Knowledge Base Home | Glossary | Contact Us

How do I improve my general knowledge? Many people ask this question. So, I've decided to put some general knowledge questions in the form of a quiz along with their answers so that you can learn and improve your general knowledge. If you have any tips or suggestions to improve general knowledge and would like to share them with our readers then you are most welcome to put them in your comments. If this quiz is helpful to you then make sure to send it to as many friends as you can so that they too can benefit from it.

Whether basketball is played informally on playgrounds or in organized fashion in leagues, it is played with essentially the same set of rules, which have stayed generally consistent since the game's invention in 1891.

The game involves two five-player teams that play both offense and defense. At the completion of each game, the team that has scored the most points wins. Recreational and high school games last 32 minutes (four quarters of 8 minutes each), college and international games last 40 minutes (two halves of 20 minutes each), women’s professional games last 40 minutes (either two 20-minute halves or four 10-minute quarters, depending on the league), and men’s professional games last 48 minutes (four quarters of 12 minutes each). When a game is tied after regulation time has ended, the teams play overtime periods until one team ends an overtime period with more points and is therefore the winner.

Every game begins with a jump ball at the center of the court. With one player from each team lined up in the midcourt circle, a referee tosses the ball high into the air, and the two players attempt to direct the ball to one of their own teammates. The team that gains possession plays offense, and the opposition plays defense, protecting its own basket until it regains possession of the ball. The offensive team has a set time, usually 35 seconds or less (depending on the level of competition), to score by putting the ball through the opposition's basket. (Scoring a basket is also known as scoring a field goal or a hoop.) The time to shoot is measured by a shot clock positioned in the arena for easy viewing from the court. An offensive player cannot run or walk with the ball without dribbling (bouncing the ball against the ground). The ball may also be advanced by passing it to a teammate. Once a player stops dribbling, the ball must be shot, passed to a teammate, or touched by another player before the first player can regain the ball and dribble again.

A team’s offense can be sophisticated, involving specific diagrammed plays that are intended to make offensive play more efficient and defensive play more difficult. There are two ways an offensive team can score points. The first way to score is to make a basket, which is worth 2 or 3 points, depending on the distance of the shot. The second way to score is a foul shot, also called a free throw. These are awarded to a player when the opposition commits a personal foul (illegal contact such as pushing, holding, charging, or tripping) or a technical foul (violation of the rules without physical contact, such as unsportsmanlike conduct). When a foul occurs during a shot, the referee blows a whistle and the player that was fouled is awarded one, two, or three shots, depending on whether the shot scored despite the foul and according to where the infraction occurred. Each foul shot is taken from the free-throw line, 15 ft (4.6 m) from the basket, without opposition, and is worth one point.

Possession of the ball alternates when the offense scores or when the defense is successful in preventing a basket and regains the ball in the process. Specific defensive game plans are often created to make scoring more difficult. A good defense will often force the offense to miss a shot or to lose possession of the ball—for example, by committing an offensive foul or by failing to shoot the ball in the allotted time. Defenses can also gain possession of the ball by intercepting a pass or by stealing the ball from the dribbler. When an offensive team misses a shot, the ball is free, and both teams have an equal opportunity to retrieve the ball. This is called making a rebound. Play continues as the teams score and possession changes. A time-out, when the game is stopped for a certain amount of time, allows coaches to instruct players or to develop a new game strategy.

Playing offense is perhaps the most prominent part of playing basketball, as it allows players to demonstrate and improve upon individual skills necessary to being successful. Many of basketball's best players have exceptional talents on offense. Basic offensive skills are passing, ball handling, shooting, and rebounding.

Passing the basketball is the fastest and often the most efficient way of advancing the ball up the court. A team that passes well will be able to take uncontested shots, to score easy baskets by moving the ball up the court quickly, and to prohibit the defense from initiating its own game plan. There are five types of passes: chest, in which the ball is thrown from chest height; bounce, in which the ball is bounced on the ground on its way to the teammate; overhead, in which the ball is thrown with both hands extended over the head; baseball-style, in which the ball is thrown like a baseball; and behind-the-back, in which the player throws the ball at waist height with one hand whipping the ball around the back. All of these passing styles are used during the course of a game.

