ELPAC Grades 6–8 Practice Tests

Part 1 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then answer the question.

1. What will the boy most likely do? (A) Return the book without finishing it (B) Ask the librarian for more time with the book (C) Stay up late to finish the book tonight

Part 2 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then answer the question.

1. What does Chloe mean when she says Ava is “under the weather”? (A) Ava is a little sick. (B) Ava got caught in the rain. (C) Ava is upset with Mr. Hughes.

Part 3 — Listen to a Short Exchange

Listen to the conversation. Then answer the question.

1. What does the teacher want the students to do? (A) Buy lunch at the café (B) Arrive at school at eight o'clock (C) Bring a lunch from home

Part 4 — Listen to a Classroom Conversation

Listen to the conversation. Then answer the questions.

1. What problem do the students have with their model? (A) The planets are painted the wrong colors. (B) The planets are spaced evenly apart. (C) The model is missing two planets.
2. Why does Ms. Parker mention the chart in chapter four? (A) To help the students figure out how far apart the planets should be (B) To show the students which colors to paint the planets (C) To remind the students when the model is due
3. What will Ethan do next? (A) Redo the math for the model (B) Buy a bigger cardboard box (C) Measure the classroom ceiling

Part 5 — Listen to an Oral Presentation

Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.

1. What is the presentation mainly about? (A) The long seasonal journey that monarch butterflies make (B) The reasons butterflies are orange and black (C) The best way to raise butterflies in a classroom
2. According to the speaker, what is special about monarchs born at the end of summer? (A) They are larger than other monarchs. (B) They have made the trip south before. (C) They live much longer than other monarchs.
3. What does the speaker mean when he says the sun works “a bit like a built-in compass”? (A) The monarchs fly only on sunny days. (B) The monarchs use the sun to find their direction. (C) The monarchs need the sun to keep their wings warm.
4. Why do many schools and families plant milkweed? (A) To keep monarchs from flying to Mexico (B) To give monarch caterpillars the only food they eat (C) To replace the fir trees where monarchs spend the winter

Part 6 — Listen to an Oral Presentation

Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.

1. Why was the Pony Express started? (A) To carry travelers across the country by horse (B) To build the first telegraph line in the West (C) To get mail across the country much faster
2. How did the riders keep the mail moving quickly? (A) They switched to fresh horses at stations. (B) They rode without stopping for the whole route. (C) They rode only during the daylight hours.
3. Why was the Pony Express used mostly by businesses, newspapers, and the government? (A) Families were not allowed to send letters. (B) Sending a letter cost a lot of money. (C) The riders delivered only to large cities.
4. What caused the Pony Express to close? (A) The riders refused to cross the mountains in winter. (B) The price of sending a letter became too low. (C) A telegraph line across the country was finished.

Part 7 — Listen to a Speaker Support an Opinion

Listen to the speech. Then answer the questions.

1. What is the speaker's main claim? (A) The school day should begin later in the morning. (B) Students should go to bed earlier on school nights. (C) First period should be removed from the schedule.
2. Which evidence does the speaker use to support her second reason? (A) Test scores from a school that starts later (B) A note from the school principal (C) A survey of students in her science class
3. How does the speaker respond to the concern about after-school sports and jobs? (A) She says sports are less important than sleep. (B) She says practices could simply start a little later. (C) She suggests that students quit their after-school jobs.
4. What does the speaker ask the student council to do at the end? (A) Write the principal a letter of support (B) Vote to make the school day thirty minutes shorter (C) Survey every student in the school about sleep

Part 8 — Listen to a Speaker Support an Opinion

Listen to the speech. Then answer the questions.

