What is Anh's main reason for telling Jamal to cite the report rather than the newspaper article?
Listen to a Short Exchange · ELPAC Grades 11–12 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A two-turn exchange between two speakers, followed by a question about it.
Listen to the conversation between Anh and Jamal. Then answer the question.
Choosing a Source
Press play to listen. You can pause, rewind, and replay as often as you like.
Show transcript
Anh: Jamal, did you use the housing report for your government paper? The one the city posted.
Jamal: I read part of it, but I cited the newspaper article about it instead. The report is ninety pages.
Anh: Ms. Farrell said to cite the document itself whenever we can reach it. The article is somebody else's reading of the report.
Jamal: The article has the number I need, though, and it is right there on page one.
Anh: The report has that number too, in the summary table near the front. I would spend the ten minutes. If the article got the number wrong, the mistake becomes yours.
Jamal: Fair. I will pull the table and cite the report, and I can still quote the article for the mayor's reaction.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What is Anh's main reason for telling Jamal to cite the report rather than the newspaper article?
- The newspaper article does not contain the number he needs.
- Ms. Farrell will not accept newspaper sources of any kind.
- The report is longer, so it must be more thorough.
- If the article has the number wrong, the error becomes his.Correct answer
Why “If the article has the number wrong, the error becomes his.” is correct
This tests identifying a speaker's main reason when several supporting remarks surround it. Anh cites the teacher's rule and tells Jamal where the table is, but her argument lands on the consequence, that a mistake in the article would become a mistake in his paper. That is a point about who is responsible for accuracy, and it is what actually changes Jamal's mind.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The newspaper article does not contain the number he needs. — Jamal says the number is in the article on the first page, and Anh does not dispute it.
- Ms. Farrell will not accept newspaper sources of any kind. — Anh accepts using the article for the mayor's reaction; she objects only to sourcing the number from it.
- The report is longer, so it must be more thorough. — She mentions the ninety pages as the obstacle Jamal is weighing, not as a sign of quality.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 11–12, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 11–12. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the California Department of Education or the official ELPAC program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published task formats.