Why does Dev pick up the shell that night?
Read a Literary Passage · ELPAC Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A short story or scene, with questions about characters, events and what words mean in context.
Read the story. Then answer the questions.
The Quiet Shell
Dev found a shell at the beach. It was gray outside and pink inside. He held it to his ear. He heard a soft sound, like wind in a tunnel.
His sister Anya laughed. "That is not the ocean," she said. "It is only the air moving inside."
Dev put the shell in his pocket anyway. At home he set it on the shelf by his bed.
That night the house was loud. A truck rumbled past. A door banged. Dev picked up the shell and held it to his ear. The soft sound came back, and he fell asleep.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does Dev pick up the shell that night?
- The noises in the house are keeping him awake.Correct answer
- He wants to show it to Anya.
- He wants to check whether Anya was right.
- He wants to put it back in his pocket.
Why “The noises in the house are keeping him awake.” is correct
This is a motivation question, and the story supplies the reason as a set of noises rather than as a statement: the house is loud, a truck goes past, a door bangs, and then he reaches for the shell. Ask the child what happens in the three sentences before he picks it up. Noticing that a writer can give a reason without ever using the word 'because' is the point of the item.
Why the other answers are wrong
- He wants to show it to Anya. — Anya's conversation with Dev happens at the beach, and she is not in the night-time scene at all.
- He wants to check whether Anya was right. — Dev keeps the shell even after Anya explains the sound, so the story shows him unbothered by who is right.
- He wants to put it back in his pocket. — The shell went into his pocket at the beach; by that night it is already on the shelf by his bed.
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.