TELPAS Practice

Where do monarchs spend the winter?

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.

Monarchs in Texas

The monarch butterfly is the state insect of Texas. Monarchs are orange with black lines and small white spots.

Every fall, millions of monarchs fly south across Texas. They are on their way to the mountains of Mexico, where they spend the winter. In spring, monarchs fly north again. Many of them stop to lay eggs in Texas on the way.

A mother monarch lays her eggs only on milkweed plants. Milkweed is the only food that monarch caterpillars eat. When a caterpillar has eaten enough, it makes a chrysalis. About two weeks later, a new butterfly comes out.

In some places, there is less milkweed than there used to be. People can help monarchs by planting milkweed in gardens and at schools.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Where do monarchs spend the winter?

  • In gardens at Texas schools
  • In the mountains of MexicoCorrect answer
  • On milkweed plants in Texas
  • In fields of bluebonnets

Why “In the mountains of Mexico” is correct

This is a detail question. Paragraph 2 says the monarchs fly south across Texas “on their way to the mountains of Mexico, where they spend the winter.” Students who only notice the word Texas may pick a wrong answer, so ask them to find the exact sentence.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • In gardens at Texas schools — School gardens are where people can plant milkweed, not where monarchs spend the winter.
  • On milkweed plants in Texas — Monarchs lay eggs on milkweed in Texas in spring, not in winter.
  • In fields of bluebonnets — Bluebonnets are not mentioned in this passage.

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.