Read this sentence from the passage. “Jenny frowned.” What does the word frowned mean?
Understand Words and Language Structures · TELPAS Grade 3 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 1: work out what words and phrases mean from context, and understand how sentences and word forms work.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Jenny’s Triangle
Jenny wanted to play the drums in the third-grade music show. But on the first day of practice, Mr. Parker handed her a small metal triangle and a thin metal stick.
Jenny frowned. “It only makes one sound,” she whispered to her friend Paloma.
For two weeks, Jenny practiced with the band. She learned to count the beats and wait. Her triangle played only once, at the very end of the song, after the drums stopped.
On the night of the show, the gym was full of families. When the drums stopped, the room was silent. Jenny tapped the triangle. Ting! The bright sound rang across the whole gym.
After the show, Jenny’s dad hugged her. “I could hear you all the way from the back row,” he said. Jenny smiled. One sound had been enough.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from the passage. “Jenny frowned.” What does the word frowned mean?
- Made an unhappy faceCorrect answer
- Laughed out loud
- Jumped up and down
- Nodded yes
Why “Made an unhappy face” is correct
This tests using context to work out a word. Jenny wanted the drums but got a triangle, and right after she frowns she complains, “It only makes one sound.” Those clues show she is unhappy, and a frown is an unhappy face.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Laughed out loud — Jenny is not happy about the triangle, so she is not laughing.
- Jumped up and down — Frowning is something you do with your face, not your body.
- Nodded yes — Jenny is complaining about the triangle, not agreeing.
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.