Mississippi Foundations of Reading Practice Test

Which skills are included in the phonological awareness continuum?

1. Only understanding of vowel sounds

2. Reading comprehension and summarization

3. Rhyming, syllable counting, and alliteration

4. Decoding and encoding letters

The correct answer is: Rhyming, syllable counting, and alliteration

The correct answer reflects key skills that contribute to phonological awareness, which is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in spoken language. Within this continuum, skills such as rhyming, syllable counting, and alliteration play a foundational role in helping children to understand the structure of language and its sounds. Rhyming involves recognizing and producing words that have similar ending sounds, which strengthens an understanding of sound patterns. Syllable counting helps children break words down into their syllabic components, which is an essential step in developing reading skills. Alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds, enhances phonemic awareness and supports listeners in focusing on the sounds of language. These skills are critical precursors to more advanced reading and writing abilities, as they lay the groundwork for understanding how letters represent sounds in written language.