How did Texas pay the builders of the capitol?
Basic Understanding of Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 6–7 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: understand the main points and important details of spoken stories and informational passages, about everyday life and school subjects.
Listen to the lesson.
The Pink Capitol
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Ms. Lozano: This week we're learning about Texas government, so let's start with the building where much of that work happens: the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Ms. Lozano: The capitol you can visit today was finished in 1888. The state did not have enough money to pay for such a large building, so it paid the builders with land instead: about three million acres in the Texas Panhandle. That land later became one of the largest cattle ranches in the world.
Ms. Lozano: The builders first planned to use limestone. But the limestone they tested had small spots that turned a rusty brown after it sat out in the weather. So they switched to red granite from a hill called Granite Mountain, near the town of Marble Falls. On a sunny afternoon, the walls look almost pink.
Ms. Lozano: Here's a fact Texans like to share: the Texas Capitol is a little taller than the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., by about fifteen feet.
Ms. Lozano: Tonight, read pages forty to forty-five about the three branches of government, the groups that share the work inside that building.
The question
Choose the best answer.
How did Texas pay the builders of the capitol?
- With money from selling cattle
- With money borrowed from the United States
- With about three million acres of landCorrect answer
- With granite from Granite Mountain
Why “With about three million acres of land” is correct
This tests understanding a key detail in a spoken lesson. Ms. Lozano says the state did not have enough money, "so it paid the builders with land instead," about three million acres in the Panhandle. Cattle and granite are both mentioned, which makes them tempting wrong answers.
Why the other answers are wrong
- With money from selling cattle — The land later became a cattle ranch, but the builders were not paid with cattle money.
- With money borrowed from the United States — Ms. Lozano never mentions borrowing money.
- With granite from Granite Mountain — Granite was what the walls were made of, not how the builders were paid.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 6–7, or see the TELPAS practice test for 6th and 7th 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.