Many of basketball's best players are also adept at ball handling. To be a good ball handler, a player must watch the action on the court, keeping the eyes straight ahead and not focused down on the floor. The player must also keep the ball low, protecting it from defenders and bouncing it no higher than the waist. Good ball handlers can use either hand to dribble effectively and can change directions quickly. There are five types of dribbling styles: speed, in which the ball is dribbled while the player is moving; crossover, in which the ball is bounced and crossed from one hand to the other in front of the body; behind-the-back, in which the ball is bounced and crossed behind the back; between-the-legs, in which the ball is bounced and crossed between the legs; and spin, in which the ball is bounced and crossed while the player spins away from the defender.

From the elementary school level to the professional leagues, shooting is the most important part of basketball. There are many types of shooting forms, the basic being the layup, the jump shot, the foul shot, and the hook shot. The layup is the easiest shot in basketball, taken right under the basket using either hand. Over the years, the dunk shot, a different style of layup in which the ball is slammed forcibly through the basket, has become one of basketball's most exciting shots. The jump shot is taken when the shooter leaps in the air and at the top of the jump releases the ball toward the basket. The foul shot is an uncontested shot taken from the free-throw line following a foul. A hook shot is taken when the shooter turns sideways to the basket, places his or her body between the ball and the defender, and releases the ball over his or her head in a high arc toward the basket.

When a shooter misses a shot, the team that retrieves the ball has recovered a rebound. When a member of the offensive team recovers the rebound, the offensive team regains possession and the shot clock starts over. When the defensive team recovers the rebound, it then plays offense. Strength, natural instinct, and good positioning and timing are important to good rebounding.

Playing good offense requires strategic decisions. One style of offense is to use set patterns to get uncontested shots. The most important technique of a so-called slow-down offense is setting screens. This occurs when offensive players position themselves in a way that impedes the defenders' movement. The screen is often accompanied by the give-and-go, in which one player passes to a teammate and then moves across the court, usually toward the basket in a position to receive a return pass immediately. In comparison to the slow-down offense, a fast-break offense involves quick shots as the ball is either dribbled or passed up the court rapidly.

Defense is just as important to winning basketball games as offense. The goal of defense is simple: to stop the opposition from scoring. The more times a team stops an opponent from scoring, the more likely it is that a victory will be secured. The basic defensive technique involves guarding the opponent while keeping both feet at least shoulder-width apart, with one foot slightly ahead of the other and the knees bent. When defending, a player's weight should be placed on the balls of the feet to ensure quick movement in any direction.

General defensive positioning involves skilled movement. A defensive player should take short, quick shuffle steps when moving side-to-side. Crossing one foot over another is improper defensive technique. Defenders want to force opponents away from the basket and limit the ability to dribble the ball toward the basket. Good defenders use quickness to steal or intercept the ball and are cautious not to foul. One part of playing strong defense is blocking the opposition's attempted shot, because good shot-blocking teams make opponents hesitate about shooting. When defending an opponent who doesn't have the ball, the general rule is to stay between that player and the basket being defended. Good defenders also play team defense, working together and verbally communicating among themselves to ensure that the offense doesn't obtain an easy shot.

There are two types of basic defensive team play, man-to-man defense and zone defense. In man-to-man defense, each player guards a specific opponent, usually one that plays the same position, so that a guard defends a guard, a forward defends a forward, and so on. In a zone defense, each player guards a specific area of the court. The most widely used zone defense is called a 2-1-2 zone, in which the two guards cover the forefront of the defense, the center guards the middle portion of the court, and the two forwards defend the area nearest the basket. A good 2-1-2 zone defense makes it difficult to pass the ball from near the basket back outside, hampers teams from initiating a smooth offense, and is effective in slowing down a fast-break style of offense. Zone defense used to be illegal in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but the league changed its rules in 2001 to allow it.