What is the paper plate used for?
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 directions. Then answer the questions.
Make a Pinecone Bird Feeder
In winter, birds have a harder time finding seeds and insects to eat. You can help them with this easy project.
You will need: one large, open pinecone, a piece of string about as long as your arm, a plastic knife, vegetable shortening or sunflower seed butter, birdseed, and a paper plate.
Step 1: Tie the string tightly around the top of the pinecone. Leave a long tail of string so you can hang the feeder later.
Step 2: Use the plastic knife to coat the pinecone with shortening. Push it into the spaces between the scales, so the seeds will have something to stick to.
Step 3: Pour birdseed onto the paper plate. Roll the pinecone in the seed until it is covered all over.
Step 4: Hang your feeder from a tree branch near some bushes. Birds like to eat in places where they can quickly hide if a cat or a hawk comes near.
Step 5: Watch from a window. It may take a few days for the birds to find your feeder, so be patient!
The question
Choose the best answer.
What is the paper plate used for?
- feeding the birds outside the window
- holding birdseed while you roll the pineconeCorrect answer
- spreading the shortening onto the pinecone scales
- catching seeds that fall from the tree
Why “holding birdseed while you roll the pinecone” is correct
The plate is listed in the materials, but its use is not explained until step 3: pour birdseed onto the plate and roll the pinecone in it. The student has to connect an item in the list to the step where it is used, a key skill for reading how-to texts.
Why the other answers are wrong
- feeding the birds outside the window — The feeder is the pinecone; the plate stays inside.
- spreading the shortening onto the pinecone scales — The plastic knife is used to spread the shortening.
- catching seeds that fall from the tree — The directions do not say to put a plate under the tree.
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.