Question

americans were no doubt glad to have muhammad representing their country. muhammad and her teammates, mariel zagunis, dagmara wozniak, and monica aksamit, defeated italy 45-30 to clinch third place. their win marked the first womens medal in fencing for the u.s. at the rio games.

fencing has its roots in sword fighting, which dates back to as early as about 1190 bce in some parts of the world. these early duels often ended with a fencer being seriously or even fatally wounded. but around the 15th century ce, people began fencing as a sport in spain, italy, and germany, and eventually, the sport spread all over the world, evolving as it did. fencing has been part of the olympics since the 1896 games in athens, greece.

today, the sport tests fencers physical and mental dexterity. dueling with blunted swords (foils, sabres, or epées, depending on the form of the sport that is being played), fencers earn points by striking their opponents while simultaneously attempting to parry their opponents thrusts. fencers wear electronic scoring machines that register when they have been hit or when they have succeeded in hitting their opponents. to protect themselves from injury, they must don full protective gear, including the characteristic helmet with a mesh mask, as soon as they walk onto the playing strip, or piste.

muhammad, who loves sports, opted for fencing in part because of the sports distinctive garb. the uniform allowed her to wear her hijab and thus

question 4
which of these is a statement of fact?
a. mental agility is even more important than physical skill in the sport of fencing.
b. of all olympic sports, fencing is the most entertaining for spectators to observe.
c. the pan american championships in panama were just as exciting as the 2016 olympics.
d. around the 15th century ce, people began fencing for sport in spain, italy, and germany.

Explanation:

A fact is a verifiable statement. Option A is an opinion about the relative importance of mental vs physical skill. Option B is an opinion about fencing being the most entertaining Olympic sport. Option C is an opinion about the excitement level of two different events. Option D is a verifiable statement that matches the text: "But around the 15th century CE, people began fencing as a sport in Spain, Italy, and Germany, and eventually, the sport spread all over the world..."

Answer:

D. Around the 15th century CE, people began fencing for sport in Spain, Italy, and Germany.