Why did Grandma hold up her own first tamal?
Listen to a Story · ELPAC Grade 2 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A multiple-turn conversation or narrative, followed by three questions.
Listen to the story. Then answer the questions.
Making Tamales
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Every December, Luis helped his grandma make tamales. This year his job was to spread the masa on the corn husks.
His first tamal was lumpy. The masa was too thick, and it squeezed out the sides. Luis frowned and pushed the bowl away.
Grandma did not fix it for him. Instead, she held up her own first tamal of the day. It was lumpy too. "Mine always look like that at first," she said. "Use the back of the spoon, and go slowly."
Luis tried again. This time the masa was thin and smooth. By the end of the day he had made twenty tamales, and Grandma said his were the best ones on the plate.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why did Grandma hold up her own first tamal?
- To show Luis how a tamal should look
- To show Luis that her first one was lumpy tooCorrect answer
- To give Luis something to eat
- To ask Luis to fix it for her
Why “To show Luis that her first one was lumpy too” is correct
This asks for a character's reason, and the story leaves it for the listener to work out. Grandma's words, 'Mine always look like that at first,' show she wants Luis to know everyone starts out lumpy, so he should not give up. Ask your child what Luis did right before Grandma held up her tamal, and how her words might make him feel.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To show Luis how a tamal should look — Grandma's first tamal was lumpy, so it was not an example of a good one.
- To give Luis something to eat — Nobody eats in this part of the story. Grandma holds the tamal up to show it.
- To ask Luis to fix it for her — Grandma gives Luis advice about his own tamal. She does not ask him to fix hers.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grade 2, or see the ELPAC practice test for grade 2. 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.