What should students do if a piece of glass breaks?
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 the teacher. Then answer the questions.
Before the Lab
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Show transcript
Ms. Carter: Before we start today's lab, a few safety reminders. Goggles go on now, and they stay on until every group has finished and put away its chemicals, not just your group.
Ms. Carter: If you have long hair, tie it back. You'll be using a burner, and loose hair and open flames don't mix.
Ms. Carter: If any glass breaks, do not pick it up, not even the big pieces. Step away and tell me. I'll clean it up with the broom and the special container for broken glass.
Ms. Carter: And as always, no food or drinks on the lab tables. Put your water bottles in your backpacks.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What should students do if a piece of glass breaks?
- Move away from it and tell the teacherCorrect answer
- Pick up only the biggest pieces of glass
- Sweep it into the broken-glass container
- Put it in a backpack until class is over
Why “Move away from it and tell the teacher” is correct
This is a detail question. The teacher gives a negative direction, "do not pick it up, not even the big pieces," and then a positive one, "Step away and tell me." "Step away" means move away. One wrong answer describes what the teacher, not the student, will do.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Pick up only the biggest pieces of glass — She says not to pick it up, "not even the big pieces."
- Sweep it into the broken-glass container — The teacher says she will clean it up herself.
- Put it in a backpack until class is over — Backpacks are for water bottles; the glass should not be touched.
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.