TELPAS Practice

Based on the article, why did people in Austin stop wanting the bats gone?

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 Bats of Congress Avenue Bridge

On summer evenings, crowds of people gather near the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin. They are not waiting for a parade or a concert. They are waiting for bats.

Up to one and a half million Mexican free-tailed bats live in narrow cracks under the bridge during the warm months. It is the largest bat colony living in a city anywhere in North America. In the winter, most of the bats fly south to Mexico.

At sunset, the bats begin to pour out from under the bridge. They fly out in long, dark ribbons that twist across the sky, and the stream of bats can keep going for many minutes.

The bats are leaving to hunt. Mexican free-tailed bats eat insects, including moths that damage farm crops. In one night, the colony can eat thousands of pounds of insects.

Not everyone was happy when the bats first moved in. After the bridge was rebuilt, the bats found the new cracks underneath and began living there. Many people in Austin were afraid and wanted the bats gone. Bat scientists explained that the bats would not hurt people who left them alone, and that they helped the city by eating pests. Over time, people’s feelings changed. Today, the bats are one of the most famous sights in Austin.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Based on the article, why did people in Austin stop wanting the bats gone?

  • The bats moved away to a different bridge.
  • The city paid people to come watch the bats.
  • They learned that the bats were helpful.Correct answer
  • The bats stopped eating insects near farms.

Why “They learned that the bats were helpful.” is correct

This asks the student to draw a conclusion. The author says scientists explained the bats would not hurt people and that they eat pests, and then says "Over time, people’s feelings changed." The author does not say "because," so the student has to connect the explanation to the change.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • The bats moved away to a different bridge. — The bats still live under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
  • The city paid people to come watch the bats. — Nothing in the article mentions paying anyone.
  • The bats stopped eating insects near farms. — The article says the bats still eat insects every night.

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.