literacy test

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of literacy test¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Giving this timed early literacy test designed for kindergartners to TK students has ignited protests among parents and is raising concerns among some educators early childhood experts about whether it is an appropriate measure for children of this age.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Scientific American

Widely considered a racist relic of the Jim Crow era, the literacy test required that everyone registering to vote “be able to read and write any section of the Constitution in the English language.”

From Seattle Times

Added to the state constitution in 1900, the literacy test requirement was used for decades to prevent Black residents from casting ballots.

From Seattle Times

She remembers the first time she told her colleagues about the literacy test her great-grandfather had to take, in seeking to combat a Republican bill requiring photo identification to vote in Virginia.

From Washington Post