ELPAC Grades 3–5 Practice Tests

Part 1 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the best answer to the question.

1. What will Max do? (A) Take the spelling test for Chloe (B) Lend Chloe one of his pencils (C) Go home to get Chloe's pencil case

Part 2 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the best answer to the question.

1. Why can't the boy borrow the book today? (A) Another student has the book. (B) The library is closed today. (C) He lost his library card.

Part 3 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the best answer to the question.

1. What will Noah and his mother do tonight? (A) Write a letter to the teacher (B) Pick apples at the orchard (C) Make a lunch for the trip

Part 4 — Listen to a Classroom Conversation

Listen to the conversation. Then answer the questions.

1. What is the class doing this week? (A) Keeping a chart about the weather (B) Drawing pictures of the sun (C) Building a new thermometer
2. What problem does Ethan have? (A) He forgot to come to school early. (B) He does not like the weather chart. (C) He cannot read the small numbers.
3. What will Ava do next? (A) Write the temperature on the chart (B) Get the magnifying glass (C) Draw a cloud on the board

Part 5 — Listen to a Story

Listen to the story. Then answer the questions.

1. Why did the kite keep falling to the ground? (A) The wind was not strong enough. (B) The string was too short. (C) The tail was too heavy.
2. What did Leo do right after he remembered the ribbons? (A) He ran to Grandpa's car to get them. (B) He painted another fish on the kite. (C) He asked Grandpa to go home.
3. What does Grandpa want Leo to understand at the end of the story? (A) Kites should always have a fish on them. (B) It is important to keep trying. (C) Old socks are useful for many things.

Part 6 — Listen to a Story

Listen to the story. Then answer the questions.

1. How did Sam feel before it was his turn? (A) Bored (B) Nervous (C) Grumpy
2. How did Lily help Sam? (A) She whispered his line from the side. (B) She gave him a new mailbag. (C) She held up an envelope as a clue.
3. Why did Lily know how to help Sam? (A) She once forgot her own line in a play. (B) She was the teacher of the class. (C) She practiced with Sam at breakfast.

Part 7 — Listen to an Oral Presentation

Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.

1. What is the presentation mainly about? (A) How monarchs travel to warm places (B) Why butterflies are orange and black (C) Which plants grow best in California
2. Why do monarchs gather close together in the trees? (A) To hide from birds (B) To stay warm (C) To find milkweed
3. Why do some people plant milkweed? (A) Its flowers are the same color as monarchs. (B) It helps trees stay healthy in winter. (C) Monarch caterpillars need it for food.

Part 8 — Listen to an Oral Presentation

Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.

1. Where do saguaro cactuses grow? (A) Near the ocean in cold places (B) In rainy forests in the mountains (C) In the Sonoran Desert
2. What happens after a saguaro gets a lot of rain? (A) It gets fatter because it stores the water. (B) It grows new arms the next day. (C) Its roots grow deep under the ground.
3. Why does the ranger call the saguaro “an apartment building”? (A) It is as tall as a building. (B) Many animals make their homes in it. (C) People build houses next to it.

Part 9 — Listen to an Oral Presentation

Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.

1. Why did the Pony Express begin? (A) People wanted to ride horses for fun. (B) Sending mail to California was very slow. (C) The telegraph had stopped working.
2. Why did riders change horses at the stations? (A) So the horses would not get too tired (B) So the riders could sleep at night (C) So each station could keep some of the mail
3. What happened after workers finished the telegraph line across the country? (A) More riders joined the Pony Express. (B) Letters took months to arrive again. (C) The Pony Express closed.
4. What is the speaker's main purpose? (A) To explain how the Pony Express worked and why it ended (B) To teach listeners how to take care of horses (C) To convince listeners to write more letters

Part 1 — Talk About a Scene

1. What is this person doing?
2. What are these?
3. What are these students learning about?
4. Tell me what students can do at this listening center.

Part 2 — Speech Functions

1. Your teacher gave directions for a science activity, but you did not understand what to do first. What would you say to your teacher?
2. You and your group are choosing a topic for a class poster. Nobody can agree. What would you say to make a suggestion to your group?
3. You were walking fast in the hallway and bumped into a classmate. Her books fell on the floor. What would you say to your classmate?

