What does Omar mean when he says Kayla knows the topic "inside out"?
Understand Words and Language Structures · TELPAS Grades 6–7 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 1: work out what words and phrases mean from context, and understand how sentences and word forms work.
Read the paragraph. Then answer the question.
Before the Debate
Kayla had practiced her opening speech for the class debate every night that week. On the morning of the debate, she read her notes one last time while she waited outside the classroom. "Stop worrying," her friend Omar said. "You know this topic inside out. Nobody in our class has read more about it than you."
The question
Choose the best answer.
What does Omar mean when he says Kayla knows the topic "inside out"?
- She read her notes in the wrong order.
- She finds the topic confusing.
- She wants to change to a new topic.
- She knows the topic very well.Correct answer
Why “She knows the topic very well.” is correct
This tests an idiom. Knowing something "inside out" means knowing every part of it. The next sentence, "Nobody in our class has read more about it than you," gives a strong context clue that Omar is praising how well prepared she is.
Why the other answers are wrong
- She read her notes in the wrong order. — "Inside out" here is about how much she knows, not about the order of her notes.
- She finds the topic confusing. — Omar is reassuring her, and he adds that nobody has read more about it than she has.
- She wants to change to a new topic. — Nothing suggests Kayla wants a different topic.
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.