Paralympics are?

• A. A series for athletes with intellectual disabilities
• B. An annual event for youth athletes
• C. International sports competitions for athletes with physical disabilities, held after the Olympics
• D. A showcase for college athletes

Answer: (C)

The Paralympics are international multi-sport competitions for athletes with disabilities that run in tandem with the Olympic Games, typically held after the Olympics in the same host city. This framing emphasizes two key ideas: global participation across nations and the disability-focused competition, with the event positioned in the Olympic cycle as the parallel major event.

This is why it’s the best description: it captures the international scope, the inclusion of athletes with disabilities, and the timing relative to the Olympics. The other choices miss or misstate those elements—one is about intellectual disabilities (that’s more aligned with Special Olympics, not the Paralympics), another describes an annual youth event (the Paralympics occur every four years for both summer and winter seasons), and another suggests a college showcase (not how the Paralympics are organized).