How does the author mainly organize the information in this passage?

Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grades 6–7 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Reporting category 3: make inferences, draw conclusions, and think about why the author wrote a text and how it is built.

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It declared that enslaved people in the states fighting against the United States were free. In Texas, however, the order changed very little at first. Few Union soldiers were in Texas to enforce it, and many enslaved people never heard about it.

The war ended in the spring of 1865. On June 19, 1865, in the port city of Galveston, Union General Gordon Granger announced an order stating that all enslaved people in Texas were free. The news came about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The next year, freed people in Texas began celebrating June 19 as a day of freedom. They called it Juneteenth, a blend of the words June and nineteenth. Early celebrations included prayer, speeches, music, and large outdoor meals. Some communities raised money to buy land where they could gather for the celebrations, such as Emancipation Park in Houston.

As families moved from Texas to other states, they took the holiday with them. In 1980, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday. In 2021, it became a federal holiday celebrated across the United States.

Today, Juneteenth is marked with parades, festivals, and family gatherings. For many people, it is also a day to learn about history and to remember that freedom did not reach everyone at the same time.

The question

Choose the best answer.

How does the author mainly organize the information in this passage?

  • As a list of reasons to celebrate holidays
  • In time order, from 1863 to the presentCorrect answer
  • As a comparison of Texas and another state
  • As a problem followed by several solutions

Why “In time order, from 1863 to the present” is correct

This question is about text structure. The dates move forward through the passage: 1863, 1865, the next year, 1980, 2021, and then "today." Pointing to those time signals is the quickest way to see that the passage is organized chronologically.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • As a list of reasons to celebrate holidays — The passage explains the history of one holiday rather than giving reasons.
  • As a comparison of Texas and another state — Other states are mentioned only briefly in paragraph 4; nothing is compared point by point.
  • As a problem followed by several solutions — The passage does mention a problem in paragraph 1, but it goes on to tell events in order, not to list solutions.

Practice more of this

More reading 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.