Question 6
ComprehensionJAMB 1989 Passage II: Sport and ill-will among nations
I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill among nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world could meet one another at football or squash, they would have no inclination to meet on the battle field. Even if one didn't know from concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games, for instance) that international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred, one could deduce it from general principles.
Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and not feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simple for the fun of it and exercise; but as soon as the question of prestige arises, a soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is frankly a mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators; and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests and seriously believe — at any rate for short period — that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.
Even a leisurely game demanding grace rather than strength can cause much ill-will. Football, a game in […]yone gets hurt and every nation has its own style of play […] […]orrible sights in the world is a fight between white and coloured boxers before a mixed audience.
Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and not feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simple for the fun of it and exercise; but as soon as the question of prestige arises, a soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is frankly a mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators; and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests and seriously believe — at any rate for short period — that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.
Even a leisurely game demanding grace rather than strength can cause much ill-will. Football, a game in […]yone gets hurt and every nation has its own style of play […] […]orrible sights in the world is a fight between white and coloured boxers before a mixed audience.
The 1936 Olympic Games was cited in the passage as an example to show that sports can
- A.lead to excessive hatred
- B.create goodwill among nations
- C.generate feelings of national prestige
- D.make people meet on the battle field
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A (lead to excessive hatred)
Explanation
The writer mentions the 1936 Olympics as proof that international contests 'lead to orgies of hatred'.