One of the skills measured by the Connecticut Mastery Test is Reading Comprehension. This skill is measured by having the students complete a variety of CLOZE passages. A CLOZE passage typically has four or five paragraphs with seven blanks interspersed throughout the text. The students are asked to read the passage and to use context clues (or words from the story) to fill in the blanks. They are given five answer choices for each blank.

The results reveal a student’s ability to use context clues to find meaning in text, or what is called, reading comprehension. The passages that are read are usually on a topic in science or social studies. A typical CLOZE passage might be “Birds”, “Diary Writing” or “Steam Engines”.

An important Tip to Remember when completing this part of the test is:

Be sure to read the entire passage before determining your answer, as the clue for the answer often comes after the blank.

Practice:

Cameras allow people to produce a __________record of anything they see.

1. written         2. scratched         3. visual         4. loud         5. long

The correct answer is 3. visual. The clue for this answer is found after the blank.