Why does Elena think a local topic is a better choice?
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 conversation. Then answer the questions.
Choosing a Topic
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Diego: For the history fair, I think we should do World War Two. There's so much information about it online.
Elena: That's kind of the problem, though. Everybody does World War Two, and the judges have seen it a hundred times. What if we did something local, like the history of the old Mill Street School? It's the oldest school building in town, and it closed before we were born.
Diego: But where would we even find information about that?
Elena: That's the best part. My grandmother went there, and so did a lot of the people at the senior center. We could interview them. Our teacher said the judges love projects that use primary sources, and you can't get more primary than people who were actually there.
Diego: Okay, that's a good point. I'll call the senior center tomorrow and ask if we can visit. Can you talk to your grandmother this weekend?
Elena: Definitely. She's going to be so excited.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does Elena think a local topic is a better choice?
- There is a lot more information about it online than about the war.
- It would take less time to finish than a big topic like the war.
- It would stand out, and they could interview people who were there.Correct answer
- Their teacher told every student in the class to choose a local topic.
Why “It would stand out, and they could interview people who were there.” is correct
This asks the student to identify a speaker's reasons. Elena gives two: judges have seen World War Two "a hundred times," and people at the senior center could be interviewed as primary sources. The student has to combine both reasons and not confuse them with Diego's.
Why the other answers are wrong
- There is a lot more information about it online than about the war. — Lots of online information is Diego's reason for choosing World War Two.
- It would take less time to finish than a big topic like the war. — She never talks about how long the project will take.
- Their teacher told every student in the class to choose a local topic. — The teacher said judges like primary sources, not that topics must be local.
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.