How does an armadillo find its food?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Armadillos
An armadillo is a small animal that lives in Texas. Its back is covered with hard plates, like a suit of armor. The armor helps keep it safe.
An armadillo has short legs and strong claws. It uses its claws to dig in the dirt. It digs to find bugs and worms to eat.
An armadillo cannot see very well, but it has a very good nose. It sniffs the ground to find its food. Armadillos often look for food at night.
The question
Choose the best answer.
How does an armadillo find its food?
- It looks up in the trees.
- It waits by the water.
- It smells the ground.Correct answer
- It listens for birds.
Why “It smells the ground.” is correct
The last paragraph says the armadillo cannot see well but has a very good nose, and it sniffs the ground to find food. The correct choice uses "smells" instead of "sniffs," so the student has to understand the meaning rather than match the exact word.
Why the other answers are wrong
- It looks up in the trees. — The armadillo digs in the dirt. Trees are not mentioned.
- It waits by the water. — Water is not mentioned in the passage.
- It listens for birds. — The passage is about its nose, not its ears, and it eats bugs and worms, not birds.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grade 2, or see the TELPAS practice test for 2nd 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.