The Spalding 7 and Titleist 3:23 

Comprehension Questions

 

1.  ______Who are the main characters in the short story?  

            a. the author and Jack Lickler

            b. the golf balls

            c. Arnold Palmer and Sam Sneed

            d. the Woodmar Pro and his caddy

 

2.  _____ How many times did Jack cheat in the story?    

            a.  never

            b. too many to count

            c. three times

            d. once

 

3.  ______ How did Lickler cheat?  

            a. secretly switching balls

            b. using the foot mashie

            c. lying about his score

            d. taking multiple “Mulligans.”

 

4.  _____ What does an Indiana Weeping Willow Tree look like?               

            a. a Beetle’s hair cut.

            b. a sorrowful golfer

            c. a slender woman’s torso

            d. a weed

 

 

5. _____   How did the author stop Jack from cheating?  

            a. having the pro talk to him privately

            b. leaving an anonymous note in his ball pouch

            c. by secretly switching balls in his bag

            d. threatening him with physical harm

 

6.  How would you have stopped Jack Lickler from cheating?    ______________

            a.  politely suggesting he had cheated

            b.  cheating also to get his attention

            c.  ignore Lickler’s acts

            d. None of the above.  I would…..

 

7.  Did the author ever cheat?   ____

            Yes or No

 

8.  _____ Do you think everyone cheats at golf somehow at sometime?  

            Yes or No

 

9.  _____ What does the author compare golf cheating to? 

            a. gambling

            b. sin

            c. magic tricks

            d. loss of memory

           

10. _____ What is a Mulligan?  

            a. an Irish stew

            b. a club named for a famous golfer

            c. a rodent found in the woods          

            d. a second uncounted stroke for a  bad shot

 

11.  _____What’s a “wiff” in golf? 

            a.  a rancid smell from the outhouse

            b.  a club used in the sand trap

            c.  a type of golf tee used on the fairway

            d.  a golfer missing the ball during the swing

 

 

12.  _____ How did Jack justify not counting a wiff?

            a. a noise had unfairly caused the wiff

            b. it was a practice swing since it missed the ball

            c. the club was defective causing the miss

            d. something  had inadvertently moved the ball

 

13. ______Why does the title include the number 3:23?

            a. it refers to the International Golf Rule 3:23

            b. Jack Lickler cheated 23 times in  3 days

            c.  it’s a verse about everyone cheating in some way

            d. Jack’s handicap of 23 strokes for 3 months

 

14. ______ How did Jack justify taking a Mulligan on the first shot on the first hole?

            a. the first shot could be ignored by interruptions

            b. on-lookers made him nervous

            c. he had no time to warm-up his swing

            d. a bad first shot would ruin the whole day

 

15. _____ Who was Joe Deserackis?

            a. a famous 1950s professional golfer

            b. one of the original seven Mercury astronauts

            c. the caddy master at the Woodmar Country Club

            d. a make believe NASA employee

 

16. _____ How did Lickler outdrive Jerry by 50 yards?

            a. using a driver with a metal head

            b. using a driver with a graphite shaft

            c. letting the ball trickle from a pants pocket hole

            d. kicking the ball while Jerry wasn’t looking

 

17. _____  Why did Jack have only Spalding 7 golf balls?

            a. only the best golfers used them

            b. he cheated by substituting them for bad shots

            c. his clubs were Spaldings

            d. his deceased grandfather, a golf pro, used them

 

18.  _____ Did Neil Armstrong actually land on the Moon?

            a. the Moon shot and  Jack’s golf shots were fake

            b. the Weekly World News said it didn’t happen

            c. Yes, Jerry proved the Weekly World News wrong

            d. Fox news aired a documentary calling it a fake

 

19. _____ What movie was filmed at Jerry’s work place?

            a. High Noon

            b. From the Earth to the Moon

            c. West World

            d. 2001 Space Odyssey

 

20. _____   What did Jerry think he’d do to hit a shot from under the Weeping Willow?

a.       grip  a putter just above its head and swing

b.      use the club like pool cue

c.       detach the club head into his hand and swing

d.      with the club head touching the ball, kick it

 

 

The ball which brought Jack Lickler to justice.

 

 

New Spelling Words From:

The Spalding 7 and  the Titleist 3:23

 

  1. preposterous                            ridiculous   
  2. thwart                                      stop
  3. propensity                               inclination                  
  4. felonious                                 criminal, illegal
  5. scrutinize                                 study, examine
  6. opportune                                fortuitous, lucky
  7. resolute                                    dedicated
  8. cache                                       storage place
  9. nefarious                                 evil
  10. mystify                                    fool
  11. depravity                                 foulness

12.  misdemeanor                          wrong-doing

13. predicament                            dilemma

14. conspiracy                               evil alliance

  1. horde                                       collect greedily           
  2. bogus                                       fake
  3. slice                                         errant shot to right
  4. bogey                                      one shot over par
  5. par                                           ideal strokes for a hole
  6. foliage                                     mass of leaves

 

For extra credit: Do you think this is a true story, partially true, or altogether made up?