Reading tasks include multiple choice, short answer or written response questions about the reading material assigned, whether to an essay or paragraph. The purpose of each task is to test the comprehension level of the student and to challenge the student to think critically about the reading. In tasks comprised of several questions, each question can be geared toward a specific level of reading comprehension about the assigned reading to best gauge the student's reading comprehension accurately.
Paragraphs are sets of five or more sentences that convey information or a thought that is connected throughout the paragraph. In reading paragraph assignments, the reader must identify the stated and implied main idea, the subject and the key information conveyed in the text. Readers must also be able to understand paragraph structure. Student must identify the topic sentence, the concluding sentence and the detail conveying sentences of the paragraph assigned.
Essays demand a lot from a reader. From paragraph to paragraph, the reader must comprehend how the information provided relates to the previous information given and then ascertain how it relates to the next paragraph. The reader must focus longer and ask internal questions about the text to ensure his own comprehension has he progresses through the essay. Essays, thus, measure critical reading skills, ability to synthesize information and ideas conveyed, determine whether the author is attempting to enlighten or persuade and determine whether the author accomplishes his purpose.
Reading tasks can be assigned at any level of reading development, but reading paragraphs can only be applied to mid level and upper level reading development. Essays are strictly used to gauge development of upper level reading comprehension. The comprehension skills required to read an essay are more advanced than the comprehension skills needed to parse a paragraph.