Determining the Passage Dependence of Reading Comprehension Exercises: A Call for Replications.
Fred Pyrczak, Jerome Axelrod · The Journal of Reading · 1976
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ■ Reading-comprehension exercises often contain reading passages and multiple-choice items designed to measure the student's comprehension of them. Logically, the items should be written in such a way that it is necessary to read the passages in order to mark correctly more items than would be expected on the basis of random guessing alone. There are several reasons why an item may lack passage dependence. First, it may deal with information that is common knowledge among pupils. Second, the answer to the item may be given away by material in other items on the same passage. Finally, the correct answer may stand out because it is longer, more precisely stated, or otherwise distinctive. The desirability of using exercise items that are passage dependent, from a logical point of view, should be obvious. It is important to note that passage dependence is especially important when pupils are to use the items to check on their comprehension while they are attempting to increase their rate of reading. To see the importance of this principle, con-