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Despite a number of trials along the way, American sprinter and longjump phenomenon Carl Lewis is one of the most successful Olympic athletes of all time. With nine Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship gold medals, it would seem that Lewis would enjoy a life of accolades and admiration. Yet, much of his career was plagued with negative press and sentiments from sponsors and teammates because of his perceived attitude on and off the track.
Born to middle-class parents in 1961, Lewis was exposed to cultural and artistic pursuits, such as music and theater. He played the cello and piano and took dance lessons as a young man. His talent as an athlete was hidden by his stature, initially being very short for a boy his age. However, when he was 15 years old, Lewis hit a growth spurt that would stretch him almost 3 inches in a month’s time. This rapid growth proved to be too much for his small frame, and he was required to walk with crutches until he grew into his new physique.
Peaking at 6’2”, the now long-limbed Lewis excelled at track and field, setting the national prep record his senior year of high school at 26’8”. One year later, he qualified for the Moscow Olympics as a freshman at the University of Houston. Unfortunately, an American boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics impeded his ability to compete. Nonetheless, Lewis continued to blaze through the record books, earning the distinction of being the top U.S. amateur athlete in 1981. This title was clearly his after becoming only the second person in U.S. history to win both the long jump and 100-meter dash at the college championships.
Lewis’s trouble with his public image started shortly before the 1984 Olympic Games. As a star collegiate athlete, he had received sponsorship from Nike while still in school. His confidence in his natural talent and his rising popularity left a feeling in society that he was an arrogant and self-serving athlete. Despite his protests of the allegations, he was seen as promoting only himself at the 1984 Los Angeles games, rather than behaving like a member of the U.S. team and supporting the sanctity of the Olympics themselves. The backlash from this image was a lack of corporate sponsorship, which anyone else undoubtedly would have received after winning four gold medals. Lewis also became unpopular with his teammates because of his condemnation of those who used performance-enhancing drugs.
However, the issues with the public and his teammates never hindered Lewis’s ability to succeed, and he competed in three more Olympic Games, claiming a number of medals in the 100- and 200-meter races and long jump. In fact, he was able to attain the No. 1 ranking in the long jump with his 1996 Olympic performance, reclaiming it 15 years after reaching it for the first time. After 18 years as a track and field star, Lewis finally retired in 1997. His legacy has superseded his perceived arrogance, and he was named both Sportsman of the Century in 1999 and Olympian of the Century in 2001.
Carl Lewis became an elite track and field athlete with major achievements, but he also faced negative public and teammate reactions tied to how people perceived his attitude. The passage explains his early life, his rise in performance, the start of the public image problem around 1984, and his long term legacy.
1. What role does the third paragraph play in the passage?(A) It highlights his accomplishments as an athlete.
Yes. The third paragraph focuses on performance milestones, records, and titles.
That is its main job.(B) It describes the main point of the passage.
No. The main point is the overall arc of success plus image issues, not just the early achievements.
(C) It shows the reader what his childhood was like.
No. Childhood and early non athletic details are mainly in the second paragraph.
(D) It proves that he was an Olympic champion.
No. It notes he qualified for 1980 Summer Olympics but could not compete due to the boycott, so it does not “prove” Olympic champion status.
(E) It shows how his attitude changed with his success.
No. The attitude and perception issue is mainly developed later.
Answer: (A)
2. Which of the following from the fourth paragraph explains why his public image started to wane?(A) Lewis’s trouble with his public image started shortly before the 1984 Olympic Games.
This states timing, not the cause.
(B) As a star collegiate athlete, he had received sponsorship from Nike while still in school.
Sponsorship alone does not explain why his image worsened.
(C) His confidence in his natural talent and his rising popularity left a feeling in society that he was an arrogant and self serving athlete.
Yes. This is the direct explanation of why the image turned negative.
(D) The backlash from this image was a lack of corporate sponsorship.
This is an effect of the image problem, not the reason it started.
(E) He became unpopular with teammates because of condemning performance enhancing drugs.
That explains teammate dislike, but the question asks why his public image started to wane.
Answer: (C)
3. Lewis became less popular in the eyes of his teammates for which reason?I. They felt he was not a team player.
Yes. The passage says he was seen as promoting only himself rather than behaving like a member of the team.
II. They were jealous of his Olympic success.
No. Jealousy is never stated.
III. They resented his judgments about their drug use.
Yes. The passage says he became unpopular because of his condemnation of performance enhancing drug use.
Answer: (D)
4. Why did the author discuss Lewis’s growth spurt?(A) Because it caused him to run funny
Not stated.
(B) Because it signifies the adversity he overcame
Yes. The crutches detail shows a physical challenge he had to get through before thriving.
(C) Because he thought he would never be able to run
Not stated.
(D) Because it caused him to struggle as an athlete
It caused a temporary physical difficulty, but the point is more clearly adversity than athletic struggle as a theme.
(E) Because it was hard on him and his family
Family hardship is not discussed.
Answer: (B)
5. The tone of the passage is(A) supportive
Not mainly. It includes praise and criticism.
(B) judgmental
No. It reports perceptions and events without condemning him.
(C) informative
Yes. It reads like a biography that explains events and reactions.
(D) harried
No.
(E) personal
No. It is not written as personal reflection.
Answer: (C)