In which sport is the term bully traditionally used as a method of restarting play or contesting possession?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Hockey

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Many sports use specialised terms to describe ways of restarting play or contesting possession of the ball. Knowing these terms helps in understanding commentary and exam questions about rules. The term “bully” has been traditionally used in one particular stick and ball sport to restart play when the ball is stuck or a dispute arises. This question asks you to identify that sport from among cricket, hockey, badminton, and tennis.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The term to be identified is “bully”.
  • We must link it to a sport among cricket, hockey, badminton, and tennis.
  • The context is restarting play or contesting possession.
  • We ignore any informal or slang usage; focus on official or traditional sports terminology.


Concept / Approach:
In field hockey, a “bully” (often called a “bully off”) is a traditional way to restart play, where two players face each other, tap their sticks on the ground and against each other, and then fight for the ball. While modern rules have replaced the bully in many situations with other types of restarts, the term remains strongly associated with hockey. Cricket, badminton, and tennis do not use the word “bully” in their official rules to describe any standard restart or contest for the ball or shuttle.


Step-by-Step Solution:

1. Recall that in traditional hockey, a bully off is used to get play restarted. 2. Two opposing players meet at the ball, tap their sticks, and then attempt to gain possession when the ball is put into play. 3. Cricket uses terms like over, boundary, wicket, and toss, but not bully. 4. Badminton and tennis focus on serves, rallies, and lets, without any rule named bully. 5. Therefore, the sport where bully is a technical term is hockey.


Verification / Alternative check:
If you read hockey rule books or watch older instructional videos, you will see the term bully used explicitly. Some modern competitions now use a “centre pass” or other restarts more commonly, but the historical association remains. Cricket, tennis, and badminton literature do not include bully as a rule term, which confirms our conclusion.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Cricket: Has many unique terms such as yorker, googly, and silly mid on, but does not use bully. Badminton: Uses serve, smash, drop, and rally, not bully, to describe play. Tennis: Uses terms such as ace, deuce, and tiebreak, but not bully.


Common Pitfalls:
Sometimes students confuse bully with similar sounding terms from other sports or think it is an informal phrase for aggressive play. However, in the exam context it refers to a specific restart method in hockey. Remember that many older rule terms survive in exam questions even if they are used less often in modern professional play.


Final Answer:
The term bully is traditionally associated with Hockey.

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