Why does the author tell the reader that the island's highest point was less than nine feet above the sea?
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.
A Wall Against the Sea
In 1900, Galveston was one of the busiest port cities in Texas. It sat on a long, narrow island in the Gulf of Mexico, and its highest point was less than nine feet above the sea.
The Storm of 1900
On September 8, 1900, a powerful hurricane struck the island. The wind pushed the water of the Gulf onto the land, and within hours most of the city was under water. Thousands of buildings were destroyed, and at least 6,000 people died. It is still the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States.
A Two-Part Plan
After the storm, many people thought Galveston should be abandoned. Instead, city leaders chose to protect it. First, they built a seawall, a tall wall of concrete along the shore that faces the Gulf. Second, they raised the city itself. Workers lifted more than 2,000 buildings with jacks and pumped sand from the bottom of the bay underneath them. Parts of the city ended up as much as 17 feet higher than before.
Timeline: 1902: Work on the seawall begins. 1904: The first three miles of the seawall are finished. 1911: Work raising the city is mostly complete. 1915: Another strong hurricane hits Galveston.
Did It Work?
When the 1915 hurricane struck, the seawall held. Water still flooded parts of the city, but far fewer people died than in 1900. Today the seawall stretches about ten miles, and people walk, bike, and fish along the top of it.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the author tell the reader that the island's highest point was less than nine feet above the sea?
- To help explain why the storm flooded the city so quicklyCorrect answer
- To show that Galveston was a busy port city
- To compare Galveston with other cities in Texas
- To describe the view from the top of the seawall
Why “To help explain why the storm flooded the city so quickly” is correct
This tests author's purpose for including a detail. Because the whole island was so low, the Gulf could cover most of the city within hours, and the detail also explains why raising the city became part of the plan. Ask students how a fact in the opening connects to what happens later.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To show that Galveston was a busy port city — The passage says it was a busy port in a separate statement; height above the sea does not show that.
- To compare Galveston with other cities in Texas — No other Texas city is described.
- To describe the view from the top of the seawall — The detail is about the island in 1900, before the seawall existed.
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.