How does a desert tortoise get most of its water?
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.
The Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise lives in the hot, dry deserts of California. It is our state reptile.
A desert tortoise does not need to drink very often. It gets most of its water from the plants and flowers it eats. After a rain, it may drink from a puddle and keep the water in its body for months.
The desert is very hot in summer. To stay cool, a tortoise digs a burrow. A burrow is a hole in the ground. The tortoise rests in its burrow during the hottest part of the day.
In winter, the desert gets cold. The tortoise goes deep into its burrow and sleeps until spring.
The question
Choose the best answer.
How does a desert tortoise get most of its water?
- From a pond near its burrow
- From the plants and flowers it eatsCorrect answer
- From puddles after it rains
- From digging deep in the ground
Why “From the plants and flowers it eats” is correct
The key word in the question is 'most'. The passage names two ways a tortoise gets water, and only one is described as most of it; puddles come up only after a rain. Have your child find the word 'most' in the passage and read that sentence.
Why the other answers are wrong
- From a pond near its burrow — The passage does not mention a pond. Deserts are dry places.
- From puddles after it rains — A tortoise may drink from a puddle after a rain, but the passage says most of its water comes from food.
- From digging deep in the ground — The tortoise digs a burrow to stay cool, not to find water.
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.