Why does Yusuf take the long way home?
Read a Literary Passage · ELPAC Grades 3–5 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A short story or scene, with questions about characters, events and what words mean in context.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
The Loose Board
Every afternoon Yusuf took the long way home so he could pass the empty lot on Palm Street. A wooden fence ran along one side, and one board near the corner hung loose. Behind that board, in a hollow under a stack of bricks, lived a thin gray cat.
On Monday Yusuf brought half of his cheese sandwich. The cat would not come out. On Tuesday he set the food down, walked ten steps away, and sat on the curb with his back turned. He heard nothing. He counted to two hundred.
When he finally looked, the sandwich was gone.
By Friday the cat was waiting. It pressed its nose against the gap in the fence before Yusuf even opened his backpack. Yusuf grinned so wide that his cheeks ached, and he was still grinning when he reached his own front steps.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does Yusuf take the long way home?
- The short way home is closed.
- He wants to walk past the lot where the cat lives.Correct answer
- He is trying to stay away from a friend.
- He likes to look at the wooden fence.
Why “He wants to walk past the lot where the cat lives.” is correct
This is a character-motivation question, and the passage supplies the reason in its first sentence: Yusuf goes the long way 'so he could pass the empty lot'. The rest of the passage shows why that lot matters to him. With a child, look for the word 'so', which often introduces a character's reason.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The short way home is closed. — The passage never says any route is closed; going the long way is Yusuf's own choice.
- He is trying to stay away from a friend. — Nothing in the passage mentions avoiding another person.
- He likes to look at the wooden fence. — The fence is described, but only because the loose board is where the cat hides.
Practice more of this
More reading 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.