The Rules Naismith Wrote: teacher key

Basketball, grade 7 edition, written for 7th grade. Basketball started with peach baskets, 13 rules and strict fouls. See which first rules changed, and which part of the story is now a museum.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What did Naismith nail to the gym balcony rail?
   • Two peach baskets (answer)
   • A soccer ball
   • A rule sheet
2. What happened to a player judged to have tried to injure an opponent?
   • Disqualified until the next goal
   • Given one free throw
   • Disqualified for the whole game (answer)
3. When were backboards installed in college rules?
   • In the 1936 Olympics
   • In college rules in 1896-97 (answer)
   • In the 1979-80 NBA season
4. Why was the first hoop 10 feet up?
   • That was the height of the balcony rail (answer)
   • A rule said so in 1959
   • The players were tall
5. Where is the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame?
   • Berlin, Germany
   • Toronto
   • Springfield, Massachusetts (answer)

Words

• disqualified: put out
• balcony: high gym ledge
• fouls: rule breaks
• backboards: boards behind hoops
• trial: a test