Why does the author mention "hot attics in a Texas August"?
Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grades 8–9 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 passage. Then answer the questions.
Learning a Trade by Doing It
When people picture life after high school, many of them imagine college classrooms. But for many young people in Texas, the next step is an apprenticeship. An apprentice is a worker who learns a skilled trade on the job, guided by experienced workers, while also taking classes.
Apprenticeships exist in many fields, including electrical work, plumbing, welding, and heating and air-conditioning repair. In most programs, apprentices are paid from the first day. Their wages usually start lower than an experienced worker's and rise as they learn more. This is one of the biggest differences between an apprenticeship and many other kinds of training: instead of paying to learn, the apprentice is paid while learning.
A typical week might include four days on job sites and an evening class. On the job, an apprentice electrician might begin by carrying materials and pulling wire through walls while a licensed electrician checks the work. In class, the same apprentice studies safety rules, electrical codes, and the math needed to plan a circuit. Over time, the apprentice takes on harder tasks with less supervision.
Apprenticeships take time. Many last several years, and the work can be physically demanding. Hot attics in a Texas August are part of the job. Apprentices also need to be reliable. A crew that is counting on someone to show up at 6:30 in the morning cannot wait for a person who arrives late.
Students who are curious about the trades do not have to wait until graduation to explore them. Many Texas high schools offer career and technical education courses in areas like construction and welding, where students can find out whether working with their hands is a good fit.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the author mention "hot attics in a Texas August"?
- To explain why apprentices are paid less at first
- To give an example of how hard the work can beCorrect answer
- To show that apprentices work only in the summer
- To warn that electricians must always work alone
Why “To give an example of how hard the work can be” is correct
This question asks why the author included a specific detail. The sentence just before it says the work "can be physically demanding," and the attic detail is a concrete example that Texas readers will recognize. Authors often follow a general statement with a vivid example.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To explain why apprentices are paid less at first — Pay is explained earlier and is connected to experience, not heat.
- To show that apprentices work only in the summer — The passage describes a year-round job; August is just an example.
- To warn that electricians must always work alone — Nothing in the passage says electricians work alone.
Practice more of this
More reading 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.