Read this sentence from the story. There was Mango, curled up and purring. What does curled up 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.
Where Is Mango?
Mango is the family's orange cat. One morning, Mia could not find him anywhere.
She looked under the bed. She looked behind the couch. She even looked in the kitchen by his food bowl. No Mango!
Then Mia heard a soft sound from the laundry basket. She lifted a warm towel. There was Mango, curled up and purring.
"You found the warmest spot in the house!" Mia said with a laugh.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from the story. There was Mango, curled up and purring. What does curled up mean?
- Lying in a round ballCorrect answer
- Standing up tall and stretching
- Running around
- Jumping up high
Why “Lying in a round ball” is correct
When a cat curls up, it bends its body into a round shape, often to sleep. Mango is hidden under a towel in a basket and purring, which are clues that he is lying still and cozy. Phrases with up, like curl up, stand up and wake up, are hard for English learners because the word up does not always mean a direction.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Standing up tall and stretching — A cat under a towel in a basket is not standing tall.
- Running around — Mango is still and quiet in the basket, not running.
- Jumping up high — This takes the word "up" to mean going higher. Mango is lying in the basket.
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.