Under the National Literacy Act of 1991, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write at what grade level?

• A. Fifth grade
• B. Fourth grade
• C. Seventh grade
• D. College level

Answer: (A)

Under this Act, literacy is defined by a concrete, practical benchmark: the ability to read and write at least at the level of a fifth-grade student. This threshold was chosen to reflect functional literacy—being able to handle common daily tasks that require reading and writing, such as filling out forms, understanding simple instructions, and composing short messages. So, someone who reads and writes at a fifth-grade level meets the federal definition of literacy for program purposes. Levels below that, like a fourth-grade benchmark, wouldn’t meet the standard, while higher levels (seventh grade or college) exceed what the act defines as the baseline for literacy.