TELPAS Practice

In paragraph 2, what does the word bruised 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.

Jada’s Peaches

Every Saturday in summer, Jada helps her dad sell peaches at the farmers market in Fredericksburg. Her job is to stack the peaches in neat rows so people can see the best ones.

One morning, a little boy reached for a peach and dropped it. It hit the ground and rolled under the table. When Jada picked it up, it had a soft brown spot. It was bruised.

The boy’s lip started to shake. Jada smiled at him. She chose a big, perfect peach and put it in his hand. “This one is for you,” she said.

Later that morning, the boy came back with his mother. “My son told me about the kind girl at the peach stand,” she said. She bought two whole baskets.

Dad winked at Jada. “Being kind is good for business,” he said.

The question

Choose the best answer.

In paragraph 2, what does the word bruised mean?

  • Very sweet and ready to be eaten right away
  • Washed in cold water
  • Hurt so that it has a soft, dark spotCorrect answer
  • Cut into small pieces

Why “Hurt so that it has a soft, dark spot” is correct

This tests using a context clue that comes right before a word. The sentence before says that after the peach hit the ground, “it had a soft brown spot.” The next sentence names that: it was bruised. Students can look for a description followed by a word that sums it up.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • Very sweet and ready to be eaten right away — The peach has a soft brown spot from falling, which is not a good thing.
  • Washed in cold water — Nobody washes the peach in the story.
  • Cut into small pieces — The peach is not cut in the story.

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.