Wisconsin FORT (Foundations of Reading) Practice Test

What is the best definition of story schema?

1. The organizational pattern a student uses for note-taking

2. The process of summarizing a story in a single sentence

3. The reader begins to sense what comes next

4. The visual outline of a story’s characters

The correct answer is: The reader begins to sense what comes next

In reading comprehension, a story schema refers to the background knowledge and experiences that readers have that help them make predictions about a text. When a reader activates their story schema, they are able to anticipate what might happen next in a story based on their understanding of typical story structures, character behaviors, and plot patterns. This process helps readers engage more deeply with the text and make connections between their prior knowledge and the new information presented in the story. So, the best definition of story schema is that the reader begins to sense what comes next. Option A, the organizational pattern a student uses for note-taking, is related to a different concept in studying and academic skills, not specific to story comprehension. Option B, the process of summarizing a story in a single sentence, is more related to summarizing skills rather than the concept of story schema. Option D, the visual outline of a story’s characters, is not an accurate representation of what a story schema is in reading comprehension.