Read this sentence from the passage. When a caterpillar hatches, it eats the milkweed leaves. What does hatches mean?
Understand Words and Language Structures · TELPAS Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 1: work out what words and phrases mean from context, and understand how sentences and word forms work.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Monarch Butterflies
Monarch butterflies are orange and black. Every year, many monarchs fly through Texas.
Monarchs lay tiny eggs on a plant called milkweed. When a caterpillar hatches, it eats the milkweed leaves. Milkweed is the only plant monarch caterpillars eat. Without it, they cannot grow.
That is why some schools in Texas plant milkweed in their gardens. They want to help the monarchs.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from the passage. When a caterpillar hatches, it eats the milkweed leaves. What does hatches mean?
- Flies away
- Goes to sleep
- Comes out of an eggCorrect answer
- Turns orange
Why “Comes out of an egg” is correct
The sentence before talks about tiny eggs, and then a caterpillar hatches. Those two clues together show that hatches means coming out of an egg. This word also appears in science lessons about chickens, frogs and turtles.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Flies away — A caterpillar cannot fly. Only the butterfly can.
- Goes to sleep — The caterpillar starts eating, so it is not going to sleep.
- Turns orange — The passage says the butterflies are orange and black, but hatching is not about color.
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.