In the Simple View of Reading, reading comprehension is described as which of the following?

• A. Decoding plus understanding language
• B. Decoding and fluency
• C. Decoding × understanding language
• D. Fluency times vocabulary

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is that reading comprehension comes from two essential abilities working together: decoding words and understanding language. In the Simple View of Reading, these two parts multiply to produce comprehension. Why multiply? Because you need both access to the text (decoding) and the ability to extract meaning from language (language comprehension). If decoding is weak, you can’t access the text well, even if you understand language; if language comprehension is weak, you may read the words but miss meaning. The product model reflects that both components must be strong for strong comprehension.

So the description that uses decoding × understanding language best fits this idea. The other options mix in elements like addition or include components (like fluency or vocabulary) in ways that don’t align with the Simple View’s two-factor, multiplicative relationship.