1. What is the speaker's main opinion? (A) Students should spend less time on homework and sports. (B) The school should start a club for community service. (C) Every student should volunteer at the food bank.
2. Why does the speaker mention that his group packed more than four hundred boxes of food? (A) To explain why the food bank needs more money (B) To describe the hardest job he has ever done (C) To show how much a group of volunteers can accomplish
3. Which concern does the speaker respond to? (A) Students may already be too busy to volunteer. (B) A club would cost the school too much money. (C) Volunteering might not be safe for students.
4. According to the speaker, how would a club make it easier for students to volunteer? (A) Students would be paid for each project. (B) Parents would drive students to every event. (C) A teacher would organize projects near the school.

Part 1 — Talk About a Scene

1. What is this student doing?
2. What are these?
3. What are the students learning about?
4. Tell me what this student can do with the paints on her palette.

Part 2 — Speech Functions

1. You see a book about ocean animals on your teacher's classroom bookshelf. You would like to take it home to read over the weekend. What would you say to your teacher to ask for permission?
2. You and your partner have a big science project due on Friday. Your partner wants to wait and do all the work on Thursday night. What would you say to your partner to suggest a better plan?

Part 3 — Support an Opinion

1. Which place do you think the class should visit, the aquarium or the planetarium?

Part 4 — Support an Opinion

1. Which class do you think the school should add, robotics or music?

Part 5 — Present and Discuss Information

1. What does the graph show about how students at Lincoln Middle School get to school? Include details from the graph in your answer.
2. Is the following claim supported or not supported based on the information in the graph? “More students at Lincoln Middle School walk or bike to school than ride in a car.” Give details from the graph to support your answer.

Part 6 — Summarize an Academic Presentation

1. Summarize the information you heard. Be sure to: • explain what coral is and how reefs form • explain why coral reefs are important • explain what is harming reefs and how people are helping • use relevant details and clear language.

Part 7 — Summarize an Academic Presentation

1. Summarize the information you heard. Be sure to: • explain why Sequoyah wanted to create a writing system • explain how he created it • explain what happened after he finished it • use relevant details and clear language.

Part 1 — Read a Short Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Staying Warm in Cold Water

Sea otters live in the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean, including along the coast of central California. Unlike whales and seals, sea otters do not have a thick layer of fat, called blubber, to keep them warm. Instead, they rely on their fur. A sea otter's fur is the thickest of any animal on Earth, with up to one million hairs in a single square inch.

The fur traps a layer of air next to the otter's skin, and this air keeps the cold water away from its body. To keep their fur working, sea otters spend hours each day grooming. They comb their fur with their paws and even blow air into it. Sea otters also eat a lot to produce body heat. An adult may eat about one quarter of its body weight in food every day.

1. What is the passage mainly about? (A) Why sea otters live only in California (B) How sea otters stay warm without blubber (C) How sea otters are different from whales in size (D) Why sea otters need to eat fish
2. Read this sentence from the passage.“Instead, they rely on their fur.”What does the word “rely” mean? (A) clean often (B) grow slowly (C) show off (D) depend on
3. Why do sea otters spend hours each day grooming? (A) To keep a layer of air in their fur (B) To remove extra hair from their fur (C) To dry their fur in the sun (D) To make their fur change color

Part 2 — Read a Short Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

The Story of the Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell is one of the best-known symbols of freedom in the United States. In 1751, leaders of Pennsylvania ordered a large bell for their State House in Philadelphia, the building now called Independence Hall. The bell arrived from England in 1752, but it cracked the first time it was rung. Two local workers, John Pass and John Stow, melted it down and cast a new bell from the same metal.

The bell carries words from the Bible: “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.” In the 1830s, people working to end slavery used the bell as a symbol of their cause and began calling it the Liberty Bell. By the 1840s, the bell had a long crack, and it could no longer be rung normally. Today, the bell is displayed near Independence Hall, where millions of people visit it every year.

