My Greatest Olympic Prize
Extract 1
1. Which Games are referred to in the extract above? Who wasn’t too
worried about them? Why?
• The 1936 Olympic Games, held in Berlin in Germany.
• Jesse Owens wasn’t too worried about them as he had trained,
sweated and disciplined himself for six years with the Games in
mind.
2. Why were nationalistic feelings high during these Games?
• Hitler had spread the myth that one ethnic group was superior to all
others and refused to acknowledge that a ‘black’ man could ever be
successful.
• He insisted that his performers were members of a ‘master race’
and thus only they had the talent to win all the medals.
• This led to nationalistic feelings being at an all-time high during
the Games.
3. In which event was the speaker expected to win the gold medal? Why?
• The speaker was expected to win the gold medal in the running
broad jump or the Long Jump event as a year before as a
sophomore at Ohio State University he had set the world’s record
of 26 feet 8-1/4 inches.
• Therefore, everyone expected him to win the long jump event
hands down.
4. When the speaker went for his trials, he was startled to see somebody.
Whom did he see? Why was he startled on seeing him?
• He saw Luz Long, a tall German athlete.
• He was startled as Luz Long was hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on
his practice leaps. He was afraid that if Long won, it would add
some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory.
5. What did Owens do to succeed in qualifying for the finals of the
competition? Who was responsible for his success?
• Following Long’s advice, Owens drew a line a full foot back in
back of the board and proceeded to jump from there. He qualified
with almost a foot to spare.
• Luz Long was responsible for his success.
1
, Extract 2
1. Who is the speaker of the above lines? What was the speaker preoccupied
with?
• Jesse Owens – the American track and field athlete is the speaker
of the above lines.
• He saw Luz Long a tall German athlete hitting the pit at almost 26
feet on his practice leaps.
• Owens was told that Hitler had kept Long under wraps evidently
hoping to win the jump with him.
• He guessed that if Long won, it would add some new support to the
Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory.
2. Where was the speaker determined to go? What did he intend to do?
• Owens was determined to go to the track and show Der Fuhrer and
his master race who was superior and who wasn’t.
3. How did the speaker perform during his trials? Give reasons for his
unexpected performance.
• On the first of his qualifying jumps, Owens leaped from several
inches beyond the take-off board for a foul.
• On the second jump, he fouled even worse.
• He was a little hot under the collar about Hitler and his ways. In his
anger, he decided to go out and show Hitler and his master race
who was superior and who wasn’t.
• An angry athlete is sure to make mistakes. It was true in Owens’
case too.
4. What was the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory? How did Jesse Owens
prove this theory wrong?
• Nazis believed in the theory of racial hierarchy, identifying
Germans as part of Aryan or Nordic master race.
• The Nazis aimed to unite all Germans living in historically German
territory, while excluding those deemed either to be community
aliens or belonging to an ‘inferior’ race.
• Jesse Owens proved this theory wrong by winning not just one but
four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games.
5. Give the meaning of:
a. Hot under the collar: Owens was enraged, furious, angered and
annoyed with Hitler and his ways.
2
Extract 1
1. Which Games are referred to in the extract above? Who wasn’t too
worried about them? Why?
• The 1936 Olympic Games, held in Berlin in Germany.
• Jesse Owens wasn’t too worried about them as he had trained,
sweated and disciplined himself for six years with the Games in
mind.
2. Why were nationalistic feelings high during these Games?
• Hitler had spread the myth that one ethnic group was superior to all
others and refused to acknowledge that a ‘black’ man could ever be
successful.
• He insisted that his performers were members of a ‘master race’
and thus only they had the talent to win all the medals.
• This led to nationalistic feelings being at an all-time high during
the Games.
3. In which event was the speaker expected to win the gold medal? Why?
• The speaker was expected to win the gold medal in the running
broad jump or the Long Jump event as a year before as a
sophomore at Ohio State University he had set the world’s record
of 26 feet 8-1/4 inches.
• Therefore, everyone expected him to win the long jump event
hands down.
4. When the speaker went for his trials, he was startled to see somebody.
Whom did he see? Why was he startled on seeing him?
• He saw Luz Long, a tall German athlete.
• He was startled as Luz Long was hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on
his practice leaps. He was afraid that if Long won, it would add
some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory.
5. What did Owens do to succeed in qualifying for the finals of the
competition? Who was responsible for his success?
• Following Long’s advice, Owens drew a line a full foot back in
back of the board and proceeded to jump from there. He qualified
with almost a foot to spare.
• Luz Long was responsible for his success.
1
, Extract 2
1. Who is the speaker of the above lines? What was the speaker preoccupied
with?
• Jesse Owens – the American track and field athlete is the speaker
of the above lines.
• He saw Luz Long a tall German athlete hitting the pit at almost 26
feet on his practice leaps.
• Owens was told that Hitler had kept Long under wraps evidently
hoping to win the jump with him.
• He guessed that if Long won, it would add some new support to the
Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory.
2. Where was the speaker determined to go? What did he intend to do?
• Owens was determined to go to the track and show Der Fuhrer and
his master race who was superior and who wasn’t.
3. How did the speaker perform during his trials? Give reasons for his
unexpected performance.
• On the first of his qualifying jumps, Owens leaped from several
inches beyond the take-off board for a foul.
• On the second jump, he fouled even worse.
• He was a little hot under the collar about Hitler and his ways. In his
anger, he decided to go out and show Hitler and his master race
who was superior and who wasn’t.
• An angry athlete is sure to make mistakes. It was true in Owens’
case too.
4. What was the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory? How did Jesse Owens
prove this theory wrong?
• Nazis believed in the theory of racial hierarchy, identifying
Germans as part of Aryan or Nordic master race.
• The Nazis aimed to unite all Germans living in historically German
territory, while excluding those deemed either to be community
aliens or belonging to an ‘inferior’ race.
• Jesse Owens proved this theory wrong by winning not just one but
four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games.
5. Give the meaning of:
a. Hot under the collar: Owens was enraged, furious, angered and
annoyed with Hitler and his ways.
2
