What happens after Yusuf turns his back and counts to two hundred?
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.
What happens after Yusuf turns his back and counts to two hundred?
- The cat runs down Palm Street.
- The loose board falls off the fence.
- He goes home without leaving any food.
- The sandwich is gone when he looks again.Correct answer
Why “The sandwich is gone when he looks again.” is correct
This tests sequence: what comes next in the order the story tells it. The counting ends one paragraph, and the very next line reports what Yusuf sees when he finally looks. Ask the child to put a finger on the counting sentence and then read the sentence immediately after it.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The cat runs down Palm Street. — The cat is never described running away; Yusuf hears nothing at all while his back is turned.
- The loose board falls off the fence. — The board is already hanging loose at the start of the passage and never falls off.
- He goes home without leaving any food. — Yusuf does leave food; he sets it down before he walks away.
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.