Read this sentence from paragraph 3. Picking up pecans was tedious work. What does the word tedious mean?
Understand Words and Language Structures · TELPAS Grades 4–5 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.
The Pecan Harvest
Every November, the pecan tree in Grandma Rosa’s backyard dropped its nuts all over the grass. And every November, Grandma Rosa handed Mateo a bucket.
“Fill it to the top,” she said, “and we will have enough for pies at Thanksgiving.”
Mateo groaned. Picking up pecans was tedious work. He had to bend down again and again, and each nut made only a tiny click when it landed in the bucket. After ten minutes, the bottom of the bucket was barely covered.
Then Grandma Rosa came out of the shed with an old wire tool on a long handle. She rolled it across the grass, and the pecans popped up inside the wire basket. “Your grandfather made this,” she said. “He hated bending down too.”
Mateo laughed and took the handle. He rolled it back and forth under the tree, and soon the bucket was half full. Grandma Rosa sat on the porch step and told him about the year Grandpa had tried to sell pecans at the farmers market and had eaten more than he sold.
By the time the sun went down, the bucket was full. Mateo’s back did not hurt at all, and he knew three new stories about a grandfather he had never met.
“Same time next year?” Grandma Rosa asked.
“Same time next year,” Mateo said, and he meant it.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from paragraph 3. Picking up pecans was tedious work. What does the word tedious mean?
- quick and easy
- slow and boringCorrect answer
- messy and wet
- hard to see in the grass
Why “slow and boring” is correct
This tests using context to work out an unfamiliar word. The sentences after "tedious" explain it: Mateo bends down "again and again," each nut makes "only a tiny click," and after ten minutes the bucket is "barely covered." Those details describe work that is slow and dull. Encourage students to read the next sentence or two when they meet a hard word.
Why the other answers are wrong
- quick and easy — The paragraph shows the opposite: after ten minutes the bucket was barely covered.
- messy and wet — Nothing in the paragraph says the work was messy or wet.
- hard to see in the grass — Mateo can see the nuts; the problem is how slowly the bucket fills.
Practice more of this
More reading 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.