Why does the masa squeeze out of Lucía's first tamale?
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.
Less Is More
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Show transcript
On the morning before the family party, Lucía stood next to her grandmother at the kitchen table. A tall stack of soft corn husks waited beside a big bowl of masa.
Lucía scooped a large spoonful of masa onto her first husk and spread it all the way to the edges. When she tried to fold it, the masa squeezed out of the sides and landed on her shoe.
Her grandmother did not laugh. She took a new husk, spread a thin layer of masa with the back of the spoon, and left a wide empty space at the bottom. "Less is more," she said.
By noon, Lucía had filled a whole pot by herself. When her cousins arrived that evening, she pointed to the neatest row of tamales and said, "Those are mine."
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the masa squeeze out of Lucía's first tamale?
- She used too much masa and spread it all the way to the edges.Correct answer
- The corn husks were too dry and broke apart.
- Her grandmother bumped the table while she was folding.
- She folded the husk before she added the masa.
Why “She used too much masa and spread it all the way to the edges.” is correct
This is a cause-and-effect question about a story event. The story says Lucía "scooped a large spoonful" and "spread it all the way to the edges," and then the masa squeezed out when she folded it. The grandmother's thin layer with an empty space at the bottom confirms the cause by showing the opposite.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The corn husks were too dry and broke apart. — The husks are described as soft, and nothing in the story says they broke.
- Her grandmother bumped the table while she was folding. — The grandmother does not touch the table; she only shows Lucía a better way.
- She folded the husk before she added the masa. — Lucía put the masa on first and then tried to fold it, which is the right order.
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.