Based on the passage, which statement is most likely true? (Why Leaves Change Color)
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.
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.
Based on the passage, which statement is most likely true?
- A red leaf in fall shows a color it already had.
- A yellow leaf in fall shows a color it already had.Correct answer
- A leaf turns yellow because the nights are freezing.
- A leaf makes more chlorophyll as the days get shorter.
Why “A yellow leaf in fall shows a color it already had.” is correct
This asks the student to draw a conclusion from two paragraphs. Paragraph 3 says yellow and orange "were in the leaf all along," while paragraph 4 says red and purple "work differently" because the leaf makes them new. The tempting wrong answer swaps yellow for red, so the student has to keep the two processes apart.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A red leaf in fall shows a color it already had. — Paragraph 4 says some trees make new red coloring in the fall.
- A leaf turns yellow because the nights are freezing. — The passage connects yellow to chlorophyll fading, not to freezing nights.
- A leaf makes more chlorophyll as the days get shorter. — Paragraph 3 says leaves stop making chlorophyll as the days shorten.
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.