Why does Brandon mention his uncle's speaker?
Analyze and Evaluate Information in Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 6–7 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 3: make inferences from what was said, and work out a speaker's purpose, opinion, or what will happen next.
Listen to the conversation.
Science Fair Partners
Press play to listen. You can pause, rewind, and replay as often as you like.
Show transcript
Natalie: Brandon, have you picked a topic for the science fair yet?
Brandon: I was going to test which kind of paper towel soaks up the most water. But three other people in our class are already doing that.
Natalie: I'm testing whether plants grow faster when they hear music. Do you want to be my partner? I could use help measuring the plants every day.
Brandon: That sounds fun. But don't plants take a long time to grow?
Natalie: Yes, about three weeks. That's why I'm planting the seeds this weekend. The fair is at the end of next month.
Brandon: Okay, I'm in. My uncle has a little speaker we can borrow, so we won't have to keep using your phone to play the music.
Natalie: Perfect. Let's ask our teacher tomorrow if partners are allowed.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does Brandon mention his uncle's speaker?
- To offer a way he can help with the projectCorrect answer
- To explain why he cannot be her partner
- To suggest a new topic about speakers
- To show that his uncle will judge the fair
Why “To offer a way he can help with the project” is correct
This asks about a speaker's purpose. Brandon has just agreed to be Natalie's partner, and the speaker will let them play music to the plants without using her phone. Mentioning it is his way of showing what he can add to the project. The student has to connect the speaker to the music in Natalie's experiment.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To explain why he cannot be her partner — He has just said "I'm in," so he is agreeing to be her partner.
- To suggest a new topic about speakers — He does not suggest changing the topic; the speaker is for playing music to the plants.
- To show that his uncle will judge the fair — Nothing suggests his uncle has anything to do with judging.
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.