An employee needs to move a box marked with a yellow label. According to the notice, what should the employee do?
Read a Short Informational Passage · ELPAC Grades 9–10 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A brief factual text — a notice, a label, a set of instructions — followed by questions.
Read the notice. Then answer the questions.
Notice: Stockroom Safety
All employees assigned to the stockroom must complete the ladder safety module before their first shift there. Closed-toe shoes are required at all times, and sandals are not permitted past the swinging door. Any box weighing more than forty pounds carries a yellow label. Do not lift a yellow-labeled box on your own; use the rolling cart or ask a second employee to help you. Report every spill to the shift lead immediately, even if you have already cleaned it up, so that it can be entered in the log. Employees under the age of eighteen may not operate the baler or the forklift under any circumstances.
The question
Choose the best answer.
An employee needs to move a box marked with a yellow label. According to the notice, what should the employee do?
- Report the box to the shift lead before touching it.
- Leave the box for an employee who is over the age of eighteen.
- Use the rolling cart or ask a second employee to help.Correct answer
- Complete the ladder safety module before lifting it.
Why “Use the rolling cart or ask a second employee to help.” is correct
This tests locating the rule that applies to a specific situation in a text that contains several rules. The notice defines the yellow label as marking a box over forty pounds and then gives the matching instruction: do not lift it alone, use the cart or get help. Every wrong answer is a genuine rule from the notice attached to the wrong circumstance, which is the error this item is designed to catch.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Report the box to the shift lead before touching it. — The shift lead has to be told about spills, not about heavy boxes.
- Leave the box for an employee who is over the age of eighteen. — The age rule applies only to operating the baler and the forklift.
- Complete the ladder safety module before lifting it. — The ladder safety module is required before an employee's first stockroom shift, not before each lift.
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.
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.