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.”
Why was the first international cricket match called a "test"?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → because it took five days and was considered a true test of a team's ability.
The passage says the 1877 match was "dubbed 'Test'" (given the name) because the grueling nature of playing over five days was deemed the ultimate test for any one side. The length of the match and the test of the team's ability are both stated.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: because it tested a new cricket equipment. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage speaks of no new equipment; the name came from "the grueling nature of playing over five days".
Option 3: because it tested the skills of only the bowlers. — Incorrect. Too narrow: the passage calls the match "the ultimate test for any one side", a test of the whole team, not of the bowlers alone.
Option 4: because teams were being tested for future tournaments. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about future tournaments; the five-day match itself "was deemed the ultimate test".