Why is roadrunner a good name for this bird?
Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 3: make inferences, draw conclusions, and think about why the author wrote a text and how it is built.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Roadrunners
The roadrunner is a bird that lives in Texas and other warm, dry places. It has long legs, a long tail, and feathers on its head that can stand up.
A roadrunner can fly, but only for a short time. It would rather run! It can run faster than most people.
Roadrunners eat bugs, lizards, and even small snakes. They catch their food by running after it.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why is roadrunner a good name for this bird?
- It likes to run more than fly.Correct answer
- It builds its nest on roads.
- It eats food it finds on roads.
- It is the same color as a road.
Why “It likes to run more than fly.” is correct
The passage never explains the name, so the student has to connect it to the facts: the bird would rather run, runs faster than most people, and catches food by running. Thinking about why something has its name means putting facts together, which is part of the analyze category.
Why the other answers are wrong
- It builds its nest on roads. — The passage does not say where roadrunners build nests.
- It eats food it finds on roads. — The passage says roadrunners catch bugs, lizards and snakes by running. It does not say they find food on roads.
- It is the same color as a road. — The passage does not tell the bird's 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.