A teacher pauses while reading aloud and asks students what the book is about. Which reading skill is the teacher assessing?

A teacher pauses while reading aloud and asks students what the book is about. Which reading skill is the teacher assessing?

• A. Decoding
• B. Comprehending
• C. Predicting
• D. Summarizing

Answer: (B)

Understanding what a book is about tests the ability to derive meaning from the text and grasp the main idea or overall message. When the teacher pauses and asks for the book’s focus, the goal is to see whether students can interpret the text as a whole, not just pronounce words. This is about comprehension—the ability to construct meaning from reading. It’s different from decoding (sounding out words), predicting (guessing what comes next), or summarizing (condensing main points after reading). So, the best fit is comprehension.

Understanding what a book is about tests the ability to derive meaning from the text and grasp the main idea or overall message. When the teacher pauses and asks for the book’s focus, the goal is to see whether students can interpret the text as a whole, not just pronounce words. This is about comprehension—the ability to construct meaning from reading. It’s different from decoding (sounding out words), predicting (guessing what comes next), or summarizing (condensing main points after reading). So, the best fit is comprehension.