TELPAS Practice

TELPAS listening practice questions for 8th and 9th grade

Short spoken directions, conversations, announcements and lessons, each followed by questions. A written transcript is available under each passage.

These 23 questions are grouped by task type, one group at a time. Answer a question to see whether it was right and why. Nothing is timed and nothing is recorded.

Set 1 of 3. 0 of 23 questions answered.

Understand Spoken Words and Language Structures

Reporting category 1: follow spoken directions and understand words and phrases as they are used in speech. On the real test some of these ask the student to click on a picture.

Listen to the teacher.

Measuring Water

Listen to Measuring Water0:12

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Show transcript

Ms. Okafor: Before we start, grab a graduated cylinder from the cart, not a beaker. We need to measure exactly fifty milliliters of water, so check the line at eye level.

Question 1 of 5

Choose the best answer.

Which piece of equipment does Ms. Okafor want the students to get?

Listen to the coach.

Practice Drill

Listen to Practice Drill0:16

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Coach Bell: Line up on the baseline, facing the other basket. When I blow the whistle, sprint to the free-throw line, touch it with your hand, and then backpedal to the baseline. Keep your eyes on me the whole time.

Question 2 of 5

Choose the best answer.

What will the players do after they touch the free-throw line?

Listen to the conversation.

Study Group

Listen to Study Group0:13

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Jasmine: Are you still coming to the study group at the library tonight?

Tomás: I wish I could, but I'm swamped. I have a chemistry lab report and two chapters of reading due tomorrow.

Question 3 of 5

Choose the best answer.

What does Tomás mean when he says he is "swamped"?

Listen to the announcement.

Seeing the Counselor

Listen to Seeing the Counselor0:11

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Ms. Castillo: If you want to visit the counselor during lunch this week, stop by the front office for a pass first, unless your teacher has already given you one.

Question 4 of 5

Choose the best answer.

Which student needs to go to the front office before seeing the counselor?

Listen to the lesson.

Why We Have Leap Years

Listen to Why We Have Leap Years0:45

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Show transcript

Mr. Mensah: Here's a question for you. Why does February sometimes have twenty-nine days? It comes down to how long it takes Earth to travel around the Sun.

Mr. Mensah: We say a year is three hundred sixty-five days, but the real number is closer to three hundred sixty-five and a quarter. That extra quarter of a day doesn't sound like much, but it adds up. After four years, it's almost a whole day.

Mr. Mensah: If we ignored it, the calendar would slowly drift away from the seasons. Over hundreds of years, the months would move out of their usual seasons. So about every four years, we add one day, February twenty-ninth, to keep the calendar in line with Earth. That's a leap year.

Question 5 of 5

Choose the best answer.

Mr. Mensah says the extra quarter of a day "adds up." What does he mean?

5 questions in this set are still unanswered. You can move on without answering them.

Ready for the whole thing? Take the listening practice test for Grades 8–9.

Every answer, explained

Each question has its own page with the correct answer and why each other choice is wrong.

Understand Spoken Words and Language Structures

  1. Which piece of equipment does Ms. Okafor want the students to get?
  2. What will the players do after they touch the free-throw line?
  3. What does Tomás mean when he says he is "swamped"?
  4. Which student needs to go to the front office before seeing the counselor?
  5. Mr. Mensah says the extra quarter of a day "adds up." What does he mean?

Basic Understanding of Spoken English

  1. What problem are Nadia and Emeka trying to solve?
  2. What do the students decide to do instead of drying the soil between tests?
  3. What does Imani say about joining the Debate Club?
  4. What does a Texas horned lizard usually do first when a predator comes near?
  5. What is the lesson mainly about?
  6. Why did Thu end up on the wrong bus?
  7. How did the woman at the bus stop help Thu?
  8. Why can't Malik do the lab yet?
  9. What should students do as soon as they see the color change?
  10. What reason does Sebastián give for lowering the voting age?
  11. Why is a day added to the calendar about every four years?

Analyze and Evaluate Information in Spoken English

  1. Why does Emeka say the new plan is also "more fair"?
  2. Why does Imani mention arguing about doing the dishes?
  3. Why does Mr. Ochoa explain what the horned lizard eats?
  4. What does the end of the story show about Thu?
  5. What will most likely happen if Malik does not pass the quiz at lunch?
  6. Why does Ms. Benavides most likely want to check the tables before anyone rinses a cup?
  7. How does Priya's opinion change by the end of the discussion?

Read next

  • TELPAS Listening and Speaking Test: What to Expect and How to Practice: The TELPAS listening and speaking test is one of the two online TELPAS tests for grades 2–12. Students watch and listen to short videos and answer questions, and record spoken answers, with the two kinds of item mixed through the test. Here is how the test is built, how it is scored, and how to practice for it.
  • How to Prepare for TELPAS: Practice and Tips by Domain: TELPAS measures English that a student builds over months and years, so there is no shortcut to a higher rating. What preparation can do is make sure the test itself is familiar, so a student's real English shows. Here is what is worth doing, domain by domain.
  • TELPAS Scores Explained: Levels, Scale Scores and What They Mean: A TELPAS report gives each of the four domains a level from Beginning to Advanced High, and combines them into a composite rating. From grade 2 there are scale scores as well. Here is what TELPAS scores mean, how the pieces fit together and how to read them.

This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.