How does Farida feel on her first day at Rosewood Elementary?
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.
Drawing Words
On her first day at Rosewood Elementary, Farida knew only a few English words. When the teacher spoke, the sentences rushed past her like cars on a freeway. Farida held her pencil tightly and stared at her desk.
At recess, a boy named Tomás sat down next to her with a notebook. He did not say much. Instead, he drew a quick picture of a ball and wrote the word ball under it. Then he pointed to the playground.
Every day that week, Tomás drew something new: a slide, a lunch tray, a bus. Farida copied each word into her own notebook and whispered it twice.
On Friday, Farida took the notebook from Tomás and drew a small sun. Under it she wrote a word in Dari, the language her family speaks at home. "Aftab," she said slowly. Tomás tried to say it and got it wrong. Farida laughed for the first time all week, and then she said it again so he could try.
The question
Choose the best answer.
How does Farida feel on her first day at Rosewood Elementary?
- Excited to meet new friends
- Nervous and confusedCorrect answer
- Angry at the teacher
- Bored because the work is easy
Why “Nervous and confused” is correct
The passage never names Farida's feeling, so this question tests inferring a feeling from details. She knows only a few English words, the sentences "rushed past her," and she "held her pencil tightly and stared at her desk." Ask the child what someone looks like when they are nervous, then find those actions in the paragraph.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Excited to meet new friends — Nothing in the first paragraph shows excitement; she stares at her desk instead of looking around.
- Angry at the teacher — Farida does not understand the teacher, but nothing shows she is angry at her.
- Bored because the work is easy — The work is hard for her to follow, not easy.
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.