
Opposition to the role of football in schools
A way of developing moral values
Football matches between countries
A game that has survived
Separation into two sports
Proposals for minor improvements
Attempts to standardize the game
Probably not an early version of football
A chaotic activity with virtually no rules

Paragraph D

Answer: ix
Supporting Sentence: Although harpastum was taken to England it is very doubtful whether it was the forerunner of the contemporary of modern football.
Keywords: football, early version
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, lines 1-5
Explanation: “The game remained…..contemporary football.” is the supporting sentence. Lines 1-5 of paragraph D suggests that the game of Football instead of keeping its fame for more than 700 or 800 years has been taken to England and therefore it is questionable if it can be regarded as a precursor to modern football. Thus, option ix is the right choice.

Paragraph E

Answer: x
Supporting Sentence: The game which was played in Britain from the 8th to 19th centuries was chaotic and played with an indefinite number of players.
Keywords: no rules, chaotic activity
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, first two lines
Explanation: “The game that flourished in Britain from the 8th to the 19th centuries…..played by an indefinite number of players.” are the supporting sentences. The beginning two lines of paragraph E suggests that the game of Football, which was earlier played in the country of Britain during the time of 8^th to 19^th decades were mostly referred to as haphazhard, savage and vicious and innumerable players had played this game also. Thus, option x is the correct one.

Paragraph F

Answer: i
Supporting Sentence: Scotland, England and France in 14th and 15th centuries made football punishable by law mainly due to the violent nature of the game.
Keywords: suppressing, limited success
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, lines 2-5
Explanation: “England, Scotland and France all made football punishable by law,….None of these efforts had much effect” are the supporting sentences. Lines 2-5 of paragraph F states that the game of Football has been considered as a punishable offence by the countries like Scotland, England and France during the 14th and 15th centuries as they recognised the game’s attitude as cruelish. Thus, option i is the correct answer.

Paragraph G

Answer: vii
Supporting Sentence: The school headmaster Richard Mulcaster supported the game by saying that the game promoted health and strength and had educational value.
Keywords: proposals, minor improvements
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 3-6
Explanation: The supporting statement is “pointed out that….promoted health and strength.” Lines 3-6 of paragraph G explains that the Football got a tremendous support from the side of a school headmaster named Richard Mulcaster because according to him the game imposed health and strenght of the mankind and also implied the value of education among the players. Thus, option vii is the right choice.

Paragraph H

>Answer: iii
Supporting Sentence: Football was recognized in educational circles as a team game and helped develop some good qualities like cooperation.
Keywords: moral values
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 4-7
Explanation: “as a team game, football helped…...subordination and deference to the team spirit.” is the supporting statement. Lines 4-7 of paragraph H explaining to us that in the educational groups, the game of Football was viewed as a game which should have the teamwork and team management skills, and this helped in creating good virtures like cooperation in between the teammates. Thus, option iii is the correct option here.

Paragraph I

Answer: viii
Supporting Sentence: In October 1863, eleven London clubs and schools sent representatives to help in regulating the matches played amongst them.
Keywords: attempts, standardize
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, lines 4-7
Explanation: “eleven London clubs and schools….govern the matches played amongst them.” is the supporting sentence here. Lines 4-7 of paragraph I states that eleven number of clubs and schools in London sent representatives in October 1863 to assist in regulating the games they played against one another. Thus, option viii is an appropriate choice.

Paragraph J

Answer: vi
Supporting Sentence: The members of the Rugby style withdrew their argument and there was a split between rugby and football.
Keywords: separation, two sports
Keyword Location: Paragraph J, lines 2 and 3
Explanation: Here, the supporting statement from the paragraph will be “on 8 December, the die-hard exponents of the Rugby….between rugby and football.” The lines 2-3 of paragraph J explains that there was a rift between rugby and football once the supporters of the rugby style withdrew their disagreement. Thus, option vi will be an applicable choice.

Questions 8-13:
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-I from the box below.
Write the correct letter A-I in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

was seen as something to be encouraged in the young.
involved individual players having different responsibilities.
was influenced by a game from another country.
was a cooperative effort by all the players.
distracted people from more important activities.
was played by teams of a fixed size.
was less popular than it later became.
was often played by one community against another.
formed part of a celebration.

Tsu’chu

Answer: I
Supporting Sentence: Tsu’chu was played to mark the Chinese Emperor’s birthday
Keywords: Tsu’chu, celebration
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, lines 2 and 3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph B suggests that for the purpose birthday celebration, Tsu’chu played the game by staying as a frontier of the Emperor in China. Thus, option I will be the right choice here.

Kemari

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Kemari was a team game where every player had to pass the ball to each other.
Keywords: Kemari, cooperative effort
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, lines 1 and 5-6
Explanation: Lines 5-6 of paragraph C suggests that Kemari was a team game in which each players should cooperate with one another by passing the ball towards them, rather than becoming rivals of one another. Thus, option D is the right choice here.

Harpastum

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Harpastum was an individual game where each player was responsible for the score and game.
Keywords: Harpastum, individual players
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, lines 1 and 2
Explanation: The beginning two lines of paragraph D suggests that Harpastum was a game in which each and every individual players are remarked as a responsible one if their team scores in the game. Thus, option B is the correct answer here.

From the 8th centuries, football in the British Isles

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: The game played in Britain had a lot of players and was very disorganized.
Keywords: British Isles, community
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, first line
Explanation: The beginning part of paragraph E suggests that the Britishers, who played the game of Football remained very anarchic and played the game without maintaining its laws or regulations. Thus, option H will be the right choice.

In the past, the authorities legitimately despised the football and acted on the belief that football.

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Few countries banned football due to its violent nature and wrong effect on people
Keywords: important activities, legitimately despised
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, lines 2-5
Explanation: Lines 2-5 of paragraph F states that for the cruelish and brutal environment of football and its bad impact on others, few countries boycotted this particular game. Thus, option E is the right choice here.

When it was accepted in academic settings, football.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Football was included as an extracurricular activity in schools as it had an educational value.
Keywords: academic, football
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 4-7
Explanation: Lines 4-7 of paragraph H implies that due to the educational benefits, the game of football was added in various schools as an extra-curriculum. Thus, option A is the correct answer.

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