Batter Up: The Baseball Bat

Question

Kathy Hufford

The first “official” baseball game was played in the early 1800s, more than 160 years ago. The equipment was simple: bat, ball, dirt playing field, and four wooden bases. No gloves.

In the early years, the players made their own bats, all from wood. Eventually, batmakers found that the best style of bat was long and slender, tapered, with a carved knob at the end of the bat for better control.

Although the first metal bat was patented in 1924, players did not start using metal bats until the first aluminum bats were developed in the 1970s. Bats made of aluminum became an instant success. They were light, durable, and easy to use, and players could hit the ball much farther than with a wooden bat. Unlike the wooden bat, a metal bat temporarily flexes when hit with the ball, and springs back, transferring more energy to the ball than a rigid wooden bat. This so-called “trampoline effect” is the secret of the metal bat’s superior performance over a wooden bat.

The design of bats continues to evolve as manufacturers search for ways to magnify the trampoline effect and increase the size of the bat’s “sweet spot” (the optimal place on the bat for hitting the ball). One design introduced in the late 1990s 
is a double-walled bat; this design comprises an outer wall of aluminum, an inner wall of a composite material (often graphite), and a “filling” of rubber or a thick fluid between the two walls.

Question
Which best expresses the main idea of this passage?
Responses
A Some of the greatest athletes of the world's history have been baseball players.Some of the greatest athletes of the world's history have been baseball players.
B The design of the baseball bat has changed since baseball began being played 160 years ago.The design of the baseball bat has changed since baseball began being played 160 years ago.
C The rules of baseball can seem complicated at first, but the game has a simple elegance to it as well.The rules of baseball can seem complicated at first, but the game has a simple elegance to it as well.
D When baseball began, it used very little equipment: just a bat, a ball, a dirt playing field, and four wooden bases.

Answer 1

B The design of the baseball bat has changed since baseball began being played 160 years ago.