When you take a USSF referee exam, take the time to break down each question.

First, anytime there is a restart waiting to happen the only things that will prevent that are the end of the game/half or the end of the world (with apologies to Harvey Finberg for stealing that line). If there’s a goal kick waiting to happen and the GK punches an opponent in the penalty area, after we send off the GK for violent conduct, we still restart with the goal kick.

Second, was there a foul? Know the three conditions of a foul: On the field of play; while the ball is in play; by a player against an opponent. On the field is easy and so is against an opponent. But one must also know when the ball is in play from a stoppage. Only two kicks require that the ball is kicked and moved forward to be in play -- kickoffs and penalty kicks. For the other kicks, the ball is in play when it is kicked. For a kick from one’s defensive penalty area, including goal area and goal kicks, the ball must leave the penalty area and enter the field of play to be in play.

Third, know the difference between direct free kicks and indirect free kicks. The simplest way is to remember "contact." All the DFK fouls involve contact: Tripping, pushing, holding, jumping into, charging, even handling the ball. The IFK fouls are the four GK violations plus dangerous play (w/o contact), impeding the progress of an opponent (w/o contact), preventing the GK from releasing the ball (no contact), and stopping the game just to issue misconduct.

Fourth, know the yellow and red card offenses. Read them. When testing, know that for fouls, careless is a run of the mill foul, reckless will be a caution (for Unsporting Behavior) and excessive force will be a send off (for serious foul play if contesting for the ball -- otherwise it will be violent conduct).

And finally, when you retest, if you do not know the meaning or the words, ask for an explanation. The tests are written at around a 10th grade vocabulary and if you’re younger than that or if English is not your native language, it’s not embarrassing to ask for clarification. It’s one thing to miss a question because you don’t know the answer, it’s another to miss it because you don’t know what the question means. Ask for help from your instructor.