Which sentence best describes the picture? “Three children plant a tree in the schoolyard”
Read and Choose a Sentence · ELPAC Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
The student reads three or four sentences and chooses the one that best describes a picture.
Look at the picture, then answer the questions.
Read image description
Three children work in a schoolyard. One child holds a young tree straight up. The other two push dirt around its roots with small shovels. An empty pot lies on its side nearby.
The question
Read the four sentences. Choose the one that best describes the picture.
Which sentence best describes the picture?
- Three children water the flowers by the gate.
- Two children dig a hole for a fence post.
- Three children carry a tree into the school.
- Three children plant a tree in the schoolyard.Correct answer
Why “Three children plant a tree in the schoolyard.” is correct
Read and Choose a Sentence asks the child to check a whole sentence against a scene, and the wrong answers each change one element: the number of children, the object, or what is being done with it. Work through the choices with the child by asking three questions in order — how many, what, and doing what. The empty pot on its side is the detail that confirms the tree is going into the ground.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Three children water the flowers by the gate. — There are three children, but they are working with dirt and a tree, and no flowers or water appear.
- Two children dig a hole for a fence post. — Digging is close to what is happening, but there are three children, not two, and no fence post.
- Three children carry a tree into the school. — The tree is right, but it is being planted outside in the schoolyard, not carried indoors.
Practice more of this
More reading 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.