Which term means basic literacy and numeracy skills?

• A. The big three
• B. Foundational literacy
• C. The three Rs
• D. Core competencies

Answer: (B)

This is about naming the basic starting skills in reading, writing and maths. Foundational literacy is the term that best captures those essential base abilities, signaling the fundamental level of reading and writing skills, with numeracy as the parallel base for maths. It’s the standard way educators talk about the skills everyone needs to begin learning confidently, before moving on to more advanced work. The other options are less precise: The big three is a casual, informal phrase rather than a formal label; The three Rs is an older shorthand for reading, writing and arithmetic and doesn’t always imply the broader modern emphasis on numeracy as part of foundational skills; Core competencies is a broader, generic term for essential abilities across many areas, not specifically the base literacy and numeracy set.