Sports · Unit 7
Football and Rugby
Gridiron and rugby: downs, tries and tackles
American football and rugby share an ancestor and diverged sharply, and comparing them shows how much of a sport's character comes from a few rule choices.
The unit covers American football's rules and downs, touchdowns and scoring, rugby's basics, positions in both, and the major events.
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
- American Football Rules
- Touchdowns and Scoring
- Rugby Basics
- Positions and Roles
- Big Games and Events
Where this fits
Follows Ball Games.
Where people slip
Forward passes are legal in American football and not in rugby. That single difference produces almost every other difference between the two.
How the unit is structured
Football and Rugby 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.
American Football Rules
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
1. Build a true sentence about the rules of American football.
Answer: A team has four downs to gain ten yards
A team has four downs to gain ten yards and keep the ball.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
2. A game of American football is divided into four quarters.
Answer: True
True, an American football game has four quarters.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
3. A team gets ____ downs to move the ball 10 yards in American football.
- fourcorrect
- two
- six
- ten
Four downs are allowed to gain the 10 yards needed.
- Guess the numberLevel 2
4. How many players from one team are on the field at once in American football?
Answer: 11 players
Each side plays 11 players at a time.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
5. How many players from one team are on the field at once in American football?
- 11correct
- 9
- 13
- 15
Each side fields 11 players at a time in American football.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
6. Which of these are turnovers in American football?
- Interceptioncorrect
- Lost fumblecorrect
- Touchdown
- Field goal
Interceptions and lost fumbles hand the ball to the other team, while touchdowns and field goals are scores.
Big Games and Events
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
7. Build a true sentence about the Super Bowl.
Answer: The Super Bowl is the NFL championship game
The Super Bowl is the NFL championship game played each year.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
8. The New Zealand national rugby team is nicknamed the All Blacks.
Answer: True
True, New Zealand's rugby union team is famously called the All Blacks.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
9. The Super Bowl winner receives the Vince ____ Trophy.
- Lombardicorrect
- Stanley
- Heisman
- Webb Ellis
The Super Bowl champion is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
10. Match each item to what it describes.
Answer: Super Bowl = NFL championship game; Rugby World Cup = Held every four years; Vince Lombardi Trophy = Super Bowl prize
The Super Bowl is the NFL championship, the Rugby World Cup is held every four years, and the Lombardi Trophy is the Super Bowl prize.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
11. Which of these are rugby union competitions?
- Rugby World Cupcorrect
- Six Nationscorrect
- The Rugby Championshipcorrect
- Stanley Cup
The Rugby World Cup, Six Nations and The Rugby Championship are all rugby union events, while the Stanley Cup is ice hockey.
- Guess the numberLevel 3
12. How many teams play in the NFL?
Answer: 32 teams
The National Football League is made up of 32 teams.
Positions and Roles
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
13. Build a true sentence about the quarterback.
Answer: The quarterback throws the ball to the receiver
The quarterback throws the ball to the receiver.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Which of these are defensive positions in American football?
- Linebackercorrect
- Cornerbackcorrect
- Quarterback
- Wide receiver
Linebackers and cornerbacks play defense, while the quarterback and wide receiver play offense.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
15. The quarterback usually throws passes to the receivers.
Answer: True
True, the quarterback is the passer who throws to the receivers.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
16. The ____ snaps the ball back to the quarterback to begin a play.
- centercorrect
- kicker
- receiver
- referee
The center hikes, or snaps, the ball to start each play.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
17. Match each American football position to its main job.
Answer: Quarterback = Throws the ball; Running back = Runs with the ball; Kicker = Kicks field goals
The quarterback throws, the running back runs the ball, and the kicker kicks field goals.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
18. Which player usually throws the ball to start passing plays in American football?
- Quarterbackcorrect
- Kicker
- Cornerback
- Punter
The quarterback leads the offense and throws most of the passes.
Rugby Basics
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
19. Build a true sentence about passing in rugby.
Answer: In rugby the ball is passed backwards
In rugby the ball is passed backwards to a teammate.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
20. Which of these statements about rugby are true?
- The ball is ovalcorrect
- You score a try by grounding the ball over the linecorrect
- The ball must be passed forward
- Players wear ice skates
The ball is oval and you score a try by grounding it over the line, but passes go backwards and players do not wear skates.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
21. A rugby ball is perfectly round like a soccer ball.
Answer: False
False, a rugby ball is oval, not round.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
22. In rugby, the ball can only be passed ____ to a teammate.
- backwardscorrect
- forwards
- upwards
- straight ahead
Rugby passes must go backwards or sideways, never forward.
- Guess the numberLevel 3
23. How many players from one team are on the field in rugby union?
Answer: 15 players
Rugby union teams field 15 players each.
- Match the pairsLevel 3
24. Match each rugby union score to the points it is worth.
Answer: Try = 5 points; Conversion = 2 points; Penalty kick = 3 points
In rugby union a try is 5 points, a conversion is 2, and a penalty kick is 3.
Touchdowns and Scoring
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
25. Which of these are ways to score points in American football?
- Touchdowncorrect
- Field goalcorrect
- Safetycorrect
- Home run
Touchdowns, field goals and safeties all score points, but a home run belongs to baseball.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
26. Kicking the ball through the uprights right after a touchdown scores an ____ point.
- extracorrect
- first
- free
- bonus
The kick after a touchdown is called the extra point, worth 1 point.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
27. Match each American football score to the points it is worth.
Answer: Touchdown = 6 points; Field goal = 3 points; Extra point kick = 1 point
A touchdown is 6 points, a field goal is 3, and the extra point kick is 1.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
28. How many points is a touchdown worth in American football?
- 6correct
- 3
- 2
- 1
A touchdown is the biggest single score in American football at 6 points.
- Build the sentenceLevel 3
29. Build a true sentence about scoring in American football.
Answer: A touchdown is scored in the end zone
A touchdown is scored in the end zone.
- Fact or fibLevel 3
30. A safety is worth two points and is scored by the defense.
Answer: True
True, tackling the ball carrier in their own end zone gives the defense a 2 point safety.
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 Football and Rugby
120 questions across 21 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Football and Rugby
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
- What Is the Difference Between Rugby Union and Rugby League?Two sports with one ancestor and a split in 1895 over paying players. Fifteen against thirteen, rucks against tackle counts.September 14, 2026 · 4 min read
- How Does a Football League Work? Points, Promotion, Relegation and the TableA football league is a round robin in which every club plays every other twice. How the points work, why goal difference matters, and what relegation does.September 14, 2026 · 5 min read
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