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literacy test

American  

noun

  1. an examination to determine whether a person meets the literacy requirements for voting, serving in the armed forces, etc.; a test of one's ability to read and write.

Etymology

Origin of literacy test

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My colleague Ed Nuhfer and his team gave students a 25-question scientific literacy test.

From Scientific American • May 23, 2023

Among other issues, the new ballots presented many voters with a de facto literacy test.

From Washington Post • Jan. 11, 2023

And then we have conversations about why and what makes the literacy test impossible to pass.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

Legislation in Florida would require high school students to take a financial literacy test in order to graduate.

From Fox News • Feb. 23, 2022

Applicants who were admitted to the office had to take a written literacy test.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.