Read this sentence from the passage: "Rain is rare in the desert, so a tortoise must make the most of every…
Read an Informational Passage · ELPAC Grades 3–5 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A longer factual text, with questions about the main idea, supporting details and vocabulary.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Life Underground
The desert tortoise lives in the Mojave Desert in southern California. Summer days there can be hotter than 110 degrees, and winter nights can drop below freezing. A tortoise cannot sweat or shiver to stay comfortable. So it digs.
With its strong, flat front legs, a tortoise digs a burrow, a tunnel under the ground. Deep inside, the soil stays cool in summer and does not freeze in winter. A tortoise spends most of its life in its burrow. It comes out mainly in spring, when there are fresh plants to eat.
Rain is rare in the desert, so a tortoise must make the most of every storm. After a rain, it drinks from puddles and can store water inside its body for months. Some tortoises even scrape small dips in the dirt that catch rainwater.
Other animals use tortoise burrows, too. Lizards, snakes and even burrowing owls hide in them to escape the heat. That is one reason scientists say that protecting the tortoise helps protect many desert animals.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read this sentence from the passage: "Rain is rare in the desert, so a tortoise must make the most of every storm." What does "make the most of" mean?
- Make storms happen more often
- Stay away from storms
- Count how many storms there are
- Use something as fully as it canCorrect answer
Why “Use something as fully as it can” is correct
This tests a common English phrase that cannot be worked out word by word. "Make the most of" means to get as much use as possible from something. The next sentences show what that looks like: the tortoise drinks from puddles and stores water for months.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Make storms happen more often — A tortoise cannot cause rain. The phrase is about using the rain that does fall.
- Stay away from storms — The tortoise drinks after the rain, so it is not avoiding storms.
- Count how many storms there are — Counting is not mentioned. The phrase is about getting water, not keeping track.
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.