According to the article, how do dunes form?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grades 4–5 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Sand Dunes on the Texas Coast
Along the Texas coast, many beaches have hills of sand behind them. These hills are called dunes. They may look like piles of sand that the wind blew together, and that is partly true. But dunes also protect the land behind them.
Dunes form when the wind blows dry sand away from the water’s edge. The sand piles up against things such as plants, seaweed, or pieces of driftwood. Little by little, the piles grow taller.
Plants are what hold a dune together. Sea oats and other grasses grow on the dunes. Their long roots spread through the sand like a net and keep it from blowing or washing away.
During a big storm, high waves crash onto the beach. A healthy dune can help block the waves and slow down the water before it reaches roads and houses.
Because dunes are so important, people are asked to stay off them. Walking on a dune crushes the plants, and without plants, the sand can blow away. Many beaches have wooden walkways that let visitors cross over the dunes without stepping on them.
The question
Choose the best answer.
According to the article, how do dunes form?
- Waves push sand up from under the ocean.
- Wind piles sand against plants and driftwood.Correct answer
- People build them with large machines.
- Storms carry sand from land to the water.
Why “Wind piles sand against plants and driftwood.” is correct
This tests understanding a process explained in a text. Paragraph 2 says wind blows dry sand away from the water’s edge, it piles up against things like plants and driftwood, and the piles grow taller. The correct choice puts that process into one sentence.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Waves push sand up from under the ocean. — The article says the wind does this, not waves.
- People build them with large machines. — The article does not say people build dunes.
- Storms carry sand from land to the water. — The article describes sand moving away from the water, not toward it.
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.