Why does the teacher start the lesson by saying, “Plants cannot walk”?
Analyze and Evaluate Information in Spoken English · TELPAS Grade 3 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 3: make inferences from what was said, and work out a speaker's purpose, opinion, or what will happen next.
Listen to the teacher talk about science. Then answer the questions.
How Seeds Travel
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Mr. Turner: Plants cannot walk, but their seeds can still travel. Here are three ways that seeds move.
Mr. Turner: Some seeds are very light. A dandelion seed has soft, fluffy hairs, so the wind can carry it far away.
Mr. Turner: Some seeds have tiny hooks. When a dog runs through the grass, these seeds stick to its fur. Later, they fall off in a new spot.
Mr. Turner: Other seeds are inside fruit, like berries. A bird eats the berries and flies away. Later, the seeds come out of the bird in a new place.
Mr. Turner: If every seed fell under its plant, the new plants would be crowded. A new place gives them more room to grow.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the teacher start the lesson by saying, “Plants cannot walk”?
- To explain why plants grow so slowly
- To tell students not to step on the plants
- To show that seeds must move in other waysCorrect answer
- To teach that animals like dogs and birds can walk
Why “To show that seeds must move in other ways” is correct
This asks why a speaker opens with a certain idea. Because a plant cannot move itself, the rest of the lesson explains how its seeds still get somewhere new: wind, animal fur, and birds. The opening line sets up that problem. The student has to think about how the beginning connects to the rest.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To explain why plants grow so slowly — The lesson does not talk about how fast plants grow.
- To tell students not to step on the plants — The teacher is not giving a rule about plants.
- To teach that animals like dogs and birds can walk — Dogs and birds come up only as helpers that move seeds.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grade 3, or see the TELPAS practice test for 3rd 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.