Which word should replace the underlined word? “During the fire drill, the students left [there] backpacks in the hallway.”
Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grades 8–9 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.
The question
Read the sentence. Then choose the best answer.
Read the sentence. The underlined word has an error. During the fire drill, the students left [there] backpacks in the hallway. Which word should replace the underlined word?
- theirCorrect answer
- they're
- theirs
- there's
Why “their” is correct
This tests words that sound alike. "Their" shows that something belongs to a group of people, so it is correct before "backpacks." "There" is a place, and "they're" is short for "they are."
Why the other answers are wrong
- they're — "They're" means "they are," which does not make sense before "backpacks."
- theirs — "Theirs" is used without a noun after it, as in "the backpacks are theirs."
- there's — "There's" means "there is."
Practice more of this
More writing 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.