What does Daniela do after her first tamal turns out lumpy?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grade 3 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Tamale Day
Every December, Daniela’s family makes tamales at her abuela’s house. This year, Daniela was finally old enough to help.
Abuela showed her how to spread the masa on a corn husk. “Not too thick,” Abuela said. “Thin, like butter on toast.” Daniela’s first one was lumpy, and the masa slid off the side. Her cousin Mateo laughed, but Abuela just handed her another husk.
Daniela tried again. She went slowly and pressed the masa flat with the back of a spoon. Her uncle added the meat, and her mom folded each tamal and stood it up in the big pot.
By evening, the whole kitchen smelled like corn and chile. Daniela counted the tamales she had helped make. There were thirty-two. “Next year,” she said, “I want to learn how to fold them, too.”
The question
Choose the best answer.
What does Daniela do after her first tamal turns out lumpy?
- She asks Mateo to do it.
- She stops helping.
- She tries again more slowly.Correct answer
- She learns to fold the tamales.
Why “She tries again more slowly.” is correct
This is a detail question about what happens next. Paragraph 3 begins, “Daniela tried again. She went slowly and pressed the masa flat.” Students should look for what Daniela does, not what other family members do.
Why the other answers are wrong
- She asks Mateo to do it. — Mateo laughs at her; he does not take over.
- She stops helping. — She keeps helping and makes many more tamales.
- She learns to fold the tamales. — Folding is her mom’s job; Daniela says she wants to learn it next year.
Practice more of this
More reading 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.