TELPAS Practice

In stanza 2, the poet writes that the smell of roasted corn "tugs me by the nose." What does this mean?

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 poem. Then answer the questions.

Saturday Market

Under white tents in the parking lot, the Saturday market wakes up early. Trucks yawn open their back doors, and crates of peaches tumble out like sunrise.

A man sings out, “Fresh tortillas, still warm!” A girl stacks honey jars into a golden tower. The smell of roasted corn drifts by and tugs me by the nose.

Mamá squeezes every avocado, asks the farmer how his rain has been, then laughs at his answer as if they were old friends.

By noon the tents fold up like tired wings, and our bags are heavy with green and red and gold. I carry the watermelon home in both arms, proud as a farmer myself.

The question

Choose the best answer.

In stanza 2, the poet writes that the smell of roasted corn "tugs me by the nose." What does this mean?

  • Someone pulls on the speaker's nose.
  • The corn smells bad to the speaker.
  • The speaker has a cold and cannot smell anything.
  • The smell draws the speaker toward the corn.Correct answer

Why “The smell draws the speaker toward the corn.” is correct

This is figurative language. A smell cannot really pull on a nose, but the poet describes it as if it could, to show how strongly the good smell draws the speaker toward it. English learners often read figures of speech word for word, which leads to the first wrong choice.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • Someone pulls on the speaker's nose. — This reads the words literally; no one touches the speaker.
  • The corn smells bad to the speaker. — A smell that pulls you toward it is one you like.
  • The speaker has a cold and cannot smell anything. — The speaker clearly smells the corn.

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.