ELPAC Practice

What does a tadpole have? (Frogs)

Read-Along Information with Scaffolding · ELPAC Kindergarten reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

The student follows along while the examiner reads an informational text aloud, with pictures for support.

Sit with your child. Read the text aloud while your child follows along. The real test shows three pictures here; they are described in words under the text, so read those aloud too. Then read each question and its three answers aloud.

Frogs

Frogs lay eggs in water. A tadpole comes out of each egg. A tadpole has a long tail. It swims like a fish. Then the tadpole grows legs. Its tail gets small. Now it is a frog! A frog can jump. A frog eats bugs.

Picture one: little round eggs float in a pond.

Picture two: a small tadpole with a long tail swims in the water.

Picture three: a green frog sits on a rock and catches a fly with its tongue.

The question

Read the question and the three answers aloud to your child.

What does a tadpole have?

  • wings
  • a long tailCorrect answer
  • big ears

Why “a long tail” is correct

Tadpole is a new word for most five-year-olds, so this question is really about learning a word from the text around it. Reread "A tadpole has a long tail. It swims like a fish." and point to the second picture. A child who can tell you what a tadpole is afterwards has done exactly what this task type is meant to build.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • wings — Nothing in the text has wings. A child who picks this may be guessing at an unfamiliar animal word.
  • big ears — Ears are not mentioned. This catches a child who is guessing rather than going back to the words.

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.