Why does Ms. Nelson tell the class that milkweed has been cleared away in many places?
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.
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Monarchs on the Move
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Ms. Nelson: Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies fly south across North America. Many of them pass right through Texas on their way to the mountains of central Mexico, where they spend the winter resting together in the forests. Some of them travel more than two thousand miles.
Ms. Nelson: Here's the amazing part: no single butterfly makes the whole round trip. The monarchs that fly south in the fall live for several months. But in the spring, as they head north again, they lay eggs and then die. Their children and grandchildren finish the journey.
Ms. Nelson: Monarch caterpillars can eat only one kind of plant, and that plant is milkweed. A monarch lays its eggs only on milkweed, so without it, there are no new butterflies. In many places, milkweed has been cleared away to make room for roads and buildings. That is why, next week, our class is going to plant a milkweed garden next to the cafeteria.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does Ms. Nelson tell the class that milkweed has been cleared away in many places?
- To warn students not to touch milkweed
- To show that monarchs no longer pass through Texas
- To explain why new roads are being built near the school
- To explain why planting milkweed can help monarchsCorrect answer
Why “To explain why planting milkweed can help monarchs” is correct
This asks why a speaker includes a piece of information. Ms. Nelson links three ideas: monarchs need milkweed, milkweed is disappearing, and so the class will plant some. The detail about clearing sets up the reason for the garden. The student has to see how the facts build toward the class project.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To warn students not to touch milkweed — Nothing in the lesson says milkweed is harmful.
- To show that monarchs no longer pass through Texas — She says many monarchs pass right through Texas.
- To explain why new roads are being built near the school — Roads are part of the reason milkweed is gone, not the point of the lesson.
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.