How does the feeling of the poem change in the last four lines?

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 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.

How does the feeling of the poem change in the last four lines?

From calm and peaceful to afraid
From tense waiting to reliefCorrect answer
From happy to sad
From noisy to silent

Why “From tense waiting to relief” is correct

This asks about mood. The first lines build tension: a gray sky, wind that seems in a hurry, cows that stop chewing, a windmill spinning too fast. The last lines turn to rain falling "like coins," something valuable, on a "thirsty field." The student has to notice how word choice shifts the feeling.

Why the other answers are wrong

From calm and peaceful to afraid — The poem starts tense, with the wind rushing and the cows going still, and ends with relief.
From happy to sad — Nothing in the ending is sad; the field "drinks."
From noisy to silent — The ending has rain hitting the ground, so it is not silent.

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.