Why does the author say that the horned lizard "is not a toad at all"?
Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grades 4–5 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.
The Texas Horned Lizard
The Texas horned lizard is a small, flat lizard with sharp horns on its head and short spines along its back and sides. Many people call it a “horny toad,” but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, and it is the official state reptile of Texas.
Horned lizards live in dry, open places with sandy or rocky ground. Their main food is harvester ants. One horned lizard can eat dozens of ants in a single day.
This lizard has some surprising ways to stay safe. Its brown and gray colors help it blend in with the ground, so a hungry hawk may fly right past it. If an enemy comes close, the lizard can puff up its body so it looks bigger and is harder to swallow. When it is in real danger, it can even squirt a thin stream of blood from the corners of its eyes. The blood tastes bad to coyotes and dogs.
Today, horned lizards are harder to find in many parts of Texas than they were years ago. Scientists think there are several reasons. Some of the land where the lizards once lived is now covered by roads and buildings, and in many areas there are fewer harvester ants for them to eat. In Texas, it is against the law to take a horned lizard from the wild or to keep one as a pet.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the author say that the horned lizard "is not a toad at all"?
- To show that toads and lizards eat the same food
- To explain how the horned lizard got the horns on its head
- To tell readers that toads also live in Texas
- To correct a mistake many people make about the animalCorrect answer
Why “To correct a mistake many people make about the animal” is correct
This tests author’s purpose for one sentence. Just before it, the author says many people call the animal a "horny toad." The next words, "but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile," fix that common mistake. Purpose questions often ask what a sentence does for the reader, not what it says.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To show that toads and lizards eat the same food — The article never says what toads eat.
- To explain how the horned lizard got the horns on its head — The sentence is about the nickname, not about the horns.
- To tell readers that toads also live in Texas — The article does not talk about where toads live.
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.