Part 3 — Support an Opinion

1. Which place do you think is better for the class trip?

Part 4 — Support an Opinion

1. Which one do you think is better for the reading corner?

Part 5 — Retell a Narrative

1. Now use all the pictures to tell the story back to me.

Part 6 — Summarize an Academic Presentation

1. Now tell me about the water cycle. Be sure to: • explain what happens during evaporation • explain how clouds form • explain what happens during precipitation • use relevant details and clear language.

Part 7 — Summarize an Academic Presentation

1. Now tell me about Benjamin Franklin. Be sure to: • explain Franklin's work as a printer • explain what he did as a scientist and inventor • explain how he helped create a new country • use relevant details and clear language.

Part 1 — Read and Choose a Sentence

Look at the picture. Choose the sentence that tells about the picture.

1. Which sentence tells about the picture? (A) The boy is taking a book off the bottom shelf. (B) The girl is putting a book on the top shelf. (C) The boy is putting a book on the top shelf. (D) The boy is sitting on the floor reading a book.

Part 2 — Read and Choose a Sentence

Look at the picture. Choose the sentence that tells about the picture.

1. Which sentence tells about the picture? (A) Two girls are carrying a box of apples. (B) Two girls are eating apples under a tree. (C) One girl is carrying a box of oranges. (D) Two boys are picking apples from a tree.

Part 3 — Read a Short Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Tiny Fliers

Hummingbirds are some of the smallest birds in the world. Many kinds are only about three inches long. Hummingbirds get their name from the humming sound their wings make. Their wings move so fast that they look blurry.

Hummingbirds are also amazing fliers. They can hover, or stay in one place in the air, like a tiny helicopter. They can even fly backward!

To get energy, hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside flowers. They use their long, thin beaks and tongues to reach deep into the flowers. Because they use so much energy, they must eat many times every day. They also eat small insects.

1. What is the passage mainly about? (A) How flowers make nectar (B) Facts about hummingbirds (C) Why birds build nests (D) How helicopters fly
2. What does the word “hover” mean in the passage? (A) Fly very high (B) Make a humming sound (C) Fly backward (D) Stay in one place
3. Why do hummingbirds need to eat many times every day? (A) They use a lot of energy. (B) They cannot find insects. (C) Their wings are too small. (D) Their beaks are too long.

Part 4 — Read a Short Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Staying Warm in the Sea

Sea otters live in the cold ocean along the coast of California and in other parts of the North Pacific. Unlike most sea animals, sea otters do not have a thick layer of fat to keep them warm. Instead, they have very thick fur. In fact, sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal on Earth.

Sea otters spend a lot of time cleaning and fluffing their fur. This traps tiny bubbles of air next to their skin, which keeps them warm and dry.

Sea otters often float on their backs. When they rest, they sometimes wrap themselves in long seaweed called kelp. The kelp keeps them from drifting away while they sleep.

1. What keeps sea otters warm? (A) A thick layer of fat (B) The warm ocean water (C) Their very thick fur (D) Sleeping in caves
2. Why do sea otters wrap themselves in kelp? (A) To hide from other otters (B) To keep from drifting away (C) To clean and fluff their fur (D) To find food while they swim
3. Which sentence from the passage shows that sea otters are different from most sea animals? (A) When they rest, they sometimes wrap themselves in long seaweed called kelp. (B) Sea otters spend a lot of time cleaning and fluffing their fur. (C) Sea otters live in the cold ocean along the coast of California and in other parts of the North Pacific. (D) Unlike most sea animals, sea otters do not have a thick layer of fat to keep them warm.

Part 5 — Read a Student Essay

A student wrote this essay for the school newspaper. Read the essay. Then answer the questions.

A Walking Club for Our School

(1) Our school should start a walking club that meets before school in the morning. (2) Walking is a great way for students to get the exercise they need every day. (3) Many kids ride in cars or buses on the way to school every morning. (4) Then they sit at their desks for hours without moving very much. (5) A walking club would help students move their bodies before class begins, so they are ready to learn.

(6) Walking is also good for our brains. (7) Scientists say that exercise can help people pay attention and remember things better. (8) My cousin lives in Oregon, and it rains there a lot. (9) A walking club would help students make new friends. (10) Kids from different classes and grades could walk together in small groups. (11) They could talk. (12) They could get to know each other.

