What should students do as soon as they see the color change?
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 teacher.
Cabbage Juice Lab
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Ms. Perez: Okay, everyone. Today we're using red cabbage juice to test whether liquids are acids or bases. Each group has four cups labeled A through D.
Ms. Perez: First, put on your goggles. Over your eyes, not on your forehead. Next, pour about two spoonfuls of cabbage juice into each cup. Then add one liquid to each cup: lemon juice in A, water in B, baking soda mixed with water in C, and vinegar in D.
Ms. Perez: Watch the color. If it turns pink or red, the liquid is an acid. If it turns green or blue, it's a base. If it stays purple, it's close to neutral. Write the color in your table before you touch anything else. And nobody rinses a cup in the sink until I've come around and checked your table.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What should students do as soon as they see the color change?
- Rinse the cup in the sink
- Add more cabbage juice to the cup
- Write down the color in their tableCorrect answer
- Move their goggles to their forehead
Why “Write down the color in their table” is correct
This question checks understanding of steps in lab directions. Ms. Perez says, "Write the color in your table before you touch anything else." The phrase "before you touch anything else" tells students this step comes right away.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Rinse the cup in the sink — They must wait to rinse until the teacher checks the table.
- Add more cabbage juice to the cup — The juice is added only once, at the start.
- Move their goggles to their forehead — The teacher says goggles go over the eyes, not on the forehead.
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.