The phrase 'team building exercises' may be new but the reality is not. Its origins go back at least as far as the medieval tournaments. These provided knights with military training and the opportunity to make reputations. Individual jousting and hand-to hand combat came first. Then there were team events. In these, a group of knights fought against another group. These teams often stayed together and fought side-by-side in real battle. Team games today, such as football, baseball, cricket and hockey, are the distant descendants of such medieval tournaments.

A crucial event in the movement from being a group to becoming a team can be the team building exercise. This can be based upon either (1) a substitute team task (for example, a business case study or a few days of outdoor activities) or (2) a real task (for example, going away for a weekend to plan company strategy).

There are pros and cons to both approaches. The advantage of a substitute task type of event is that success or failure is not of paramount importance. Nor are there any technological or professional challenges to meet, so that people can concentrate on the essential issue of learning how to work more effectively together as a team.

According to the passage, a group of knights fought against another group in

(A) cricket
(B) hockey
(C) baseball
(D) real battle

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(D) Only

The correct answer is Option (2) → (D) Only

According to the passage:

• Individual jousting and hand-to-hand combat happened first.
• Then, there were team events where knights fought against each other.
• The passage specifically mentions these teams fighting side-by-side in real battle.

The passage doesn't mention any modern sports like cricket, baseball, or hockey being played by the knights. So, options (A), (B), and (C) are incorrect.

Therefore, only option (D) aligns with the information provided in the passage.