TExES Physical Education EC-12 Practice Exam

Which statement about tournament play is correct?

1. In round robin play, the top seeded team will never meet the 12th seeded team

2. In a ladder tournament, a player may challenge any player above him/her in the ladder

3. In a double elimination tournament, all byes must occur in the first round of play

4. In a single elimination tournament, all byes must occur in the first round of play

The correct answer is: In a single elimination tournament, all byes must occur in the first round of play

In tournament play, a single elimination format allows teams or players to compete in rounds where the loser of each match is eliminated from the tournament. The statement asserting that all byes occur in the first round is correct because by design, in a single elimination structure, a first-round bye allows certain participants to advance automatically to the next round without competing, typically due to an uneven number of entries. This principle maintains a bracket format that ensures all subsequent rounds continue without interruptions caused by byes. In essence, once the tournament proceeds beyond the first round, the remaining teams or players face off without the possibility of receiving a bye, as each team must either win or lose in each match to continue. Therefore, byes being exclusive to the first round helps keep the competition orderly and structured, making the progression to the final rounds clear and straightforward.