Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

Comprehension refers to which of the following processes?

1. Recognizing letter sounds

2. Decoding text into words

3. Interpreting and making meaning from text

4. Memorizing passages for recall

The correct answer is: Interpreting and making meaning from text

Comprehension is fundamentally the process of interpreting and making meaning from text. It involves more than just understanding the individual words or sentences; it is about grasping the overall message, themes, and nuances conveyed in the material. This process requires integrating background knowledge with the information presented, analyzing the context, and evaluating the content to derive understanding. In the context of reading development, comprehension is crucial because it impacts a student's ability to engage with and process information critically. Effective comprehension allows readers to summarize information, draw conclusions, and apply knowledge to new situations, enhancing overall learning. The other options, while important in reading development, relate to different aspects of literacy. Recognizing letter sounds pertains to phonemic awareness, decoding focuses on translating written words into sounds, and memorizing passages involves rote learning rather than understanding the underlying content. Each of these plays a role in the reading process, but they do not capture the essence of comprehension, which is all about interpreting and making sense of text.