Why did the builders decide not to use limestone?
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.
Why did the builders decide not to use limestone?
- Limestone cost too much money.
- There was no limestone near Austin.
- Limestone was too soft to build tall walls.
- Spots in the limestone turned rusty brown in the weather.Correct answer
Why “Spots in the limestone turned rusty brown in the weather.” is correct
This tests following a cause and its effect in a lesson. Ms. Lozano says the limestone they tested "had small spots that turned a rusty brown" outdoors, and then says "So they switched" to granite. Listening for the word "so" helps students connect the reason to the decision.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Limestone cost too much money. — Cost is mentioned only for the whole building, not for limestone.
- There was no limestone near Austin. — Ms. Lozano does not say where limestone could be found.
- Limestone was too soft to build tall walls. — The lesson gives a different reason: the color changed, not that the stone was soft.
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.