MCAS 2001, 3rd Grade English (ELA), Questions 26 to 33

Superman may have been faster than a speeding bullet, but James "Cool Papa" Bell would have beaten him to first base.

How speedy was he? Imagine this:

• He could turn off the light and be in bed before the room got dark.
• Rounding second base one time, he got hit in the leg - with his own line drive.
• He scored all the way from first base on a teammate's sacrifice bunt.
• Leading off first one day, Cool Papa decided to steal a base. By the time a catcher's throw reached second, Cool Papa was sliding into third.
• Another time, Cool Papa caught his own throw from center field and tagged a runner out at third.

Some of these stories are legend but everyone agrees James Bell was one of the greatest players ever. Amazingly, you couldn't find him playing in the major leagues. It didn't matter that he could knock the cover off a ball or that he played the game with smarts and spirit. It didn't even matter that he could run faster than the wind, they he had been timed going around the bases in just twelve seconds.

All that mattered to the people who ran major league baseball was that his skin was black. They wouldn't let him play.

Before 1947 no Americans of African descent were allowed to play major league baseball. Cool Papa Bell had to play in something called the Negro Leagues. It was for blacks only. Bell was one of the league's stars for twenty-four years, hitting over .400 his first year and his last year. He hit over .300 every season.

But here is the most incredible story about Cool Papa Bell. And this time, every word is true.

It happened in 1946, his last year in the Negro Leagues. Cool Papa was forty-three years old and hobbled with arthritis. He was batting an awesome .402 and on the last day of the season he needed just a couple of more at bats to qualify to win the batting title. Not only would it have been the crowning achievement of his career, Bell also stood to earn a bonus for leading the league in hitting. Negro League salaries were pitiful. He could have used the money.

James Bell had one last task to accomplish, which he thought was more important. He knew major league baseball was about to open its doors to black players. Bell knew he was too old to think of a big league career for himself. However, the guy battling Bell for the batting title - a young kid named Monte Irvin - was being considered for the major leagues. If the scouts saw that Irvin won the batting title, they'd be impressed. So Cool Papa Bell sat out that last game and let Irvin win the title. Later, someone asked Bell why he did it.

He answered, "When one of us makes it to the major leagues, we all do." Because Bell opened the door, Monte Irvin was one of the first African Americans allowed to play in the major leagues.

This is the story to remember about James "Cool Papa" Bell.

Copyright © 1992 Terry Egan, Stan Friedmann, and Mike Levine.

Question #26

A. Cool Papa was smarter than Superman.

B. Cool Papa was stronger than Superman.

C. Cool Papa was faster than a speeding bullet.

D. Cool Papa was faster than Superman.

Question #27

"Cool Papa" is in QUOTATION MARKS (" ") to show it is

A. part of a conversation.

B. a nickname.

C. a baseball term.

D. his real name.

Question #28

A. he was better than the other players.

B. he could not run fast enough.

C. his skin was black.

D. his arthritis was causing him problems.

Question #29

A. extra money

B. new job

C. new name

D. extra bases

Question #30

A. is about a real person.

B. has a setting.

C. has believable characters.

D. is about an injustice.

Question #31

A. becoming a famous baseball player.

B. seeing African Americans play on major league baseball teams.

C. being the best baseball player in the world.

D. learning to run faster than any other baseball players.

Question #32

A. slow

B. strong

C. proud

D. powerful

Question #33 (Open-Response Question)