Comprehension:
Read the passage given below and answer the five questions that follow.
Cricket is a passion for people around the globe. It is played everywhere from test match arenas to village greens, tropical beaches, and dusty backlots. Cricket is the world’s second most popular spectator sport after soccer. The origin of cricket can be traced back to the Dark Ages. All research concedes that the game is derived from a very old, popular and uncomplicated pastime by which one player served up an object, be it a small piece of wood or a ball and another hit it with a suitably fashioned club. The game of cricket was recorded in 16th-century England and it was played in grammar schools, farming communities and everywhere in between. But things really took off when 18th-century nobles realised it was a great sport. The oldest surviving set of cricket laws dates to 1744, which was printed on a handkerchief. Naturally, it’s now in the MCC Museum at Lord’s in London. The first international match was held in 1877 when Australia beat England in Melbourne. The match was dubbed ‘Test’, since the grueling nature of playing over five days was deemed the ultimate test for any one side. However, it was Australia’s first win on the English soil - in 1882 at The Oval in London - that led to matches between the two nations christened as the ‘Ashes.’ Following the defeat, newspapers published an obituary mourning “the death of English cricket”, adding that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
Based on the passage, which of the following BEST explains why Test matches are seen as a "true test" of a team?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → They demand mental and physical endurance over several days.
The passage says the match was called a Test because "the grueling nature of playing over five days" was thought to be the ultimate test for any side. Grueling means extremely tiring and demanding; playing for five days tests the stamina of body and mind, that is, endurance.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: They are played under extremely strict rules. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage mentions the oldest laws of cricket but never links rules to the name; the reason it gives is "the grueling nature of playing over five days".
Option 3: They include the maximum number of players. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage gives no number of players; the match was "the ultimate test for any one side".
Option 4: They focus only on batting ability. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: no single skill is named; the match tested "any one side", that is, the whole team.