ELPAC Practice

Why does a mouse not hear an owl coming?

Read an Informational Passage · ELPAC Grade 2 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

A longer factual text, with questions about the main idea, supporting details and vocabulary.

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Why Owls Hunt at Night

Most birds sleep at night. Owls do the opposite. They rest in the day and hunt after dark.

An owl has very large eyes. Big eyes let in more light, so an owl can see a mouse on a dark night.

An owl hears well too. Its ears are not the same height on its head. One ear is a little higher than the other. The sound of a mouse reaches one ear first. That small difference tells the owl where to look.

Owl feathers have soft edges. The soft edges make the wings quiet. A mouse does not hear the owl until it is too late.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Why does a mouse not hear an owl coming?

  • The mouse is asleep.
  • The owl is still far away.
  • The soft edges of the owl's feathers make its wings quiet.Correct answer
  • The owl hunts in the daytime.

Why “The soft edges of the owl's feathers make its wings quiet.” is correct

This is a cause-and-effect question spanning two sentences: the feathers make the wings quiet, and therefore the mouse hears nothing. The passage states the cause first and the result second, with no connecting word, so the child has to supply the link. Read the last paragraph aloud and ask what the quiet wings do for the owl.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • The mouse is asleep. — The passage never says the mouse is asleep, and a mouse out at night is awake.
  • The owl is still far away. — The problem for the mouse is that the owl gets close without being heard, which is the opposite of being far away.
  • The owl hunts in the daytime. — The first paragraph says owls hunt after dark, so this contradicts the passage.

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.