Who got the ball for Ana?
Read-Along Story with Scaffolding · ELPAC Kindergarten reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
The student follows along while the examiner reads a short story aloud, with pictures for support.
Sit with your child. Read the story aloud while your child follows along with your finger. Look at the three pictures together and talk about them. Then read each question and its three answers aloud.
Ana and the Red Ball
Ana had a red ball. She played with it at the park. The ball rolled under a bench. Ana could not reach it. A dog ran to the bench. The dog got the ball. The dog gave the ball to Ana. Ana was happy.
Read panel descriptions
Picture one: Ana stands on the grass at a park. She holds a big red ball.
Picture two: the red ball sits under a long wooden bench. Ana is on her knees, reaching for it.
Picture three: a brown dog drops the ball into Ana's hands. Ana is smiling.
The question
Read the question and the three answers aloud to your child.
Who got the ball for Ana?
- a dogCorrect answer
- a teacher
- her mom
Why “a dog” is correct
A "who" question asks your child to hold a character in mind across several sentences, which is harder than it sounds when the character only turns up halfway through. Ask "who" questions about every story you read at home; it is the same skill the test comes back to again and again. If your child names someone who is not in the story, reread the last three sentences and point at the third picture.
Why the other answers are wrong
- a teacher — No teacher appears in this story. A child who picks this is answering from school stories in general rather than from what they just heard.
- her mom — Ana's mom is never mentioned. Familiar people get pulled into an answer when a child is guessing.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Kindergarten, or see the ELPAC practice test for kindergarten. 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.