Reading comprehension is constructed at three different levels of understanding: the surface code, textbase, and mental model.

Reading comprehension is constructed at three different levels of understanding: the surface code, textbase, and mental model.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not defined
• D. Not relevant

Answer: (B)

Understanding reading comprehension involves moving from decoding words to building meaning across layers. The surface code refers to the actual words, punctuation, and syntax on the page. The textbase is the coherent meaning that emerges from connecting ideas across sentences—the propositions, relationships, and overall argument or storyline. The mental model is the reader’s integrated representation of the described events, characters, and setting, combined with prior knowledge to visualize and reason about what’s described. This statement aligns with well-established views of how people understand text: we begin with the surface features, extract the deeper textbase, and then construct a mental model to grasp the situation as a whole. For example, a paragraph about a cat sleeping on a warm windowsill starts with the words themselves (surface code), builds a coherent idea of what’s happening across sentences (textbase), and then the reader envisions the scene and possible implications (mental model). Therefore, the statement is true. Choices that would deny this progression don’t fit with how reading comprehension is understood, and answers about definition or relevance don’t apply here.

Understanding reading comprehension involves moving from decoding words to building meaning across layers. The surface code refers to the actual words, punctuation, and syntax on the page. The textbase is the coherent meaning that emerges from connecting ideas across sentences—the propositions, relationships, and overall argument or storyline. The mental model is the reader’s integrated representation of the described events, characters, and setting, combined with prior knowledge to visualize and reason about what’s described.

This statement aligns with well-established views of how people understand text: we begin with the surface features, extract the deeper textbase, and then construct a mental model to grasp the situation as a whole. For example, a paragraph about a cat sleeping on a warm windowsill starts with the words themselves (surface code), builds a coherent idea of what’s happening across sentences (textbase), and then the reader envisions the scene and possible implications (mental model). Therefore, the statement is true.

Choices that would deny this progression don’t fit with how reading comprehension is understood, and answers about definition or relevance don’t apply here.