According to the teacher, what causes thunder?
Basic Understanding of Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 10–12 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: understand the main points and important details of spoken stories and informational passages, about everyday life and school subjects.
Listen to part of a lesson in a science class. Then answer the questions.
A Science Lesson
Press play to listen. You can pause, rewind, and replay as often as you like.
Show transcript
Mr. Morales: Let's talk about thunder. A bolt of lightning heats the air around it to a temperature several times hotter than the surface of the sun, in a tiny fraction of a second. That air expands so fast that it pushes on the air around it and sends out a huge wave of sound. That sound is thunder.
Mr. Morales: Light and sound start at the same moment, but they don't arrive at the same moment. Light reaches your eyes almost instantly. Sound is much slower. It takes about five seconds to travel one mile. That's why you see the flash first and hear the rumble later.
Mr. Morales: You can use that delay. When you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear thunder, then divide by five. That tells you about how many miles away the strike was.
Mr. Morales: But here's the rule I really want you to remember. If you can hear thunder at all, you are close enough to be struck by lightning, so go inside right away. Don't wait for the rain to start.
The question
Choose the best answer.
According to the teacher, what causes thunder?
- Air heated by lightning expands fast and makes a sound wave.Correct answer
- Two storm clouds crash into each other high up in the sky.
- Heavy rain hits the ground very hard during a big storm.
- The light from the flash slowly turns into sound as it travels.
Why “Air heated by lightning expands fast and makes a sound wave.” is correct
This is a detail question about a scientific cause. The teacher explains the steps in order: lightning heats the air, the air expands fast, it pushes on the air around it, and that wave of sound is thunder. One wrong answer is a common belief that the lesson does not support.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Two storm clouds crash into each other high up in the sky. — This is a common belief, but the teacher says thunder comes from heated air expanding.
- Heavy rain hits the ground very hard during a big storm. — Rain is not given as a cause of thunder.
- The light from the flash slowly turns into sound as it travels. — Light and sound travel separately; light does not turn into sound.
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.