Read and answer questions 7-9. Read the following paragraph.
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Most people have a natural fear of flying bats - the winged kind with sharp teeth. Now people are learning
to fear a different bat. This new threat is the maple wood baseball bat. Maple trees have dense, extremely hard
wood with few knots. Ash wood, which used to be popular for bats, is slightly lighter in weight and not quite as
break baseball's home run record in 2003. Since then, more than half the leagues' players have chosen to swing
number of serious injuries caused by breaking bats. Maple wood does not just break - it explodes in the hands
of batters and rockets towards the ball field and fans. Part of the reason for this drastic, often bloody event is
the fact that maple, with its tight cell structure, naturally breaks with this pattern of sharp points.
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7. Which of the following is an accurate and appropriate summary of this paragraph?
People should be afraid of flying bats, whether they are the animal kind or the baseball
kind. Baseball bats made from maple wood are very hard, unlike lighter weight ash bats.
Barry Bonds used a maple bat to break the home run record in 2003.
B The density of maple baseball bats cause them to shatter into sharp pieces. These pieces
endanger players and fans. More injuries from bats have been recorded since more players
have begun using maple instead of ash bats.
C Major league baseball players are breaking new records by breaking more bats. The newer
maple bats are much harder than the older ash bats, but they are more dangerous when they
break.
D Baseball bats made from maple wood can be dangerous. Maple is a harder wood that has
gained preference over softer ash bats. It is more likely to shatter into sharp pieces and to
cause injury to fans or players.