What happens while Kai is carrying the fish tank?
Listen to a Story · ELPAC Grades 3–5 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A multiple-turn conversation or narrative, followed by three questions.
Listen to the story. Then answer the questions.
The Friday Job
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Show transcript
Every Friday, Kai carried the class fish tank to the sink to change the water. He liked the job because he was the only one who never spilled.
One Friday, the hallway floor was wet, and Kai felt his shoe slide. He gripped the tank hard and stopped himself against the wall.
Water splashed over his sleeve, but not one drop landed on the floor, and the fish stayed in the tank.
Kai stood still until his heart stopped pounding, then laughed at his soaked sleeve. He decided he would ask for a partner next Friday.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What happens while Kai is carrying the fish tank?
- He drops the tank and the fish spill out.
- He slips on the wet floor but holds on to the tank.Correct answer
- He asks a classmate to help him carry it.
- He pours the water into the sink too quickly.
Why “He slips on the wet floor but holds on to the tank.” is correct
This is a story-event question, and the event is told across two sentences: "Kai felt his shoe slide" and "He gripped the tank hard and stopped himself against the wall." A student who hears only the first sentence may assume the accident was worse than it was. The next sentence settles it — water splashed on his sleeve, but the fish stayed in the tank.
Why the other answers are wrong
- He drops the tank and the fish spill out. — Water splashes on his sleeve, but the tank never falls and the fish stay inside.
- He asks a classmate to help him carry it. — He only decides to ask for a partner afterwards, for the following Friday.
- He pours the water into the sink too quickly. — The slip happens in the hallway; the story never reaches the sink.
Practice more of this
More listening practice for Grades 3–5, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 3–5. 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.