Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Special Education Practice Exam

A student who struggles to understand the meaning of words would find it hardest to do what?

1. Answer multiple-choice questions

2. Summarize a chapter book

3. Participate in oral discussions

4. Memorize vocabulary lists

The correct answer is: Summarize a chapter book

A student who struggles to understand the meaning of words would find it particularly challenging to summarize a chapter book. Summarization requires not only recalling events or details from the text but also understanding the underlying themes, character motivations, and the overall message conveyed by the author. Without a clear grasp of word meanings, the student may struggle to identify key points and articulate them in a cohesive manner, leading to a summary that lacks depth or accuracy. In contrast, answering multiple-choice questions may not necessitate a deep understanding of the material, as it often involves recognizing the correct answer from a set of options rather than generating an understanding from scratch. Participating in oral discussions might allow for dialogic exchanges where the student can rely on context clues or responses from peers, easing the need for precise word comprehension. Memorizing vocabulary lists could be feasible even with limited understanding, as it relies more on rote memorization rather than comprehension of language in context. Therefore, summarizing, which demands a higher level of comprehension, is especially difficult for a student with vocabulary challenges.