Which component of reading refers to understanding and deriving meaning from text?

• A. Phonemic awareness
• B. Text comprehension
• C. Phonics & decoding
• D. Fluency

Answer: (B)

Understanding and deriving meaning from text is text comprehension. This means grasping the ideas, identifying the main message, figuring out how details fit together, and using clues to infer what isn’t directly stated. It also involves applying strategies like predicting what will happen next, clarifying confusing parts, summarizing what you read, and connecting the text to your own experiences or other texts.

Phonemic awareness is about hearing and separating sounds in spoken words, a foundational skill for decoding. Phonics and decoding focus on turning letters into sounds to read words. Fluency is about reading with speed, accuracy, and expression, which supports understanding but is not the act of deriving meaning itself.