According to the letter, why don't most students use the crosswalk at Oak Street?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grades 8–9 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the letter. Then answer the questions.
A Crosswalk for Mesquite Road
Dear Members of the City Council,
My name is Hector Valdez, and I am in ninth grade at Ridgeview High School. I am writing to ask you to put a crosswalk with a flashing signal on Mesquite Road in front of Ridgeview Park.
Every afternoon, dozens of students cross Mesquite Road to get from school to the park, where many of us have soccer practice or wait for rides. The nearest crosswalk is at Oak Street, almost half a mile away. Almost nobody walks that far. Instead, students wait for a gap in traffic and run across four lanes.
Last month, my friends and I counted cars on Mesquite Road between 3:30 and 4:30 on five school days. We counted more than 400 cars an hour. On one afternoon alone, we saw students run between moving cars eleven times.
Some people say students should just walk to Oak Street. I agree that it would be safer. But people choose the shortest path, especially when they are carrying heavy backpacks and are late for practice. A rule that people do not follow does not protect anyone. A crosswalk where students actually cross would.
I understand that the city has a limited budget. But a crosswalk is a one-time cost, and hundreds of students would use it every week for years.
Please visit Mesquite Road on a school afternoon and see for yourselves. I would be glad to show you where we cross.
Sincerely, Héctor Valdez
The question
Choose the best answer.
According to the letter, why don't most students use the crosswalk at Oak Street?
- It does not have a flashing signal.
- It is too far from where they need to cross.Correct answer
- It is closed during school hours.
- There are too many cars passing through there.
Why “It is too far from where they need to cross.” is correct
This is a detail question. Paragraph 3 says the Oak Street crosswalk is "almost half a mile away" and "Almost nobody walks that far." Paragraph 5 adds that people "choose the shortest path."
Why the other answers are wrong
- It does not have a flashing signal. — He wants the new crosswalk to have a signal, but he does not say the Oak Street one lacks one.
- It is closed during school hours. — Nothing says it is closed.
- There are too many cars passing through there. — He counted cars on Mesquite Road, not at Oak Street.
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.