Why did the oil at Spindletop collect in one place?
Analyze and Evaluate Information in Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 10–12 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 3: make inferences from what was said, and work out a speaker's purpose, opinion, or what will happen next.
Listen to part of a lesson in an earth science class. Then answer the questions.
An Earth Science Lesson
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Mr. Collins: Most of the oil found in Texas formed from the remains of tiny living things, mostly plankton and algae, that lived in ancient seas millions of years ago. When they died, they sank and were buried under layers of mud and sand.
Mr. Collins: Over millions of years, those layers piled higher and higher. The heat and pressure deep underground slowly changed the remains into oil and natural gas. Because oil is lighter than water, it moved upward through the rock until it was trapped under a layer that it could not pass through.
Mr. Collins: That's where drillers find it. In 1901, a well at Spindletop, near Beaumont, struck one of these traps, and oil shot high into the air. That discovery helped turn Texas into a major oil producer.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why did the oil at Spindletop collect in one place?
- The plankton at Spindletop lived longer than in other places.
- It sank below the water and settled at the bottom of the rock.
- Drillers in 1901 pumped it there from other parts of Texas.
- It rose until a rock layer stopped it from moving higher.Correct answer
Why “It rose until a rock layer stopped it from moving higher.” is correct
This asks the student to apply a general explanation to a specific example. The teacher explains that oil moves upward until it is trapped, then says the well at Spindletop 'struck one of these traps'. Connecting the two parts of the lesson is the analysis step.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The plankton at Spindletop lived longer than in other places. — The teacher says nothing about how long the organisms lived.
- It sank below the water and settled at the bottom of the rock. — The teacher says oil is lighter than water, so it moves up, not down.
- Drillers in 1901 pumped it there from other parts of Texas. — The oil was already trapped when the well struck it.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 10–12, or see the TELPAS practice test for 10th–12th grade.
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.