1. What happened right after the bell cracked for the first time? (A) It was sent back to England. (B) It was hung in a different building. (C) Two workers used its metal to make a new bell. (D) People began calling it the Liberty Bell.
2. According to the passage, how did the bell get the name “Liberty Bell”? (A) People working to end slavery started using the name. (B) Pennsylvania leaders chose the name in 1751. (C) The workers who made it gave it the name. (D) It was named after the building it hung in.
3. How is the information in the passage mainly organized? (A) As a problem and several possible solutions (B) As a comparison of two different bells (C) As a list of reasons people visit Philadelphia (D) In time order, from when the bell was made to today

Part 3 — Read a Student Essay

Read the essay a student wrote. The essay may need some changes. Then answer the questions.

Reading Buddies for Both Schools

(1) Every day, most students at Oak Valley Middle School walk past Jefferson Elementary without thinking about the younger kids inside. (2) I think our school should start a buddy reading program in which middle school students read with elementary students once a week. (3) This program would help the younger students, and it would help us, too.

(4) First, young children become better readers when they practice with an older student. (5) When a child reads aloud to a buddy, the buddy can help with hard words and ask questions about the story. (6) My cousin was part of a program like this at her school in Oregon. (7) Her teacher reported that most students in the class read more books that year than the year before. (8) Oregon is also famous for its tall forests and rainy weather.

(9) Second, being a reading buddy helps middle school students. (10) We would practice reading clearly and explaining ideas patiently. (11) We would also learn to be responsible, because a younger child would be counting on us. (12) Many older students in these programs say they feel proud when they see there buddy improve.

(13) Some people worry that the program would take time away from our own classes. (14) However, the program would take only thirty minutes during our advisory period. (15) Advisory is usually used for quiet reading anyway. (16) Also, Jefferson Elementary is only two blocks from our school. (17) Students could walk there together with a teacher.

(18) Starting a buddy reading program would be good. (19) It would help younger kids become stronger readers. (20) It would help us become more confident leaders.

1. Which sentence states the writer's main claim? (A) sentence 1 (B) sentence 2 (C) sentence 6 (D) sentence 13
2. Which sentence does NOT belong in the essay and should be removed? (A) sentence 5 (B) sentence 7 (C) sentence 8 (D) sentence 10
3. Which sentence gives evidence that buddy reading programs help younger students? (A) sentence 3 (B) sentence 7 (C) sentence 11 (D) sentence 16
4. Which word should replace “there” in sentence 12? (A) their (B) they're (C) theirs (D) there's
5. What is the best way to combine sentences 14 and 15? (A) However, the program would take only thirty minutes during our advisory period, which is usually used for quiet reading anyway. (B) However, the program would take only thirty minutes during our advisory period, advisory is usually used for quiet reading anyway. (C) However, the program would take only thirty minutes during our advisory period, but advisory is never used for reading. (D) Because advisory is used for quiet reading, the program would take only thirty minutes.
6. Which word or phrase should be added to the beginning of sentence 17 to best connect it to sentence 16? (A) However, (B) Therefore, (C) For example, (D) Instead,
7. The writer wants to make sentence 18 more precise. Which revision is best? (A) Starting a buddy reading program would be pretty nice. (B) Starting a buddy reading program would be a thing we could do. (C) Starting a buddy reading program would be okay for everyone. (D) Starting a buddy reading program would benefit students at both schools.
8. Which sentence would best conclude the essay if it were added after sentence 20? (A) Jefferson Elementary was built many years before our school was. (B) Some students do not enjoy reading out loud to other people. (C) Please support a buddy program so both schools can grow. (D) My favorite book is about a dog that travels into space.

Part 4 — Read a Literary Passage

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Wind Doesn't Hurry

[1] Isla had exactly one week to build a kite for the Harbor Days Kite Festival, and she intended to win. On Saturday morning, she spread her supplies across Grandpa Henry's garage floor: two thin wooden sticks, a sheet of red nylon, a roll of string, and a sketch she had copied from a library book.

[2] “Diamond shape,” Grandpa said, looking over her shoulder. “A classic.”

[3] Isla worked quickly. She tied the sticks into a cross, glued the nylon over them, and knotted the string to the center. By lunchtime, the kite was finished. It looked exactly like the picture in the book.

