Why did the author most likely write the last paragraph?
Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grade 3 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 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 did the author most likely write the last paragraph?
- To tell how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly
- To describe the mountains of Mexico
- To explain how people can help monarchsCorrect answer
- To explain why monarchs are orange
Why “To explain how people can help monarchs” is correct
This is an author’s purpose question about one paragraph. The last paragraph names a problem, less milkweed, and then tells what people can do about it. The other choices describe other paragraphs or things the passage never explains.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To tell how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly — How a caterpillar changes is in paragraph 3, not the last paragraph.
- To describe the mountains of Mexico — Mexico is mentioned in paragraph 2 but never described.
- To explain why monarchs are orange — The passage says monarchs are orange but does not explain why.
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.