Question

Passage 1: Serena Williams There have certainly been many great professional tennis players over the years. Some of the best have to include Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, Rafael Nadal, and Martina Navratilova. But as to who is the best tennis player of all time, there really isn’t any debate. That title goes to American Serena Williams. Born in 1981, Williams has put up jaw-dropping statistics and broken almost every record in the book. She has dominated her sport for an entire generation. She has a combined thirty-nine major titles (a major title is given out four times a year to the winner of each Grand Slam tournament). Twenty-three of these were in singles competition, fourteen were in women’s doubles, and two were in mixed doubles. A testament to her longevity is the fact that she is the only player in history, male or female, to have won at least ten Grand Slam titles in more than one decade. Many tennis players can dominate on one type of playing surface, but Williams has proven herself extraordinarily versatile. For instance, she has won thirteen major singles titles on hard court, and she has won seven singles titles on the grass courts at Wimbledon. Named the AP Female Athlete of the Year four times, Williams even won the 2017 Australian Open when she was pregnant. Williams has already established herself as the greatest tennis player of all time, and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Short Answer Questions (Serena Williams)

1. What is the central idea of the Serena Williams passage?

2. What evidence does the author give to prove her longevity?

3. How does Serena Williams show versatility in her game?

4. In your own words, summarize the passage in 2–3 sentences.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
1. The central idea of the Serena Williams passage is that she is the greatest tennis player of all time, marked by her exceptional achievements, dominance in the sport, and versatility across different playing surfaces.

2. The author demonstrates Williams' longevity by highlighting that she is the only player in history to have won at least ten Grand Slam titles in more than one decade.

3. Serena Williams shows versatility in her game by winning a significant number of major singles titles on different surfaces: thirteen on hard courts and seven on grass courts at Wimbledon.

4. The passage outlines Serena Williams' status as the greatest tennis player ever, emphasizing her record-breaking achievements, including a total of thirty-nine major titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. It highlights her unique ability to maintain excellence across different eras and playing surfaces, contributing to her lasting legacy in the sport.