Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) Practice Test

What type of vowel is pronounced by saying its own name?

1. Short vowel

2. Long vowel

3. R-controlled vowel

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: Long vowel

The type of vowel pronounced by saying its own name is classified as a long vowel. Long vowels occur when a vowel sound is pronounced the same way as the name of the letter itself. For example, the letter "A" in the word "cake" and the letter "E" in the word "he" demonstrate this phenomenon. In contrast, short vowels are pronounced differently from their letter names, as seen in words like "cat" or "bed." R-controlled vowels are modified by the presence of an "r" that follows them, impacting their sound, and do not follow the same pattern as long vowels. Therefore, long vowels are distinctively characterized by this unique pronunciation, affirming that the answer is indeed long vowel.