WIAT Reading Comprehension & Decoding Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads a passage about climate change and is asked: 'What is the author's main purpose?' The passage presents facts and statistics with no opinion. What is the most likely purpose?
- To inform readers about climate change data (Correct answer)
- To persuade readers to change their behavior
- To entertain readers with a fictional story
- To express the author's personal grief
Correct answer: To inform readers about climate change data
A text that presents facts and statistics without opinion has an informational or expository purpose.
Question 2: The word 'transport' contains the Latin root 'port.' Which word shares this same root meaning 'carry'?
- portable (Correct answer)
- portrait
- portion
- portal
Correct answer: portable
Portable shares the Latin root 'port' meaning to carry, as in something that can be carried.
Question 3: Which sentence contains a word used with a connotative (implied) rather than denotative (literal) meaning?
- She has a heart of gold. (Correct answer)
- The car weighs 3,000 pounds.
- He ran five miles today.
- The building has 12 floors.
Correct answer: She has a heart of gold.
Heart of gold is a figurative expression implying kindness, not a literal anatomical or mineral description.
Question 4: On the WIAT Reading Comprehension subtest, a student must retell a passage after reading it silently. Which skill is primarily being measured?
- Recall of explicit and implicit text information (Correct answer)
- Oral reading fluency and prosody
- Spelling and word formation
- Knowledge of grammar rules
Correct answer: Recall of explicit and implicit text information
Retelling tasks assess how well students comprehend and remember both stated and implied information from a passage.
Question 5: A student decodes 'knight' correctly. Which phonics concept is most relevant?
- Silent letter combinations (kn-, -ght) (Correct answer)
- Consonant blends
- Short vowel patterns
- Open syllables
Correct answer: Silent letter combinations (kn-, -ght)
Knight contains two silent letter patterns: the silent 'k' in 'kn' and the silent letters in '-ght.'
Question 6: A passage describes a character who 'wore a perpetual frown and spoke in clipped tones.' What can the reader infer about this character?
- The character is unfriendly or stern (Correct answer)
- The character is cheerful and talkative
- The character is nervous and anxious
- The character is confused and lost
Correct answer: The character is unfriendly or stern
A perpetual frown and clipped speech are textual clues suggesting a cold, stern, or unfriendly personality.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of an open syllable?
- 'me' in 'me-lon' (Correct answer)
- 'cat' in 'cat'
- 'fall' in 'fall-en'
- 'ship' in 'ship-ment'
Correct answer: 'me' in 'me-lon'
An open syllable ends in a vowel, which typically makes the vowel long, as in the 'me' in melon.
WIAT Reading Comprehension & Decoding Skills 3
A student reads a passage about climate change and is asked: 'What is the author's main purpose?' The passage presents facts and statistics with no opinion.
What is the most likely purpose?