The teenager ______ the dog by its shoulders so that the veterinarian can wrap the injured leg.

Vocabulary and Grammar in Context · ELPAC Grades 9–10 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Extra practice, not a separate task on the real test: a sentence with one word missing, testing the vocabulary and grammar the passages assume.

Look at the picture, then answer the questions.

Read image description

A veterinarian in a white coat kneels beside a large dog lying on a low metal table. She is winding a bandage around the dog's front leg. A teenager stands at the head of the table with both hands on the dog's shoulders, holding it still. A roll of tape and a clipboard sit on a shelf behind them.

The question

Look at the picture. Then choose the word that best completes the sentence about it.

The teenager ______ the dog by its shoulders so that the veterinarian can wrap the injured leg.

• ArestrainsCorrect answer
• Bexamines
• Cbandages
• Dreleases

Why “restrains” is correct

This tests choosing a precise verb from what the picture shows. The teenager's hands are on the dog's shoulders, holding it still, and 'restrains' means exactly that: keeps something from moving. The other verbs all belong to the scene in some way, which is why the student has to check who is doing what before choosing.

Why the other answers are wrong

• examines — Examining the dog is the veterinarian's job, and she is wrapping a bandage, not examining; the teenager is only holding the dog.
• bandages — The veterinarian is the one bandaging. Choosing this swaps the two people in the picture.
• releases — 'Releases' means letting go, the opposite of what the teenager's hands are doing.

Practice more of this

More reading practice for Grades 9–10, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 9–10. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.