FTCE Reading K-12 Practice Exam

A cloze text is primarily used to assess what aspect of a student's skills?

1. Mathematical abilities

2. Understanding of context and vocabulary

3. Writing proficiency

4. Listening skills

The correct answer is: Understanding of context and vocabulary

A cloze text is a valuable tool for assessing a student's understanding of context and vocabulary. In a cloze exercise, words are omitted from a passage, and students are tasked with filling in the blanks. This activity requires them to utilize their knowledge of the surrounding context and the overall meaning of the text to select appropriate words. By analyzing how students choose words to complete the sentences, educators can gain insights into their vocabulary knowledge, comprehension skills, and ability to infer meaning from context. This method moves beyond isolated vocabulary tests by embedding word choice within a real-text scenario, thus giving a more comprehensive assessment of a student's reading skills. In contrast, the other options—mathematical abilities, writing proficiency, and listening skills—are not directly evaluated through a cloze text. These areas require different types of assessments that are more suited to their specific skill sets. Therefore, using cloze exercises is particularly effective for measuring understanding of context and vocabulary.