TELPAS Practice

The poem says, "the whole thirsty field / opens its mouth and drinks." What does this show?

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 poem. Then answer the questions.

Before the Storm

The sky above the pasture

turns the gray of an old nickel,

and the wind runs through the grass

as if it has somewhere to be.

The cows stop chewing.

The windmill spins too fast.

My grandmother calls from the porch,

and her voice is a rope

pulling me home.

Then the first fat drops

hit the dust like coins,

and the whole thirsty field

opens its mouth and drinks.

The question

Choose the best answer.

The poem says, "the whole thirsty field / opens its mouth and drinks." What does this show?

  • The dry land soaks up the rain.Correct answer
  • The cows in the field start drinking water.
  • The field is flooded with deep water.
  • The speaker is drinking water in the field.

Why “The dry land soaks up the rain.” is correct

This tests personification, giving human actions to something that is not human. A field cannot be thirsty or open a mouth, but the words show how fast the dry, dusty ground takes in the rain. The earlier image of drops hitting "the dust" tells the reader the land was very dry.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • The cows in the field start drinking water. — The cows are mentioned earlier, and the line is about the field itself.
  • The field is flooded with deep water. — The ground was dusty and thirsty; the line shows it taking in water, not flooding.
  • The speaker is drinking water in the field. — The speaker is not the one drinking.

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.