1. The narrator of the passage can best be described as a swimmer who primarily: A. recalls the swim of his life and the factors that motivated him during that swim.
B. remembers the events that inspired him to participate in a time trial at the Junior Nationals.
C. contrasts the joy of winning competitions early in the season with his later struggles to succeed.
D. chronicles his swimming career, from childhood through high school.
2. Which of the following events mentioned in the passage happened first chronologically?
F. The narrator stood on the blocks at the Sunday time trial his senior year.
G. The narrator leapt out over the diving well in late September.
H. The narrator swam the 500-yard freestyle in the high school regional meet as a senior.
J. The narrator heard a boy from a rival school cheering.
3. The narrator describes the natatorium as being nearly empty of spectators the day of his race in order to:
A. illustrate that the perfect racing conditions the narrator had hoped for weren't likely to occur.
B. demonstrate that, contrary to the narrator's expectations, the meet was energetic.
C. explain why the narrator's coach paced at the sound of the horn.
D. identify why the narrator felt a rush of energy before the race.
4. The narrator indicates that when he swam the 1,000- yard freestyle in the time trials, the world, for a moment, seemed to:
F. speed up, blurring past and present events.
G. rush past, forcing him to reflect in retrospect.
H. move in slow motion, as did everything around him.
J. slow down, allowing him to reflect in real time.
5. The passage indicates that during the narrator's swim at the time trial, he understood for the first time that:
A. his goals would always be one step farther on.
B. he had trained for this swim for over a year.
C. the swim was an event that was important to him alone.
D. swimming is a choice between the now and the later.
6. Based on the passage, the "end" the narrator mentions in line 80 most likely refers to his:
F. final pursuit of fitness.
G. last chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.
H. memory of his final Friday night practice.
J. ultimate realization that he had defeated the other competitors in the race.
7. The narrator of the passage characterizes the time trial in Houston as:
A. one long sprint in which swimmers attempted to improve their times.
B. a meet advertised as a way to qualify for the Junior Nationals.
C. a regional meet that featured only the 500-yard freestyle and 1,000-yard freestyle.
D. an informal swimming event put together at the last minute.
8. The statement "That's where you're going, now hurry up" (lines 35-36) can most directly be attributed to the:
F. cheering boy, as he verbally criticizes the narrator's efforts.
G. cheering boy, as he shouts encouragement to the narrator.
H. narrator, as he speculates about what the cheering boy meant when the boy pointed at the pool.
J. narrator, as he angrily contemplates his response to the cheering boy.
9. For the narrator, compared to practicing in the outdoor pool, practicing in the indoor pool is:
A. more productive.
B. more liberating.
C. less appealing.
D. less competitive.
10. When the narrator heard "Jump!" in his mind while swimming (line 67), he was most likely remembering:
F. his teammate's command the day the narrator caught the flag line.
G. his own shout as he leapt off the outdoor pool's deck that fall.
H. the cheers of the boy from the rival school.
J. the abrupt start of his race that Sunday.

1. A
2. G
3. A
4. J
5. C
6. G
7. D
8. H
9. C
10. F