California Commission on Teacher
2 TSETBUS • ACIR
RICA✦
✦
SUB 2
Credentialing
Reading Instruction Competence Assessment · Subtest 2
CA CTC
ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN READING INSTRUCTION
RICA — Subtest 2 Examination
V O C A B U L A R Y D E V E LO P M E N T · CO M P R E H E N S I O N · L I T E R A R Y A N A LYS I S · E X P O S I TO R Y T E XT ·
A SS E SS M E N T
ORGANIZATION California Commission on Teacher EXAM TYPE Reading Instruction Competence
Credentialing (CTC) Assessment (RICA)
SUBTEST Subtest 2 — Vocabulary & Comprehension ACADEMIC YEAR
TOTAL QUESTIONS 25 Questions SUBJECT AREAS Vocabulary · Comprehension · Literary
Analysis · Expository Text
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the Single Best
Answer
SUBTEST 2 EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question based on RICA content specifications.
▸ Content covers: the five vocabularies (listening, speaking, writing, sight, meaning), academic language (technical/non-
technical), vocabulary instruction (contextual redefinition, semantic maps, semantic feature analysis), word-learning strategies
(morphemic/contextual analysis), comprehension (literal/inferential/evaluative), literary analysis (plot, character, setting,
theme, mood, figurative language), expository text structures, and assessment (QAR, IRI, retelling).
SECTION I — VOCABULARY, COMPREHENSION & INSTRUCTIONAL Questions 1 –
STRATEGIES 25
1. What are the five different vocabularies a student develops?
A. Phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic.
B. Listening vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, writing vocabulary, sight (reading) vocabulary, and meaning (reading)
vocabulary.
C. Literal, inferential, evaluative, applied, and creative.
D. Receptive, expressive, academic, social, and technical.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Listening vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, writing vocabulary, sight (reading) vocabulary, and
meaning (reading) vocabulary.
RATIONALE The FIVE VOCABULARIES are: (1) Listening vocabulary — words understood when listening; (2) Speaking
vocabulary — words used when talking (smaller than listening vocabulary); (3) Writing vocabulary — words
used when writing; (4) Sight (Reading) vocabulary — words recognized and correctly pronounced; (5) Meaning
(Reading) vocabulary — words understood when reading silently. Academic language is the language of
textbooks — different from everyday social interaction, including technical (domain-specific) and non-
technical (cross-disciplinary) academic language.
2 TSETBUS • ACIR
RICA✦
✦
SUB 2
Credentialing
Reading Instruction Competence Assessment · Subtest 2
CA CTC
ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN READING INSTRUCTION
RICA — Subtest 2 Examination
V O C A B U L A R Y D E V E LO P M E N T · CO M P R E H E N S I O N · L I T E R A R Y A N A LYS I S · E X P O S I TO R Y T E XT ·
A SS E SS M E N T
ORGANIZATION California Commission on Teacher EXAM TYPE Reading Instruction Competence
Credentialing (CTC) Assessment (RICA)
SUBTEST Subtest 2 — Vocabulary & Comprehension ACADEMIC YEAR
TOTAL QUESTIONS 25 Questions SUBJECT AREAS Vocabulary · Comprehension · Literary
Analysis · Expository Text
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the Single Best
Answer
SUBTEST 2 EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question based on RICA content specifications.
▸ Content covers: the five vocabularies (listening, speaking, writing, sight, meaning), academic language (technical/non-
technical), vocabulary instruction (contextual redefinition, semantic maps, semantic feature analysis), word-learning strategies
(morphemic/contextual analysis), comprehension (literal/inferential/evaluative), literary analysis (plot, character, setting,
theme, mood, figurative language), expository text structures, and assessment (QAR, IRI, retelling).
SECTION I — VOCABULARY, COMPREHENSION & INSTRUCTIONAL Questions 1 –
STRATEGIES 25
1. What are the five different vocabularies a student develops?
A. Phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic.
B. Listening vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, writing vocabulary, sight (reading) vocabulary, and meaning (reading)
vocabulary.
C. Literal, inferential, evaluative, applied, and creative.
D. Receptive, expressive, academic, social, and technical.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Listening vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, writing vocabulary, sight (reading) vocabulary, and
meaning (reading) vocabulary.
RATIONALE The FIVE VOCABULARIES are: (1) Listening vocabulary — words understood when listening; (2) Speaking
vocabulary — words used when talking (smaller than listening vocabulary); (3) Writing vocabulary — words
used when writing; (4) Sight (Reading) vocabulary — words recognized and correctly pronounced; (5) Meaning
(Reading) vocabulary — words understood when reading silently. Academic language is the language of
textbooks — different from everyday social interaction, including technical (domain-specific) and non-
technical (cross-disciplinary) academic language.