[4] “Let's test it,” she said, already halfway out the door.

[5] The field behind the garage was wide and empty, and a steady breeze bent the tall grass. Isla ran with the kite held high over her head. For one glorious second, it lifted. Then it twisted, spun, and dove toward the ground like a hawk chasing a mouse. It hit the dirt with a sharp crack.

[6] Isla's heart sank. One of the sticks had split down the middle.

[7] “It's ruined,” she said, dropping the string. “I should just buy one at the store like everybody else.”

[8] Grandpa picked up the broken kite and turned it over in his large, careful hands. “It isn't ruined,” he said. “It's talking to you. It's telling you what it needs.”

[9] Isla crossed her arms. “Kites don't talk.”

[10] “Sure they do. This one spun because it had nothing to keep it steady. It needs a tail. And this stick was too thin for a wind like today's.” He handed the kite back to her. “You built it in three hours. Wind doesn't care how fast you work, Isla. Wind doesn't hurry.”

[11] That afternoon, Isla reluctantly went back to the garage. This time she chose a thicker stick and measured it twice before cutting. She tore an old T-shirt into strips and tied them together to make a long tail. When the glue needed to dry overnight, she made herself wait, even though waiting felt like trying to hold her breath for an entire day.

[12] On Sunday, the second test flight lasted longer. The kite climbed, wobbled, then drifted slowly down. Isla did not throw the string this time. She studied the kite the way Grandpa had, and she noticed that the tail was too short. She added three more strips.

[13] By Wednesday, the kite rose straight into the sky and stayed there, its red shape bright against the wide blue page of the sky. The tail danced behind it. Isla felt the string pull gently in her hands, as if the kite were alive.

[14] At the festival on Saturday, Isla's kite did not win first prize. A boy named Caleb won with an enormous dragon kite that took two people to hold. But when the judges handed out ribbons, Isla received one for “Best Handmade Design.”

[15] Walking home, she held the ribbon in one hand and the kite in the other. “Grandpa,” she said, “next year I'm starting a month early.”

[16] Grandpa smiled. “Now you're listening to the wind.”

1. Which sentence best states a theme of the story? (A) Winning a prize is the most important part of any contest. (B) Store-bought things are usually better than handmade things. (C) Taking time to learn from mistakes leads to better results. (D) Grandparents always know the right answer.
2. In paragraph 5, the author says the kite “dove toward the ground like a hawk chasing a mouse.” What does this comparison show? (A) The kite fell suddenly and fast. (B) The kite looked like a bird. (C) The kite flew gracefully in circles. (D) The kite was blown far away.
3. What does Grandpa mean when he says the kite is “talking to you” in paragraph 8? (A) Isla should build a kite that makes noise. (B) Isla is too upset to hear what he is saying. (C) The kite is too badly broken to ever be fixed. (D) How the kite failed shows what Isla must fix.
4. In paragraph 11, what does the word “reluctantly” suggest about Isla? (A) She was excited to start working again. (B) She did not want to go back to work on it. (C) She had forgotten about the kite festival. (D) She was angry at her grandfather for his advice.
5. How does Isla change from the beginning of the story to the end? (A) She becomes less interested in kites. (B) She decides to let Grandpa build her kites. (C) She learns to be patient and plan ahead. (D) She becomes more worried about winning.
6. Which sentence from the story best shows that Isla has begun to follow Grandpa's advice? (A) “Let's test it,” she said, already halfway out the door. (B) Isla crossed her arms. “Kites don't talk.” (C) A boy named Caleb won with an enormous dragon kite that took two people to hold. (D) She studied the kite the way Grandpa had, and she noticed that the tail was too short.

Part 5 — Read an Informational Passage

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Dancing Directions: How Honeybees Share Information

[1] A single honeybee colony can contain tens of thousands of bees, and all of them need food. Honeybees make their food from the nectar and pollen of flowers. But flowers can be hard to find, and they may bloom far from the hive. So how does a colony make sure that its workers find the best flowers? The answer is surprising: the bees dance.

