What does it mean that Esteban "got cold feet"?
Understand Words and Language Structures · TELPAS Grades 8–9 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 1: work out what words and phrases mean from context, and understand how sentences and word forms work.
Read the paragraph. Then answer the question.
Audition Day
For two weeks, Esteban told everyone he was going to try out for the school play. He practiced his lines in the bathroom mirror and even learned a song. But on the morning of auditions, when he saw the long line outside the auditorium, he got cold feet. He walked right past the door and went to the library instead.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What does it mean that Esteban "got cold feet"?
- His feet were cold from waiting outside.
- He forgot the lines he had practiced.
- He decided he liked the library better.
- He became too nervous to try out.Correct answer
Why “He became too nervous to try out.” is correct
This item tests a common idiom. To "get cold feet" is to become too nervous to do something you planned. The context shows it: after weeks of practice, he sees the long line and walks right past the door.
Why the other answers are wrong
- His feet were cold from waiting outside. — Read literally, the phrase is about feet, but here it is an expression about fear.
- He forgot the lines he had practiced. — He never gets to the stage, so forgetting lines is not what happened.
- He decided he liked the library better. — He went to the library, but the reason was nerves, not a new interest.
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.