What term describes a narrowly defined unit of grammar used as the focus of a lesson?

• A. Discrete item
• B. Lexical item
• C. Complex structure
• D. Clause

Answer: (A)

The thing being tested is naming a term for a single, narrowly defined grammar point that a lesson concentrates on. That best fits a discrete item. A discrete item is a specific grammar feature treated as its own, teachable unit—like focusing on the correct use of the past simple, or the article a/an, in isolation before integrating it into longer tasks. This idea of handling one particular point in a lesson is exactly what “discrete item” conveys.

Why this works better than the others: a lexical item refers to a unit of vocabulary, not grammar. a complex structure describes a larger, more intricate pattern rather than a single point. a clause is a grammatical unit, but it’s a larger unit of syntax, not the highly focused, narrow point typically chosen for a single lesson.