TELPAS Practice

Which sentence is written correctly? “The storm knocked out the power, so we read by flashlight”

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

Choose the best answer.

Which sentence is written correctly?

  • The storm knocked out the power, we read by flashlight.
  • The storm knocked out the power we read by flashlight.
  • The storm knocked out the power, so, we read by flashlight.
  • The storm knocked out the power, so we read by flashlight.Correct answer

Why “The storm knocked out the power, so we read by flashlight.” is correct

This tests how to join two complete sentences. One correct way is a comma plus a joining word such as and, but or so. Run-ons and comma splices are among the most common errors in student writing.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • The storm knocked out the power, we read by flashlight. — Two complete sentences joined by only a comma make a comma splice.
  • The storm knocked out the power we read by flashlight. — Two complete sentences with nothing between them make a run-on.
  • The storm knocked out the power, so, we read by flashlight. — No comma is needed after "so" here.

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.