Scripps national spelling bee
by shaun paullock

1 scripps national spelling bee has been around for nine decades. the annual contest was started to promote an interest in spelling, which was then considered a boring topic. several newspapers united to host the first scripps national spelling bee in 1925. the organizers believed that a cash prize would increase participation. this would, in turn, not only raise the literacy level of the country but also students identify their spelling abilities.
2 for most of the early competitions, the winner received a prize of $500 or $1000. now, the winner takes home a cash prize of $40,000. along with the cash prize, the winner takes home a trophy, a merriam-webster reference library, a savings bond, and many other rewards.
3 the winner of the 2018 national spelling bee competition is a resident of texas. the eighth-grade student became the champion of the 2018 scripps national spelling bee on may 31, 2018. he defeated his competitor, also from texas, after spelling the winning word "koinonia" accurately.
4 interestingly, the winner was able to participate as a wild card competitor. for the first time ever, the organizers allowed the contest to be open to over 200 wild card spellers through their new "rsvbee" program. per the rsvbee program, any school-level spelling bee winner is eligible for the contest on payment of an entrance fee.
5 with time, scripps national spelling bee is getting increasingly competitive. the difficulty of the contest has also led to a rise in different forms of preparations. participants, including the 2018 champion, are known to have enlisted the services of a spelling coach to excel at spelling and memorize vocabulary lists.

6 spelling bee contests are no longer just about spelling. entering these competitions encourages students to learn new words, strengthen their grammar and vocabulary, and improve their confidence. scripps national spelling bee has successfully provided opportunities to millions of students. this them further improve their knowledge of english, which will benefit them throughout their lives.
1
select the correct answer.
the author wrote the selection most likely to —
a.
demonstrate the benefits of mastering grammar and spelling
b.
persuade readers to strengthen their reading and spelling abilities
c.
list the different awards that a scripps national spelling bee winner receives
d.
inform readers about the significance of scripps