What should Hector do if the two books say different things?
Listen to a Classroom Conversation · ELPAC Grades 3–5 listening. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A multiple-turn conversation between two speakers, followed by three questions.
Listen to the conversation between Mr. Tanaka and Hector in the school library. Then answer the questions.
Two Books About Monarchs
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Mr. Tanaka: Hector, you've been looking at that shelf for a long time. What are you looking for?
Hector: A book about monarch butterflies for my report. I found two, but one of them was written a really long time ago.
Mr. Tanaka: That's a smart thing to notice. Scientists learn new things about monarchs all the time, so an old book might be missing important facts.
Hector: But the old one has much better pictures.
Mr. Tanaka: Then use the pictures to help you understand, and take your facts from the newer book. If the two books say different things, write down both page numbers and show your teacher.
Hector: Can I check out both of them?
Mr. Tanaka: Yes. Just bring the old one back by next week, because another class is studying insects too.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What should Hector do if the two books say different things?
- Use only the facts from the older book
- Write down both page numbers and show his teacherCorrect answer
- Ask Mr. Tanaka to find a third book
- Leave that fact out of his report
Why “Write down both page numbers and show his teacher” is correct
This tests listening for an instruction that depends on a condition, introduced with "if". Mr. Tanaka says, "If the two books say different things, write down both page numbers and show your teacher." Students sometimes choose a sensible-sounding plan of their own, so steer them back to what the speaker actually said.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Use only the facts from the older book — Mr. Tanaka says the facts should come from the newer book, not the older one.
- Ask Mr. Tanaka to find a third book — Looking for a third book is a reasonable idea, but it is not what Mr. Tanaka tells Hector to do.
- Leave that fact out of his report — He is told to bring the problem to his teacher, not to drop the fact on his own.
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.