RICA RICA Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'metacognition' mean in the context of reading comprehension, and why is it important?
- Thinking about one's own thinking — readers monitor their understanding and apply fix-up strategies when comprehension breaks down (Correct answer)
- The ability to read very quickly without making errors
- Knowing all the vocabulary words in a text before reading
- The physical act of moving one's lips while reading silently
Correct answer: Thinking about one's own thinking — readers monitor their understanding and apply fix-up strategies when comprehension breaks down
Metacognitive readers notice when they have lost comprehension and strategically apply fix-up strategies such as re-reading, asking questions, or seeking context clues.
Question 2: How does building background knowledge before reading improve reading comprehension?
- Prior knowledge provides a schema — a mental framework — that helps readers make inferences, connect ideas, and construct meaning from the text (Correct answer)
- Background knowledge reduces the need for students to read the actual text
- Prior knowledge instruction is only beneficial for social studies texts, not fiction
- Building background knowledge is primarily a strategy for ELL students
Correct answer: Prior knowledge provides a schema — a mental framework — that helps readers make inferences, connect ideas, and construct meaning from the text
Schema theory explains that background knowledge provides an organizational structure into which new text information is integrated, dramatically improving comprehension and retention.
Question 3: A teacher uses a KWL chart before, during, and after a nonfiction reading unit. What does each letter stand for, and what is the instructional purpose?
- Know, Want to Know, Learned — it activates prior knowledge, sets a purpose for reading, and promotes reflection on new learning (Correct answer)
- Key, Words, Language — it is a vocabulary pre-teaching tool
- Knowledge, Writing, Listening — it integrates literacy skills across a lesson
- Keep, Wonder, Locate — it is a research strategy for finding information
Correct answer: Know, Want to Know, Learned — it activates prior knowledge, sets a purpose for reading, and promotes reflection on new learning
KWL activates background knowledge (K), establishes reading purpose through questions (W), and supports post-reading synthesis and reflection (L).
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'close reading' as an instructional strategy for improving comprehension?
- Reading a short, complex text multiple times with a different focus each time — first for gist, then for craft, then for deeper meaning — guided by text-dependent questions (Correct answer)
- Reading text in small print with magnification aids
- Reading silently at an independent level with minimal teacher involvement
- Listening to a text read aloud while following along with a finger
Correct answer: Reading a short, complex text multiple times with a different focus each time — first for gist, then for craft, then for deeper meaning — guided by text-dependent questions
Close reading involves repeated readings of a complex text with specific analytical lenses and text-dependent questions that require students to ground their answers in textual evidence.
Question 5: What is 'text-dependent questioning,' and how does it differ from questions that invite personal connections?
- Text-dependent questions require students to use evidence from the text to answer, while personal connection questions draw on students' experiences outside the text (Correct answer)
- Text-dependent questions are always literal and require no inferencing
- Personal connection questions are more rigorous than text-dependent questions
- Text-dependent questioning is a strategy only appropriate for fiction texts
Correct answer: Text-dependent questions require students to use evidence from the text to answer, while personal connection questions draw on students' experiences outside the text
Text-dependent questions push students to return to the text to locate, interpret, and synthesize evidence rather than relying solely on personal experience or prior knowledge.
Question 6: A teacher wants to help students understand the difference between a topic, a main idea, and a key detail. Which of the following accurately defines these terms?
- The topic is the general subject, the main idea is the central message about the topic, and key details are specific evidence that support the main idea (Correct answer)
- The topic is the first sentence, the main idea is the last sentence, and key details are any sentence in between
- The topic and the main idea are interchangeable terms for the same concept
- Key details are more important than the main idea for comprehension
Correct answer: The topic is the general subject, the main idea is the central message about the topic, and key details are specific evidence that support the main idea
Distinguishing topic (subject), main idea (the central claim or message), and supporting details (evidence) is a foundational comprehension skill for both fiction and nonfiction texts.
RICA RICA Reading Comprehension 2
What does 'metacognition' mean in the context of reading comprehension, and why is it important?