The Long Game: Building Resilience in Sports and School
Lexile: 1230 | Grade: 10
Passage
Success often looks immediate—like a winning shot at the buzzer or a perfect score on a test. But behind those moments are hours of effort, setbacks, and decisions to keep going when things got hard. Resilience is what carries people through the part no one sees.
In sports, resilience means bouncing back after defeat. A tennis player might lose a match despite months of training. An injury could sideline an athlete for weeks. But resilient athletes recover. They reflect on what went wrong, strengthen their weaknesses, and return with greater focus. They learn that failure isn’t final—it’s part of progress.
The same holds true in academics. A student may struggle with a difficult subject or fall behind during a stressful semester. But resilience isn’t about perfection. It’s about continuing to try, even when results are disappointing. It’s about asking for help, changing study habits, and believing that improvement is still possible.
Resilience isn’t just mental toughness—it’s mental flexibility. It’s recognizing that a setback isn’t a stop sign. In fact, challenges in sports and school often shape more than skill—they shape identity. Students and athletes alike discover their limits, and then learn how to expand them.
Studies show that students who build resilience are more likely to succeed long-term. Not because they avoid failure, but because they know how to recover from it. Likewise, athletes who stay committed through losses are the ones who gain strength, endurance, and strategy.
Whether you’re facing an exam you’re afraid to fail or a practice that feels like too much, resilience asks a simple question: *Will you keep going, even now?*
Answering yes—again and again—is how people grow. Not just as students or athletes, but as people who can rise no matter how many times they fall.
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Questions
Q1: What is the central idea of the passage?
- A. Failure is caused by poor planning in sports and academics
- B. Resilience means pushing through setbacks to grow and succeed
- C. Only naturally talented people can succeed in school and athletics
- D. Athletes and students should avoid taking risks
Q2: What does the author mean by 'resilience isn’t just mental toughness—it’s mental flexibility'?
- A. Resilience depends on changing your goal often
- B. Being resilient means being stubborn in all situations
- C. Resilience involves adapting to challenges, not just pushing through them
- D. Flexibility in sports is more important than in academics
Q3: How does the author support the comparison between sports and academics?
- A. By discussing famous athletes and professors
- B. By explaining how both require performance in front of crowds
- C. By showing how both involve setbacks, learning, and persistence
- D. By saying students should become athletes to succeed
Q4: What tone does the author use in this passage?
- A. Judgmental and critical
- B. Encouraging and thoughtful
- C. Casual and humorous
- D. Technical and analytical
Q5: Why does the author describe success as 'what no one sees'?
- A. To suggest that success is a secret process
- B. To emphasize that real success comes from unseen effort and perseverance
- C. To imply that success doesn’t really exist
- D. To suggest that success happens instantly
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: What is the central idea of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The passage emphasizes that persistence and recovery from challenges lead to long-term growth.
Q2: What does the author mean by 'resilience isn’t just mental toughness—it’s mental flexibility'?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The line highlights how resilience includes being adaptable and learning from difficulties, not just enduring them.
Q3: How does the author support the comparison between sports and academics?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The author draws parallels between the effort and mindset needed in both areas, using relatable examples.
Q4: What tone does the author use in this passage?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The tone is meant to motivate and reassure students and athletes that growth comes through effort and resilience.
Q5: Why does the author describe success as 'what no one sees'?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The phrase highlights the hard work and resilience that happen behind the scenes, not just the visible outcomes.
Printable Comprehension Practice
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