Which word should replace the underlined word? “The students left [there] backpacks by the door before the assembly.”
Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grades 6–7 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.
The question
Read the sentence. The underlined part has an error.
The students left [there] backpacks by the door before the assembly. Which word should replace the underlined word?
- theirs
- theirCorrect answer
- there's
- they're
Why “their” is correct
This tests commonly confused words. "Their" shows that something belongs to a group of people (their backpacks), "there" points to a place, and "they're" is short for "they are." Reading the sentence aloud with "they are" or "over there" helps students hear which one fits.
Why the other answers are wrong
- theirs — "Theirs" stands alone, as in "the backpacks are theirs," and cannot come before a noun.
- there's — "There's" means "there is."
- they're — "They're" means "they are," which does not make sense before "backpacks."
Practice more of this
More writing 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.