Mississippi Foundations of Reading Practice Test

What is the term for a word in a reading lesson that contains parts not yet taught but is predictable from the context?

1. sight word

2. trigraph

3. word family

4. word bank

The correct answer is: sight word

The correct answer is based on the understanding of sight words, which are commonly recognized words that students can read and understand without having to sound them out phonetically. These words often include words that may contain components or parts that students have not yet explicitly learned. However, they can decipher them through the context of the sentences or the illustrations accompanying the text. Sight words are essential in reading instruction as they support fluency and comprehension. When students encounter a sight word, they can use their understanding of the text, along with previous background knowledge, to infer the meaning or pronunciation of the word, which can be especially useful when the word includes elements that have not been formally taught. The other terms do not fit this definition: a trigraph is a group of three letters that make one sound, a word family refers to a group of words that share a common feature or pattern, and a word bank is a collection of words usually provided for a specific activity but does not necessarily relate to the idea of predictability based on context.