(1) The benchmark for reading content standard 2 for a student upon graduation is the ability to:

(a) decode unknown words combining the elements of phonics, grammatical structures, analysis of word parts, word connotation and denotation, and context to understand reading material;

(b) identify, analyze, and evaluate literary elements (e.g., plot, character, theme, setting, point of view, conflict) ;

(c) identify, analyze, and evaluate the use of literary devices (e.g., figurative language, exaggeration, irony, humor, dialogue, satire, symbolism) ;

(d) use features and organization of fiction and nonfiction material to comprehend increasingly complex material (e.g., paragraphs, chapters, titles, indices, tables of contents, graphs, charts, visuals, methods of organization) ;

(e) adjust fluency, rate and style of reading to content and purpose of the material;

(f) develop vocabulary through the use of context clues, analysis of word parts, auditory clues, and reference sources, and expand and refine vocabulary related to specific academic areas, culture, and technology;

(g) use a variety of reading strategies to comprehend complex material, including self-correcting, rereading, using context, and adjusting rate; and

(h) ask questions, check predictions, summarize, and reflect on information to monitor progress while taking responsibility for directing one's own reading.