Why do earthworms come up onto the sidewalk after a big rain?
Listen to an Oral Presentation · ELPAC Grade 2 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A presentation on an academic topic, followed by three or four questions.
Listen to Lucia give her report to the class. Then answer the questions.
Earthworms
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Show transcript
Hello, everyone. My name is Lucia. My report is about earthworms and how they help plants.
Earthworms live under the ground. They do not have eyes, but they can feel light on their skin. Light tells them to stay underground.
As earthworms dig, they make little tunnels in the soil. Air and water move down the tunnels to the roots of plants.
Earthworms also eat old leaves. What they leave behind makes the soil rich, so plants grow better.
After a big rain, you may see earthworms on the sidewalk. Wet ground keeps their skin damp, so they can crawl far and find a new place to live.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why do earthworms come up onto the sidewalk after a big rain?
- They want to eat old leaves.
- They want to feel the light.
- Wet ground lets them crawl far to find a new place to live.Correct answer
- They are looking for a drink of water.
Why “Wet ground lets them crawl far to find a new place to live.” is correct
The last part of the report gives the reason with the word 'so': wet ground keeps an earthworm's skin damp, so it can travel far. A common wrong idea is that worms come up for a drink, so the question checks that the child listened rather than guessed. Ask your child why a worm might want to move to a new place.
Why the other answers are wrong
- They want to eat old leaves. — Earthworms eat old leaves, but the report does not connect that to coming up after rain.
- They want to feel the light. — The report says light tells earthworms to stay underground, the opposite of coming up.
- They are looking for a drink of water. — The report does not say earthworms come up to drink. It says wet ground lets them crawl far to a new place.
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.