What is Mr. Adeyemi's main criticism of Camila's draft?
Listen to a Classroom Conversation · ELPAC Grades 11–12 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A multiple-turn conversation between two speakers, followed by three questions.
Listen to the conversation between Mr. Adeyemi and Camila about her draft. Then answer the questions.
The Draft and the Evidence
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Show transcript
Mr. Adeyemi: Camila, your draft argues that the city should extend the bus line to the industrial park. The argument itself is clear. What I have marked is where the evidence sits.
Camila: I put all of the numbers in the third paragraph.
Mr. Adeyemi: You did, and they are good numbers. The trouble is that paragraph four goes back to opinion, and paragraph five introduces a new claim with nothing under it.
Camila: The claim about people leaving jobs because of the commute?
Mr. Adeyemi: That one. It is the strongest thing you say and the only thing you do not support. A reader who already agrees with you will still notice.
Camila: The transit survey has turnover data. I left it out because it is two years old.
Mr. Adeyemi: Two years old and relevant beats current and unrelated. Use it, name the year, and let the reader judge. Bring me a revised paragraph five on Thursday.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What is Mr. Adeyemi's main criticism of Camila's draft?
- Her argument is unclear and hard to follow.
- Her strongest claim is the one she does not support.Correct answer
- She relied on a survey that is too old to be trusted.
- She put too much opinion into the third paragraph.
Why “Her strongest claim is the one she does not support.” is correct
This is a stated-detail question, but the detail is a judgment built up over several turns. Mr. Adeyemi praises the clarity of the argument and the numbers in paragraph three, then names the problem directly: the claim in paragraph five is the strongest thing she says and the only thing she does not support. Students who answer with the first fault they hear tend to choose paragraph four instead.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Her argument is unclear and hard to follow. — He opens by calling the argument clear, which is the one thing he does not criticize.
- She relied on a survey that is too old to be trusted. — He argues the reverse, telling her to use the two-year-old survey.
- She put too much opinion into the third paragraph. — Paragraph three is where the good numbers are; paragraph four is where opinion returns.
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.