TELPAS Practice

What do the words on the other hand show?

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.

Fireflies

On warm summer nights in many parts of Texas, tiny lights blink on and off above the grass. These lights come from fireflies, which some people call lightning bugs. Even though their names say fly and bug, fireflies are really a kind of beetle.

A firefly makes its light inside its own body. Special chemicals in the end of its belly mix with air, and the mixture glows. This kind of light is sometimes called cold light, because it gives off almost no heat. An old-fashioned light bulb, on the other hand, can get too hot to touch.

Fireflies use their flashes to send messages to each other. Each kind of firefly has its own pattern. Some flash quickly two or three times, and others glow for a long time. A firefly looking for a mate watches for the right pattern and flashes back.

Fireflies need dark, damp places with tall grass. Bright lights from houses and streets can make it hard for them to see each other’s signals. That is one reason some families turn off their porch lights on summer nights, so the fireflies can talk in the dark.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Read this sentence from paragraph 2. An old-fashioned light bulb, on the other hand, can get too hot to touch. What do the words on the other hand show?

  • The light bulb is held in someone's hand.
  • The next idea is another example of fireflies' cold light.
  • The next idea is different from the one before it.Correct answer
  • The writer is giving the reason for something.

Why “The next idea is different from the one before it.” is correct

"On the other hand" is a signal phrase for contrast. The sentence before it says a firefly's light is cold, and this sentence says a light bulb is hot. English learners often try to picture an actual hand, so this phrase is worth teaching directly with other contrast words such as however and but.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • The light bulb is held in someone's hand. — This reads the phrase word for word; no one is holding anything.
  • The next idea is another example of fireflies' cold light. — The bulb is hot, so it is the opposite of cold light.
  • The writer is giving the reason for something. — Words like "because" give reasons; this phrase shows a contrast.

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.