What is Imani's report mainly about?
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 Imani give her report to the class. Then answer the questions.
Poppies That Close
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Show transcript
Imani: Hello, everyone. My name is Imani, and my report is about the California poppy, our state flower.
Imani: If you walk past a field of poppies in the evening, you might think the flowers are gone. They are still there, but their orange petals are folded up tight, like a closed umbrella.
Imani: Poppies close at night, and they also close on cold, cloudy days. Scientists think this helps keep the pollen inside the flower dry and safe.
Imani: When the sun comes out and the air warms up, the petals open again. That is also when bees are out flying, so the open flower is ready for visitors. If you want to see poppies at their best, go on a sunny afternoon.
The question
Choose the best answer.
What is Imani's report mainly about?
- Why the poppy was chosen as California's state flower
- How bees collect pollen from flowers
- How California poppies open and close with the weather and time of dayCorrect answer
- Where the biggest poppy fields in California are
Why “How California poppies open and close with the weather and time of day” is correct
Main-idea questions ask what the whole talk is about, not one fact from it. Every part of Imani's report is about the petals closing at night and on cold, cloudy days, and opening again in the sun. The state flower and the bees are each mentioned once, as details that support that main idea.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Why the poppy was chosen as California's state flower — Imani says the poppy is the state flower but never explains how it was chosen.
- How bees collect pollen from flowers — Bees come up in one sentence, to explain why it helps that the petals open in the sun.
- Where the biggest poppy fields in California are — No particular place or field is named in the report.
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.