[2] Worker bees that search for food are called foragers. When a forager discovers a good patch of flowers, she flies back to the hive carrying nectar and pollen. Inside the dark hive, on the vertical surface of the honeycomb, she begins to move in a special pattern while other bees crowd around her. These bees cannot see the dance well in the darkness, so they follow the dancer closely and feel her movements with their antennae.

[3] If the flowers are close to the hive, the forager performs what scientists call a round dance. She runs in small circles, first one way and then the other. This dance tells the other bees that food is nearby, and they fly out and search the area around the hive, partly by following the scent of the flowers that clings to the dancer.

[4] If the flowers are farther away, the forager performs a waggle dance. She runs forward in a straight line while shaking, or waggling, her body from side to side. Then she circles back and repeats the straight run again and again. Each part of this dance carries information. The direction of the straight run shows where the flowers are. If the bee runs straight up the honeycomb, the flowers are in the same direction as the sun. If she runs at an angle to the right of straight up, the flowers are at that same angle to the right of the sun. The length of the waggle run shows distance: the longer the bee waggles, the farther away the food is. A very excited dance that is repeated many times tells the other bees that the flowers are especially rich in nectar.

[5] Much of what we know about these dances comes from Karl von Frisch, an Austrian scientist who studied honeybees for decades. He set up feeding stations with sugar water at different distances and directions from hives. Then he marked bees with small dots of paint and carefully watched how they danced when they returned. Over many years, he showed that the dances matched the locations of the feeding stations. Many scientists doubted at first that insects could share such detailed information, but later research supported his findings. In 1973, von Frisch shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on animal behavior.

[6] Today, scientists continue to study the waggle dance. By “reading” the dances in a hive, researchers can learn where bees are finding food and which areas have the most flowers. This information can help farmers and communities protect the plants that bees depend on.

1. What is the central idea of the passage? (A) Honeybees use dances to tell other bees where to find food. (B) Honeybees can see very well in the dark. (C) Flowers bloom in different places each year. (D) Karl von Frisch was the first person to keep honeybees.
2. In paragraph 2, what are “foragers”? (A) Bees that guard the entrance of the hive (B) Bees that build the honeycomb (C) Bees that search for food (D) Bees that care for young bees
3. According to paragraph 4, what does the length of the waggle run show? (A) How many bees should follow the dancer (B) How far away the flowers are (C) What color the flowers are (D) How much nectar the dancer is carrying
4. Why do the other bees follow the dancer closely and touch her with their antennae? (A) They want to take the nectar she is carrying. (B) They are trying to stop her from leaving the hive. (C) They are cleaning pollen off her body. (D) It is too dark in the hive to see the dance well.
5. What is the main purpose of paragraph 5? (A) To explain how scientists learned what the bee dances mean (B) To describe how bees make sugar water (C) To argue that bees are smarter than other insects (D) To compare the round dance and the waggle dance
6. Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that studying bee dances is still useful today? (A) “Much of what we know about these dances comes from Karl von Frisch, an Austrian scientist who studied honeybees for decades.” (B) “Inside the dark hive, on the vertical surface of the honeycomb, she begins to move in a special pattern while other bees crowd around her.” (C) “By ‘reading’ the dances in a hive, researchers can learn where bees are finding food and which areas have the most flowers.” (D) “Then he marked bees with small dots of paint and carefully watched how they danced when they returned.”

Part 1 — Describe a Picture

Look at the picture. Your partner wrote a paragraph about the picture. You will help your partner revise the paragraph.

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 and write your answer in the box. Make sure you write a paragraph.

Part 4 — Write About Academic Information

Read the information in the graphic organizer. Then answer the question.

Part 5 — Write About Academic Information

Read the information in the graphic organizer again. Then answer the question.

Part 6 — Justify an Opinion

Read the information. Then write your essay in the box.