Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) Practice Test

What principle underlies alphabetic languages like English?

1. Written symbols represent complete words.

2. Speech sounds are represented by letters.

3. Consonants have no correlation to vowels.

4. Phonemes are unrelated to graphemes.

The correct answer is: Speech sounds are represented by letters.

The principle that underlies alphabetic languages like English is that speech sounds are represented by letters. This system, known as phonemic orthography, corresponds individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language to specific written symbols (graphemes). This correspondence allows readers to decode written words by sounding them out, as each letter or combination of letters represents a specific sound in the language. This principle is foundational for teaching reading and writing in alphabetic languages, as it emphasizes the relationship between spoken language and its written form, enabling effective literacy instruction. In contrast, other options suggest concepts that do not accurately reflect the structure of alphabetic systems. For instance, representing complete words with written symbols is a characteristic of logographic languages rather than alphabetic ones. Additionally, consonants and vowels are integral to one another in forming syllables and words, thus they have a strong correlation. Similarly, phonemes are inherently linked to graphemes in an alphabetic language, allowing for systematic decoding and encoding of language.