According to the article, why do fireflies flash?
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.
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.
According to the article, why do fireflies flash?
- to keep their bodies warm
- to scare away birds
- to light the way home
- to send messages to other firefliesCorrect answer
Why “to send messages to other fireflies” is correct
The answer is stated in paragraph 3: fireflies use their flashes to send messages, and each kind has its own pattern. The wrong choice about warmth is a trap for students who connect light with heat, which paragraph 2 says is not true for fireflies.
Why the other answers are wrong
- to keep their bodies warm — The article says firefly light gives off almost no heat.
- to scare away birds — Birds are never mentioned.
- to light the way home — The article does not say fireflies use light to see where they are going.
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.