Why does the author tell about families turning off their porch lights?
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.
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.
Why does the author tell about families turning off their porch lights?
- to show one way people can help firefliesCorrect answer
- to explain how to save money on electricity
- to show that fireflies are afraid of people
- to tell readers when it is time for bed
Why “to show one way people can help fireflies” is correct
This asks about the author's purpose for a detail. The paragraph first explains a problem, that bright lights make it hard for fireflies to see each other's signals, and then gives the porch lights as an example of a fix. The student has to see the problem-and-solution link.
Why the other answers are wrong
- to explain how to save money on electricity — Saving money is never mentioned.
- to show that fireflies are afraid of people — The problem is bright light, not people.
- to tell readers when it is time for bed — Bedtime has nothing to do with the article.
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.