Why did Hannah end up on the wrong bus?
Basic Understanding of Spoken English · TELPAS Grades 8–9 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: understand the main points and important details of spoken stories and informational passages, about everyday life and school subjects.
Listen to the story.
The Wrong Side of the Street
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On her third day in Houston, Hannah got on the wrong bus. The number was right, but she had waited on the wrong side of the street, so the bus was carrying her away from school instead of toward it. She realized it when the buildings outside the window stopped looking familiar.
Her English was still new, and her phone had no data. She pressed the stop button and got off at the next corner, her heart pounding. A woman sitting at the bus stop saw her face and asked if she was okay. Hannah held up the schedule her counselor had printed for her and pointed to the school's address.
The woman did not just point the way. She walked Hannah across the street, waited with her for the next bus going the other direction, and spoke to the driver, who nodded and promised to tell Hannah where to get off.
Hannah was twenty minutes late to first period. Her teacher only asked if she was all right. That afternoon, Hannah stood on the correct side of the street and quietly practiced a new sentence until the bus came: "Excuse me, does this bus go to my school?"
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why did Hannah end up on the wrong bus?
- She read the number on the front of the bus incorrectly.
- She waited on the wrong side of the street.Correct answer
- Her counselor gave her the wrong schedule.
- The driver changed the usual route.
Why “She waited on the wrong side of the street.” is correct
This is a cause question near the start of a story. The narrator says the number was right but she "had waited on the wrong side of the street," so the bus went the other way. Students must not confuse the bus number with the direction.
Why the other answers are wrong
- She read the number on the front of the bus incorrectly. — The story says the number was right.
- Her counselor gave her the wrong schedule. — The schedule helped her; it was not the problem.
- The driver changed the usual route. — The bus was simply going in the opposite direction.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 8–9, or see the TELPAS practice test for 8th and 9th 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.