A student sees lightning and hears thunder fifteen seconds later. Based on the lesson, what should the student conclude?
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 a science class. Then answer the questions.
A Science Lesson
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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.
A student sees lightning and hears thunder fifteen seconds later. Based on the lesson, what should the student conclude?
- The strike was about three miles away, so it is time to go inside.Correct answer
- The strike was about fifteen miles away, so there is no danger yet.
- The strike was about three miles away, so it is fine to wait for the rain.
- The strike was about five miles away, so the student should count again.
Why “The strike was about three miles away, so it is time to go inside.” is correct
This asks the student to apply two parts of the lesson to a new situation: the rule for finding distance (divide the seconds by five) and the safety rule (if you can hear thunder, go inside). One wrong answer gets the math right but ignores the safety rule, so the student must use both.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The strike was about fifteen miles away, so there is no danger yet. — The seconds must be divided by five, and hearing thunder at all means it is not safe.
- The strike was about three miles away, so it is fine to wait for the rain. — The distance is right, but the teacher says not to wait for the rain.
- The strike was about five miles away, so the student should count again. — Five is the number to divide by, not the distance; fifteen divided by five is three.
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.