Why did Mango most likely sleep in the laundry basket?
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 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.
Why did Mango most likely sleep in the laundry basket?
- He was hiding from Mia.
- His food was in the basket.
- The towels were warm.Correct answer
- He wanted a bath.
Why “The towels were warm.” is correct
The story gives two clues: Mia lifts a "warm towel," and she says Mango found "the warmest spot in the house." The student has to put these clues together to see why he chose that spot. Finding a reason from clues is an inference.
Why the other answers are wrong
- He was hiding from Mia. — Mango was sleeping and purring, not hiding from Mia on purpose.
- His food was in the basket. — His food bowl is in the kitchen, not in the basket.
- He wanted a bath. — Nothing in the story is about a bath.
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.