Read this sentence from the story. Then a big wave rushed up the sand. What does rushed 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 story. Then answer the questions.
Lucas and the Sandcastle
Lucas and his mom spent the day at the beach in Galveston. Lucas built a tall sandcastle near the water. He put shells on the top.
Then a big wave rushed up the sand. Whoosh! When the water went back, the castle was gone.
Lucas frowned. Then he had an idea. He carried his bucket far away from the water and started again.
This time, the waves could not reach his new castle.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from the story. Then a big wave rushed up the sand. What does rushed mean?
- Moved slowly
- Stayed still
- Moved very fastCorrect answer
- Made a loud noise
Why “Moved very fast” is correct
A big wave that knocks a castle down in a moment is moving fast, and "Whoosh!" adds to the feeling of speed. Using the events around a word to work out its meaning is a key reading skill.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Moved slowly — A slow wave would not wash a castle away all at once. Rushed means the opposite of slowly.
- Stayed still — The wave moves up the sand, so it is not staying still.
- Made a loud noise — "Whoosh!" is the sound, but rushed tells how the wave moved, not the noise it made.
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.