Which of the following best illustrates bottom-up processing?

• A. Guessing meaning from context
• B. Skimming for main ideas
• C. Reading aloud to focus on word forms
• D. Inferring author's intent from tone

Answer: (C)

Bottom-up processing starts with the smallest units of language—letters, sounds, and word forms—and builds up to full meaning. Reading aloud to focus on word forms fits this approach because you begin by decoding the letters and phonemes, recognizing each word’s form, and only then combine them into larger units like phrases and meaning. In contrast, guessing meaning from context relies on background knowledge and expectations to infer meaning (a top-down cue), skimming for main ideas targets overall structure rather than individual word decoding, and inferring an author's intent from tone uses higher-level interpretation of purpose and attitude. So focusing on how each word is formed and pronounced illustrates bottom-up processing most clearly.