What does the word exceptions mean?
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 passage. Then answer the questions.
Why Leaves Change Color
Every fall, many trees across the United States put on a show. Leaves that were green all summer turn yellow, orange, red, and even purple. Most people enjoy the colors, but few know what is actually happening inside each leaf.
A leaf is green because it contains chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a substance that helps a plant use sunlight to make food from water and air. During the long, sunny days of spring and summer, leaves are so full of chlorophyll that its bright green color hides every other color in the leaf.
As fall arrives, the days grow shorter and the nights grow cooler. The tree begins to get ready for winter, and its leaves stop making new chlorophyll. As the green slowly fades, yellow and orange colors that were in the leaf all along begin to show through.
Red and purple work differently. In some trees, such as many maples, the leaves make new red coloring in the fall. Sunny days followed by cool nights that are not quite freezing help produce the brightest reds.
In much of Texas, fall stays warm for a long time, and many trees do not change color as brightly as trees farther north. But there are exceptions. At Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Texas Hill Country, bigtooth maple trees turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold, and visitors drive from all over the state to see them.
Soon after the colors appear, the leaves fall. The tree rests through the winter, and in spring it grows new green leaves. Then the cycle begins again.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read these sentences from paragraph 5. "In much of Texas, fall stays warm for a long time, and many trees do not change color as brightly as trees farther north. But there are exceptions." What does the word exceptions mean?
- Trees that lose their leaves in the summer
- Places where the weather is always cold
- Cases that do not follow the usual patternCorrect answer
- Reasons why trees turn brown in fall
Why “Cases that do not follow the usual pattern” is correct
This tests using context to figure out an academic word. The sentence before describes what usually happens in Texas, and "But there are exceptions" is followed by a place where the trees do turn bright colors. The word "But" signals that what comes next goes against the general rule.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Trees that lose their leaves in the summer — The passage says nothing about trees losing leaves in summer.
- Places where the weather is always cold — The example given, Lost Maples, is in Texas, where fall stays warm.
- Reasons why trees turn brown in fall — Exceptions are not reasons; they are cases that are different from most.
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.