Sports · Unit 12

Swimming and Water Sports

Strokes, diving, water polo and surfing

Water removes the impact of running and replaces it with resistance, which makes swimming unusually technique-dependent - efficiency matters more than power.

The unit covers the four competitive strokes, diving, water polo, rowing, kayaking and sailing, and surfing.

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

Swimming Strokes
Diving
Water Polo
Rowing, Kayaking and Sailing
Surfing and Water Sports

Where this fits

Follows The Olympics.

Where people slip

Reducing drag matters more than adding power in swimming. Water is roughly eight hundred times denser than air, so technique dominates in a way it does not on land.

How the unit is structured

Swimming and Water Sports 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.

Step 1 · easierStep 21 · harder

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.

Diving

Build the sentenceLevel 2
1. Build a true sentence about where divers compete.
Answer: Divers can compete from the springboard or the platform
Divers can compete from the springboard or the platform.
Fact or fibLevel 2
2. Divers try to make the biggest splash they can when they enter the water.
Answer: False
False, divers aim for a tiny, clean splash, which scores far better.
Fill the blankLevel 2
3. In synchronized diving, ____ divers dive at exactly the same time.
- twocorrect
- three
- four
- five
Synchronized diving is done by two divers who try to match each other perfectly.
Guess the numberLevel 2
4. How many meters above the water is the taller Olympic springboard set?
Answer: 3 meters
The higher springboard is set at 3 meters above the water.
Match the pairsLevel 2
5. Match each diving word to what it means.
Answer: Springboard = Three meter board; Platform = Ten meter tower; Synchro = Two divers together
Springboards are set at 3 meters, platforms at 10 meters, and synchro dives use two divers.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
6. Which of these are real Olympic diving events?
- 3 meter springboardcorrect
- 10 meter platformcorrect
- Synchronized divingcorrect
- 20 meter platform
Olympic diving includes the 3 meter springboard, 10 meter platform and synchronized diving.

Rowing, Kayaking and Sailing

Build the sentenceLevel 2
7. Build a true sentence about the way rowers sit.
Answer: Rowers face backwards as they pull the oars
Rowers face backwards as they pull the oars through the water.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
8. Which of these sports use a paddle or oars?
- Rowingcorrect
- Kayakingcorrect
- Canoeingcorrect
- Sailing
Rowing, kayaking and canoeing all use oars or paddles, while sailing uses the wind.
Fact or fibLevel 2
9. In sailing, the wind pushes the boat along.
Answer: True
True, sailboats have no engine and use the wind in their sails to move.
Fill the blankLevel 2
10. A ____ sits down and uses a double-bladed paddle.
- kayakercorrect
- rower
- sailor
- diver
A kayaker sits low in the boat and paddles with a blade on each end.
Match the pairsLevel 2
11. Match each rowing term to its meaning.
Answer: Sculling = Two oars per rower; Sweep = One oar per rower; Coxswain = Steers and calls timing
Sculling uses two oars each, sweep uses one each, and the coxswain steers and calls the timing.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
12. Which way do rowers face while they row?
- Backward, toward the back of the boat
- Forward, toward where they are going
- Sideways
- They lie down flat
Rowers face the back of the boat and move it in the opposite direction to where they look.

Surfing and Water Sports

Build the sentenceLevel 2
13. Build a true sentence about how a surfer rides.
Answer: A surfer stands up on the board to ride a wave
A surfer pops up to stand on the board to ride a wave.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Select the sports that are done on the water.
- Surfingcorrect
- Wakeboardingcorrect
- Windsurfingcorrect
- Ice hockey
Surfing, wakeboarding and windsurfing all happen on water, while ice hockey is on ice.
Fact or fibLevel 2
15. Windsurfing uses a board with a sail attached to it.
Answer: True
True, a windsurfer rides a board that has a sail the rider holds to catch the wind.
Fill the blankLevel 2
16. A surfer waits for a ____ and then paddles hard to catch it.
- wavecorrect
- tide
- boat
- fish
Surfers catch a rolling wave and ride it toward the shore.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
17. What is the cord that keeps a surfboard attached to the surfer called?
- Leashcorrect
- Rope
- Belt
- Chain
A leash ties the board to the surfer's ankle so it does not float away after a wipeout.
Match the pairsLevel 3
18. Match each famous wave to its location.
Answer: Pipeline = Hawaii; Nazare = Portugal; Teahupo'o = Tahiti
Pipeline breaks in Hawaii, Nazare in Portugal, and Teahupo'o in Tahiti.

Swimming Strokes

Choose all that applyLevel 2
19. Select the competitive swimming strokes.
- Freestylecorrect
- Backstrokecorrect
- Butterflycorrect
- Slalom
Freestyle, backstroke and butterfly are all racing strokes, while slalom is not.
Fill the blankLevel 2
20. The ____ is the only stroke that starts in the water instead of from the blocks.
- backstrokecorrect
- freestyle
- butterfly
- breaststroke
Backstroke swimmers begin in the water, holding the wall before they push off.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
21. Which swimming stroke is the fastest?
- Freestylecorrect
- Breaststroke
- Backstroke
- Butterfly
Freestyle, also called front crawl, is the fastest of the four competitive strokes.
Odd one outLevel 2
22. Which of these is NOT a competitive swimming stroke?
- Slalomcorrect
- Freestyle
- Backstroke
- Butterfly
Slalom is a paddling and skiing event, not a swimming stroke.
Put in orderLevel 2
23. Put the strokes in the order they are swum in an individual medley.
Answer: Butterfly -> Backstroke -> Breaststroke -> Freestyle
The individual medley order is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
24. Sort each stroke by how the arms move.
Answer: Butterfly = Arms move together; Breaststroke = Arms move together; Freestyle = Arms alternate; Backstroke = Arms alternate
Butterfly and breaststroke move both arms together, while freestyle and backstroke alternate.

Water Polo

Build the sentenceLevel 2
25. Build a true sentence about how many players are in a water polo team.
Answer: A water polo team has seven players in the water
A water polo team has seven players in the water at once.
Fill the blankLevel 2
26. A water polo match is divided into four ____.
- quarterscorrect
- innings
- sets
- rounds
A water polo game is played over four quarters.
Match the pairsLevel 2
27. Match each water polo detail to its answer.
Answer: Goalkeeper cap = Red; Team caps = White and blue; Match length = Four quarters
The goalkeeper wears red, teams wear white and blue caps, and the game has four quarters.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
28. Select the statements that are true about water polo.
- Players cannot touch the pool bottomcorrect
- Each team has a goalkeepercorrect
- The ball is yellowcorrect
- Field players may catch with both hands
Players cannot touch the bottom, each team has a goalkeeper, and the ball is yellow.
Fact or fibLevel 3
29. In water polo, only the goalkeeper may touch the ball with two hands.
Answer: True
True, field players must handle the ball with one hand, but the goalkeeper can use both.
Guess the numberLevel 3
30. Not counting the goalkeeper, how many field players does each water polo team have in the water?
Answer: 6 players
Each team has six field players plus one goalkeeper in the water.

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 Swimming and Water Sports

120 questions across 21 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

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