Question

15 superstitious practices tend to vary across sports, but there are similarities. in football, gymnastics, and track and field, competitors report praying for success, checking their appearance in the mirror, and dressing well to feel better prepared. athletes also engage in specific actions and behaviors, such as wearing lucky clothes or charms.
16 famous athletes often display superstitious behaviors. basketball legend michael jordan wore his lucky north carolina shorts under his chicago bulls uniform. tennis legend björn borg reportedly wore the same brand of shirt when preparing for wimbledon.
17 rafael nadal performs a lot of rituals each time he plays tennis. he is specific about how he places his water bottles, and he takes freezing cold showers. nadal believes these rituals help him find focus and flow and perform well.
walking under ladders
18 all this shows that superstitions can provide reassurance⁵ and help reduce anxiety in some people. while this may well be true, research has also shown that superstitions can be self - reinforcing. the superstitious behavior creates a habit, and failure to perform that habit can actually result in more anxiety.
19 this is the case even though the actual outcome of an event or situation is still dependent on known factors instead of on unknown, supernatural⁶ ones. the principle of “the harder you work (or practice), the luckier you get” can apply here.
20 so the next time you break a mirror, see a black cat, or encounter the number 13, don’t worry too much about “bad luck.” it’s most likely just a trick of the mind.
article adapted and posted with permission from the authors, neil dagnall, reader in applied cognitive psychology, manchester metropolitan university and ken drinkwater, senior lecturer and researcher in cognitive and parapsychology, manchester metropolitan university.
¹ rational (adjective) based on or in accordance with reason or logic
² angst (noun) a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general
³ irrational (adjective) not logical or reasonable
⁴ trivial (adjective) of little value or importance
⁵ reassurance (noun) the action of removing someone’s doubts or fears
⁶ supernatural (adjective) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature
the following question has two parts. first, answer part a. then, answer part b.
part a
which describes the overall text structure the author uses in paragraphs 15 - 17?
compare and contrast
chronological order
problem and solution
cause and effect

Explanation:

To determine the text structure of paragraphs 15 - 17, we analyze each paragraph:

• Paragraph 15 talks about similarities in superstitious practices across sports (football, gymnastics, track and field) and specific actions athletes take.
• Paragraph 16 gives examples of famous athletes (Michael Jordan, Björn Borg) with superstitious behaviors.
• Paragraph 17 provides another example of Rafael Nadal’s rituals.

The author is presenting different examples of superstitious behaviors in athletes, which is a form of comparing (showing similarities) and contrasting (though mainly highlighting commonalities here, the structure of presenting multiple examples with some common traits and different athlete - specific details leans towards compare and contrast as it looks at how these superstitious behaviors are similar/different across athletes and sports).

Chronological order would involve time - order, which is not present. Problem and solution would have a problem stated and a solution offered, which is not the case here. Cause and effect would focus on why something happens and its result, but these paragraphs are more about presenting examples of a phenomenon (superstitious behaviors in athletes) rather than cause - effect. So the correct structure is compare and contrast.

Answer:

compare and contrast