TEXES Science of Teaching Reading Practice Test

Which term describes the process of creating words by adding different beginning sounds to rimes?

1. Morphological awareness

2. Phonics

3. Phonemic awareness

4. Syllabication

The correct answer is: Phonics

The term that describes the process of creating words by adding different beginning sounds to rimes is phonics. Phonics involves the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and their spellings (graphemes), focusing on how these sounds are blended with rime (the vowel and any following consonants in a syllable) to form words. For instance, when learners take the rime "-at" and add different initial sounds like "c" or "h," they create words such as "cat" and "hat." This process highlights the essential role phonics plays in helping students decode and construct words, ultimately facilitating reading and writing skills. Morphological awareness refers to understanding the structure of words, including prefixes and suffixes, which is different from the blending process highlighted in the question. Phonemic awareness focuses specifically on the individual sounds in words rather than the combination of sounds with rimes. Syllabication deals with breaking words into syllables, which does not pertain directly to adding beginning sounds to rimes. Thus, phonics is the most accurate term for this specific process.