Why does the green color fade from leaves in the fall?
Basic Understanding of Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 4–5 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: understand the main points and important details of spoken stories and informational passages, about everyday life and school subjects.
Listen to the teacher talk about leaves. Then answer the questions.
Why Leaves Change Color
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Show transcript
Ms. Garza: In the fall, the leaves on many trees turn yellow, orange, and red. Have you ever wondered why?
Ms. Garza: During the spring and summer, leaves are full of something called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is green, and it helps the leaf use sunlight to make food for the tree. There is so much green in the leaf that it hides the other colors.
Ms. Garza: In the fall, the days get shorter, and there is less sunlight. The tree slows down and stops making chlorophyll. As the green fades away, the yellow and orange colors that were in the leaf all along can finally show.
Ms. Garza: Next week, we will take a walk around the schoolyard and collect fallen leaves. Look closely, and see how many different colors you can find.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the green color fade from leaves in the fall?
- The hot sun dries out the leaves.
- Rain washes the green color away.
- The tree stops making chlorophyll.Correct answer
- Insects eat the green part of the leaf.
Why “The tree stops making chlorophyll.” is correct
The teacher explains a cause and effect: shorter days mean less sunlight, so the tree stops making chlorophyll, and the green fades. Chlorophyll is a new science word for most students, but the talk defines it as the green part of a leaf, so the student can follow it from context.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The hot sun dries out the leaves. — The teacher says there is less sunlight in the fall, not more.
- Rain washes the green color away. — Rain is never mentioned.
- Insects eat the green part of the leaf. — Insects are never mentioned.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 4–5, or see the TELPAS practice test for 4th and 5th 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.