What is the main idea of Jasmine's report?
Listen to an Oral Presentation · ELPAC Grades 3–5 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A presentation on an academic topic, followed by three or four questions.
Listen to Jasmine give her report to the class. Then answer the questions.
Sea Otters and Kelp Forests
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Show transcript
Good morning. My name is Jasmine, and my report is about sea otters.
Sea otters matter to the ocean because they protect kelp forests. Kelp is a tall seaweed that grows in thick underwater forests along the California coast.
Sea urchins eat kelp, and when there are too many urchins, the forest disappears. Sea otters eat urchins all day long. One otter can eat about a quarter of its own body weight in food every day.
Where otters live, the kelp grows back, and fish and crabs come back with it. That is why people call the sea otter a keystone animal.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What is the main idea of Jasmine's report?
- Sea urchins are the most common animal on the California coast.
- Sea otters keep kelp forests healthy by eating sea urchins.Correct answer
- Kelp is a tall seaweed that grows in underwater forests.
- Sea otters have to eat a large amount of food every day.
Why “Sea otters keep kelp forests healthy by eating sea urchins.” is correct
Main-idea questions ask which statement the whole talk exists to support. Jasmine states her point in her second sentence — "Sea otters matter to the ocean because they protect kelp forests" — and every fact after it explains how. Two of the wrong answers are true statements from the report, which is what makes this a main-idea question rather than a detail question: the test is whether the student can tell a supporting fact from the point being made.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Sea urchins are the most common animal on the California coast. — Urchins appear in the report, but nothing is said about how common they are compared with other animals.
- Kelp is a tall seaweed that grows in underwater forests. — This is true and stated, but it is background so the audience knows what kelp is.
- Sea otters have to eat a large amount of food every day. — How much an otter eats is a supporting detail that explains how otters keep urchin numbers down.
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.