What is Nadia's main purpose for writing?
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.
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.
What is Nadia's main purpose for writing?
- To explain how to find the portable buildings
- To persuade the school to lengthen passing periodsCorrect answer
- To tell a story about a time she was tardy
- To describe the different buildings at her school
Why “To persuade the school to lengthen passing periods” is correct
This asks about an author's purpose. Nadia states her position in paragraph 1 ("The school should make passing periods six minutes long") and repeats it in her last sentence. Opinion words like "should" and "I urge" signal persuasive writing.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To explain how to find the portable buildings — The portables are mentioned as a reason, not given as directions.
- To tell a story about a time she was tardy — She does not tell a personal story.
- To describe the different buildings at her school — The buildings support her argument; describing them is not her goal.
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.