(13) Our school already has a big track behind the playground, and nobody uses it in the morning. (14) Teachers or parent volunteers could take turns doing the club. (15) The club would not cost any money, because walking only needs a pair of comfortable shoes.

(16) Walking is fun.

1. Which sentence states the writer's main claim? (A) Sentence 1 (B) Sentence 2 (C) Sentence 9 (D) Sentence 13
2. Which sentence does NOT belong in the essay? (A) Sentence 3 (B) Sentence 7 (C) Sentence 8 (D) Sentence 14
3. What is the best way to combine sentences 11 and 12? (A) They could talk, they could get to know each other. (B) They could talk, but they could get to know each other. (C) They could talk because get to know each other. (D) They could talk and get to know each other.
4. The writer wants to add a transition to the beginning of sentence 9. Which transition is best? (A) For example, (B) In addition, (C) Instead, (D) However,
5. Which word should replace “doing” in sentence 14 to make the meaning clearer? (A) leading (B) having (C) making (D) going
6. The writer wants to replace sentence 16 with a stronger conclusion. Which sentence is the best conclusion? (A) My favorite kind of exercise is swimming, and I go to the pool every Saturday. (B) Some students ride their bikes to school, and others walk with their parents. (C) The track behind the playground is very big, and it is painted red and white. (D) A walking club would keep us healthy, focused, and friendly, so our school should start one.

Part 6 — Read a Literary Passage

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

The Missing Piece

[1] Every winter, Grandma Rose came to stay with Grace's family for two weeks. And every winter, she brought a jigsaw puzzle. This year, the puzzle had one thousand pieces. The picture on the box showed a red lighthouse on a rocky beach, with seagulls flying over the waves.

[2] “One thousand pieces?” Grace said. “That will take forever.”

[3] “Not forever,” Grandma said with a wink. “Just two weeks, if we're patient.”

[4] They set up the puzzle on a card table by the living room window. First, Grandma showed Grace how to find all the edge pieces, the ones with one flat side. “We build the frame first,” she explained. “Then we fill in the middle.”

[5] Each evening after dinner, Grace and Grandma worked on the puzzle. Grandma told stories about when she was a girl and lived near the ocean. Grace sorted pieces by color: red for the lighthouse, gray for the rocks, and blue for the sky. Slowly, the picture grew. Some nights they found only ten pieces that fit, but Grandma never seemed to mind.

[6] On the last night of Grandma's visit, only one empty space was left, right in the middle of the lighthouse door. Grace searched the table. She looked in the box. She even checked under the couch cushions. The last piece was nowhere to be found.

[7] Grace's shoulders drooped. “Two whole weeks,” she said, “and now it will never be finished.”

[8] Grandma looked at the puzzle for a long moment. Then she smiled. “You know, I think I like it this way.”

[9] “With a hole in it?” Grace asked.

[10] “Every time we look at that hole, we'll remember how we searched for it together,” Grandma said. “The puzzle was never really about the picture. It was about the time we spent together.”

[11] Grace thought about the stories, the laughing, and the evenings by the window. Grandma was right. Those were the best parts.

[12] The next morning, as Grandma packed her suitcase, Grace's little dog, Pepper, trotted into the room. Something small and red was stuck to his fuzzy ear. Grace gently pulled it off. It was the missing piece!

[13] Grace laughed and handed it to Grandma. “Let's finish it together,” she said. And they pressed the last piece into place.

1. At the beginning of the story, how does Grace feel about the puzzle? (A) Excited to finish it in one night (B) Worried that it will take too long (C) Angry that Grandma brought it (D) Bored because it is too easy
2. Why does Grandma tell Grace to find the edge pieces first? (A) Edge pieces are the easiest to lose. (B) Edge pieces have the brightest colors. (C) They build the frame first and then fill in the middle. (D) Grandma wants to finish the middle by herself.
3. In paragraph 7, Grace's shoulders “drooped.” What does this show about Grace? (A) She is disappointed. (B) She is excited. (C) She is sleepy. (D) She is surprised.
4. What does Grandma mean when she says, “The puzzle was never really about the picture”? (A) She thinks the lighthouse picture is not pretty. (B) She wants to buy a new puzzle next year. (C) She never liked doing puzzles. (D) She thinks spending time together mattered most.
5. Where was the missing piece? (A) Under the couch cushions (B) Inside the puzzle box (C) Stuck to Pepper's ear (D) In Grandma's suitcase
6. Which sentence best tells a theme of the story? (A) Big puzzles should always be done as quickly as possible. (B) Time with family is more important than finishing. (C) Dogs are good at finding things that people have lost. (D) It is better to work alone than with others.

