TELPAS Practice

Why does a mother monarch lay her eggs on milkweed?

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.

Why does a mother monarch lay her eggs on milkweed?

  • Milkweed hides the eggs from birds.
  • Milkweed grows only in Mexico.
  • Milkweed flowers are orange, just like the monarchs are.
  • Milkweed is the only food the caterpillars eat.Correct answer

Why “Milkweed is the only food the caterpillars eat.” is correct

This tests connecting two details. Paragraph 3 says the mother lays eggs only on milkweed and that milkweed is the only food monarch caterpillars eat. When the eggs hatch, the food is right there.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • Milkweed hides the eggs from birds. — The passage says nothing about hiding eggs from birds.
  • Milkweed grows only in Mexico. — Milkweed grows in Texas, since people can plant it in gardens and at schools.
  • Milkweed flowers are orange, just like the monarchs are. — The passage never describes the color of milkweed.

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.