Scarborough's Reading Rope represents skilled reading as the integration of which two major strands?

• A. Language comprehension and word recognition
• B. Fluency and accuracy
• C. Syntax and phonics
• D. Vocabulary only

Answer: (A)

Scarborough's Reading Rope shows skilled reading as the integration of two broad strands: word recognition and language comprehension. Word recognition is about identifying words quickly and accurately—decoding and sight word knowledge—so the text can be read without stopping. Language comprehension covers understanding spoken language: a reader’s vocabulary, knowledge of word meanings and background facts, understanding sentence structures, and using reasoning to construct meaning from text. When both strands work well together, reading comprehension emerges. If one strand lags, understanding breaks down—being able to read words but not grasp the meaning, or understanding ideas but struggling to decode, leads to weak comprehension. The option pairing language comprehension with word recognition best captures this integrated view. Fluency and accuracy describe performance, not the two foundational strands; vocabulary alone doesn’t account for decoding or broader understanding, and syntax/phonics are specific sub-skills rather than the two overarching strands.