Why do people see lightning before they hear 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
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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.
Why do people see lightning before they hear thunder?
- Thunder begins after the lightning ends.
- Thunder is quieter than lightning is bright.
- People's eyes work faster than their ears.
- Light travels much faster than sound.Correct answer
Why “Light travels much faster than sound.” is correct
This is a detail question. The teacher says light and sound start at the same moment, but light arrives almost instantly while sound takes about five seconds to travel a mile. The wrong answers offer other reasons that sound sensible but are not what the teacher says.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Thunder begins after the lightning ends. — The teacher says light and sound start at the same moment.
- Thunder is quieter than lightning is bright. — How loud a sound is does not change when it arrives.
- People's eyes work faster than their ears. — The teacher explains the delay with the speed of light and sound, not eyes and ears.
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.