Sports · Unit 6
Basketball
Hoops, points, positions and the pro game
Basketball is one of the few major sports with a known inventor and a documented moment of invention, designed deliberately in 1891 to be played indoors in winter.
The unit covers the rules, the court and hoop, points and shot types, player positions, and the NBA and its major figures.
This unit breaks down into 21 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 2 and building to 3. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 21
- Questions
- 120
- Difficulty
- 2-3
What this unit covers
- Basketball Rules
- Points and Shots
- Player Positions
- The Court and Hoop
- The NBA and Legends
Where this fits
Follows Ball Games.
Where people slip
The three-point line is a late addition and it reshaped the sport. Strategy before and after it are close to different games.
How the unit is structured
Basketball runs as 21 short steps that unlock in order. 15 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 2 and climb to 3 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.
Basketball Rules
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
1. Build a true sentence about team size.
Answer: Each team has five players on the court
Each team keeps five players on the court at once.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
2. In basketball you are allowed to kick the ball on purpose.
Answer: False
Kicking the ball on purpose is not allowed and is called a kicking violation.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
3. A team has ____ players on the court at one time.
- fivecorrect
- six
- seven
- nine
Each side puts five players on the court during play.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
4. How many players from one team are on the court at the same time?
- 5correct
- 6
- 7
- 11
Each basketball team has five players on the court during play.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
5. Which of these are violations rather than fouls?
- Travelingcorrect
- Double dribblecorrect
- Shot clock violationcorrect
- Personal foul
Traveling, double dribble, and shot clock breaches are violations, while a personal foul is contact.
- Odd one outLevel 3
6. Which of these is NOT a basketball violation?
- Offsidecorrect
- Traveling
- Double dribble
- Backcourt violation
Offside is a soccer rule, while the others are basketball violations.
Player Positions
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
7. Build a true sentence about the center's spot.
Answer: The center usually plays closest to the basket
The center usually plays nearest the hoop.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
8. Which of these are guard positions in basketball?
- Point guardcorrect
- Shooting guardcorrect
- Center
- Power forward
The point guard and shooting guard are the two guard positions.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
9. The tall player who defends near the basket and grabs rebounds is often the ____.
- centercorrect
- point guard
- referee
- coach
The center plays close to the hoop and grabs many rebounds.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
10. Match each position to its number.
Answer: Point guard = 1; Small forward = 3; Center = 5
Positions are numbered 1 through 5, from point guard to center.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
11. Which position usually brings the ball up the court and runs the offense?
- Point guardcorrect
- Center
- Power forward
- Shooting guard
The point guard is the playmaker who guides the team's offense.
- Fact or fibLevel 3
12. A combo guard is a player who can handle both point guard and shooting guard roles.
Answer: True
A combo guard is skilled enough to play either backcourt position.
Points and Shots
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
13. Build a true sentence about the value of a dunk.
Answer: A slam dunk is worth two points
A slam dunk is a field goal, so it counts for two points.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Which of these are valid point values for a single basketball shot?
- 1 pointcorrect
- 2 pointscorrect
- 3 pointscorrect
- 4 points
Shots can be worth one, two, or three points, but never four.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
15. A basket scored from inside the three-point line is worth two points.
Answer: True
Any field goal made inside the arc counts for two points.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
16. A shot made from beyond the arc is worth ____ points.
- threecorrect
- two
- one
- four
Shots from behind the three-point arc score three points.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
17. How many points is a shot made from behind the three-point line worth?
- 3correct
- 2
- 1
- 4
A basket made from beyond the three-point line counts for three points.
- Guess the numberLevel 3
18. How many points did Wilt Chamberlain score in his record single-game performance?
Answer: 100 points
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game in 1962, still an NBA record.
The Court and Hoop
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
19. Build a true sentence about scoring a basket.
Answer: The ball must go through the hoop to score
You score by sending the ball through the hoop.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
20. An NBA basketball court is wider than it is long.
Answer: False
An NBA court is 94 feet long and only 50 feet wide, so it is longer than it is wide.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
21. The metal ring the ball goes through is called the ____.
- rimcorrect
- base
- pole
- line
The rim is the orange metal ring that the net hangs from.
- Guess the numberLevel 2
22. How many feet is the free-throw line from the backboard?
Answer: 15 feet
The free-throw line stands 15 feet from the backboard.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
23. How high is a basketball hoop above the floor?
- 10 feetcorrect
- 8 feet
- 12 feet
- 6 feet
The rim sits 10 feet above the floor on every standard court.
- Match the pairsLevel 3
24. Match each part of the court to its measurement.
Answer: Rim height = 10 feet; Court length = 94 feet; Three-point line at the top = 23 feet 9 inches
These are the standard measurements on a regulation NBA court.
The NBA and Legends
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
25. Build a true sentence about Michael Jordan's titles.
Answer: Michael Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls
Jordan won all six of his championships with the Bulls.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which of these people are NBA all-time greats?
- Michael Jordancorrect
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbarcorrect
- David Beckham
- Usain Bolt
Jordan and Kareem are basketball legends, while Beckham and Bolt are stars of other sports.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
27. Basketball was invented by James Naismith.
Answer: True
James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 using peach baskets as hoops.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
28. ____ Bryant scored 81 points in a single game for the Lakers.
- Kobecorrect
- LeBron
- Magic
- Larry
Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Raptors in 2006.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
29. Match each legend to the team he is famous for.
Answer: Michael Jordan = Chicago Bulls; Larry Bird = Boston Celtics; Magic Johnson = Los Angeles Lakers
These stars each became legends with one classic franchise.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
30. Which player won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls?
- Michael Jordancorrect
- Stephen Curry
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six titles in the 1990s.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Build the sentence
- Choose all that apply
- Fact or fib
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Picture question
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- Spell it
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Basketball
120 questions across 21 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Basketball
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
- How Does Basketball Scoring Work? Points, Free Throws, and Field GoalsLearn how does basketball scoring work, including one, two, and three point shots, free throws, game totals, and the basic scoreboard rules to follow.August 17, 2026 · 5 min read
- How Do Elo Ratings Work? The Maths Behind Chess RankingsThe Elo system gives each player a number and moves it after each game by how surprising the result was. The formula, what a 200-point gap means, and its uses.September 14, 2026 · 5 min read
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