What was wrong with Ethan's first tamales?
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 story.
Tamales at Grandma's
Press play to listen. You can pause, rewind, and replay as often as you like.
Show transcript
Every December, Ethan's family gathered at his grandmother's house to make tamales. This year, for the first time, she told him he was old enough to help at the big kitchen table instead of just watching.
She showed him how to spread masa on a corn husk with the back of a spoon. Ethan worked fast, piling on thick layers so he could finish more than his cousins. When his grandmother checked his husks, she shook her head and laughed. The masa was so thick that there was no room for the filling, and the husks would not fold closed.
She did not take over. Instead, she placed her hand over his and spread the masa again, slowly, until it was as thin as a tortilla. His next tamale took much longer, but it folded perfectly.
Late in the afternoon, Ethan's little cousin Mateo sat down next to him and reached for a husk. Ethan picked up a spoon and said, "Here, let me show you how Grandma does it."
The question
Choose the best answer.
What was wrong with Ethan's first tamales?
- He spread the masa too thick.Correct answer
- He spread the masa too thin.
- He used the wrong kind of spoon.
- He tore the corn husks.
Why “He spread the masa too thick.” is correct
This tests a key detail. The story says Ethan piled on "thick layers" and the masa "was so thick that there was no room for the filling." The phrase "as thin as a tortilla" later in the story can lead students to the opposite choice, so they need to remember which describes Ethan's mistake and which describes the fix.
Why the other answers are wrong
- He spread the masa too thin. — This is the opposite; his grandmother had to make the masa thinner.
- He used the wrong kind of spoon. — He used the back of a spoon, just as she showed him.
- He tore the corn husks. — The husks would not fold closed, but nothing says they tore.
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.