What does the coach mean when she says, "You played the whole game"?
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 the story. Then answer the questions.
The Last Game
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Rosa had been the starting goalkeeper for three seasons, and the district final was supposed to be her last high school game. Then, two days before it, she twisted her ankle at practice. The trainer wrapped it and shook his head. She would not play.
The coach chose Molly, a freshman who had never played a full varsity game, to start in goal. In the locker room, Molly's hands were shaking so badly she could barely tie her cleats.
Rosa limped to the end of the bench closest to the goal. All game, she called out to Molly: where to stand on corner kicks, when to come out, when to stay back. When Molly let in an early goal, Rosa told her to forget it and watch the next ball.
Molly did not let in another. The team won two to one.
Afterward, while the players celebrated, the coach sat down next to Rosa on the bench. "You know," she said, "you played the whole game."
The question
Choose the best answer.
What does the coach mean when she says, "You played the whole game"?
- Rosa should not have sat so close to the field.
- Rosa's help from the bench was a big part of the win.Correct answer
- Rosa was put into the game for a few minutes near the end.
- Rosa will be allowed to play again next season.
Why “Rosa's help from the bench was a big part of the win.” is correct
This asks the student to interpret words that are not literally true. Rosa never left the bench, so the coach must mean something else: Rosa's coaching was so important that she was part of the game in another way. Students who take the sentence literally may think Rosa was put in.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Rosa should not have sat so close to the field. — The coach is praising Rosa, not correcting her.
- Rosa was put into the game for a few minutes near the end. — Rosa never entered the game; the coach's words are not meant literally.
- Rosa will be allowed to play again next season. — This was her last high school game, and the comment is about the game just played.
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.