The author writes that Valeria’s "legs felt like wet noodles." What does this tell the reader?
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 Recital
Valeria had practiced the dance for six weeks. She knew every heel tap and every swirl of her wide, ruffled skirt. But on the night of the folklórico recital, standing behind the curtain, her legs felt like wet noodles.
“What if I forget the steps?” she whispered to her sister Natalia, who had danced with the group for three years.
Natalia straightened the red ribbons in Valeria’s hair. “Then you keep smiling and keep moving,” she said. “Nobody in the audience knows the steps. They only notice if you stop.”
The music began, and the dancers swept onto the stage. For the first minute, everything went perfectly. Then, halfway through the song, Valeria turned the wrong way. For one terrible second, she was facing the girl beside her instead of the audience.
She remembered Natalia’s words. She smiled, swung her skirt in a wide circle, and slipped back into line as if she had planned it all along. Her feet found the rhythm again.
When the song ended, the audience clapped and cheered. Valeria’s parents were standing up in the third row. Afterward, her father hugged her and said, “That big spin in the middle was my favorite part!”
Valeria looked at Natalia, and both of them burst out laughing.
The question
Choose the best answer.
The author writes that Valeria’s "legs felt like wet noodles." What does this tell the reader?
- Her legs were wet from the rain outside the building.
- Her legs were tired from dancing all through the long day.
- Her legs felt weak and shaky because she was nervous.Correct answer
- Her legs were cold from standing behind the curtain.
Why “Her legs felt weak and shaky because she was nervous.” is correct
This tests figurative language, a simile. Wet noodles are soft and floppy, so legs that feel like them are weak and wobbly. The next paragraph shows why: Valeria whispers, "What if I forget the steps?" Students should look for the feeling the comparison is describing, not the literal words.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Her legs were wet from the rain outside the building. — This takes the words literally; nothing in the story is about rain.
- Her legs were tired from dancing all through the long day. — The story says she practiced for six weeks, not that she danced all day.
- Her legs were cold from standing behind the curtain. — Nothing says it was cold backstage.
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.