According to Nadia, why do many students arrive late to class?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grades 6–7 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Six Minutes, Not Four
At Lakeview Middle School, students have four minutes to get from one class to the next. That might sound like enough time, but for many of us, it is not. The school should make passing periods six minutes long.
Our campus is large. Some classrooms are in the main building, and others are in portable buildings behind the gym. A student who walks from the band hall to a portable has to cross the entire campus. Even walking quickly, many students arrive late, and some teachers mark them tardy.
Four minutes also leaves no time to stop at a locker or use the restroom. As a result, students ask to leave during class instead, which interrupts the lesson for everyone.
Some people worry that longer passing periods would make the school day end later. But if each class were just two minutes shorter, the extra time would fit inside the day we already have. Losing two minutes of class is better than losing ten minutes to late arrivals and hall passes.
Two extra minutes may seem small, but they would help students arrive on time and ready to learn. I urge our principal to give us six minutes.
Nadia Hassan, Grade 7
The question
Choose the best answer.
According to Nadia, why do many students arrive late to class?
- Students spend too long talking in the halls.
- Teachers let classes out late.
- Some classrooms are far apart on a large campus.Correct answer
- The band hall is closed during passing periods.
Why “Some classrooms are far apart on a large campus.” is correct
This asks for a supporting reason in an argument. Paragraph 2 explains that some classrooms are in portable buildings behind the gym, so some students have to cross the whole campus. Nadia's phrase "even walking quickly" rules out the idea that students are wasting time.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Students spend too long talking in the halls. — Nadia says students arrive late "even walking quickly."
- Teachers let classes out late. — She never says teachers let classes out late.
- The band hall is closed during passing periods. — The band hall is an example of a starting point, not a closed room.
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.