Part 7 — Read an Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Giants of the Sierra Nevada

[1] If you walk through certain forests in California, you might feel as small as an ant. That's because you would be standing among giant sequoias, the largest trees on Earth. Giant sequoias grow naturally in only one place in the world: the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. There, they grow together in groups called groves.

[2] Giant sequoias are not the tallest trees in the world. That record belongs to their cousins, the coast redwoods. But giant sequoias are the biggest trees when you measure their total size, or volume. Their trunks are enormous. The trunk of a large sequoia can be more than 30 feet wide at the bottom. It would take about twenty children holding hands to make a circle around it.

[3] The most famous giant sequoia is named the General Sherman Tree. It grows in Sequoia National Park. It is about 275 feet tall, and it is the largest single tree on Earth by volume. Scientists think it is more than 2,000 years old.

[4] Giant sequoias can live for a very long time. Some have lived for more than 3,000 years. One reason they live so long is their bark. Sequoia bark is soft and spongy, and it can be up to two feet thick. Because the bark is so thick, fire usually cannot reach the living wood inside. This helps protect the tree from forest fires.

[5] Surprisingly, fire can also help giant sequoias. Sequoia cones are small, about the size of a chicken egg. Many cones stay closed on the tree for years. The heat from a fire helps the cones dry out and open, and their tiny seeds fall to the ground. Fire also clears away bushes and dead leaves, so the seeds can reach the soil and get sunlight. This helps new sequoias grow.

[6] Today, many giant sequoias are protected in national and state parks. Every year, visitors come from all over the world to walk among these ancient giants. Standing next to a tree that was alive thousands of years ago is an experience people never forget. Visitors are asked to stay on the trails, because the roots of a sequoia are not very deep. Walking on the soil above them can harm the tree.

1. What is the main idea of the passage? (A) Coast redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. (B) Forest fires are always bad for trees. (C) Everyone should visit Sequoia National Park. (D) Giant sequoias are huge, very old trees that can survive fire.
2. According to paragraph 2, how are giant sequoias different from coast redwoods? (A) Giant sequoias are bigger in total size, but coast redwoods are taller. (B) Giant sequoias are taller, but coast redwoods are bigger in total size. (C) Giant sequoias grow next to the ocean. (D) Coast redwoods have wider trunks.
3. In paragraph 4, what does the word “spongy” most likely mean? (A) Hard, shiny, and heavy (B) Wet, cold, and slippery (C) Soft and full of holes (D) Thin, smooth, and dry
4. How does fire help giant sequoias? (A) It makes the bark grow thinner and softer. (B) It opens the cones and clears space for seeds. (C) It makes the trees grow taller in one year. (D) It keeps visitors away from the forest.
5. Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that giant sequoias can live a very long time? (A) Some have lived for more than 3,000 years. (B) Sequoia cones are small, about the size of a chicken egg. (C) It grows in Sequoia National Park. (D) Their trunks are enormous.
6. Why does the author begin the passage by saying you “might feel as small as an ant”? (A) To explain that ants live in sequoia forests (B) To warn readers that the forests are dangerous (C) To show that sequoias are the oldest living things (D) To help readers imagine how big the trees are

Part 1 — Describe a Picture

Look at the picture. Your partner wrote a paragraph about the picture.

Part 2 — Describe a Picture

Look at the picture again and read your partner's paragraph.

Part 3 — Write About an Experience

Read the question. Then write a paragraph about your experience.

Part 4 — Write About Academic Information

Look at the graphic organizer your group made.

Part 5 — Write About Academic Information

Look at the graphic organizer again.

Part 6 — Justify an Opinion

Read the question. Then write your opinion.