How does the MoCA Language Arts practice tasks evaluate idioms?

The evaluation of idioms in the MoCA Language Arts practice tasks focuses on assessing understanding of non-literal expressions. This approach is effective because idioms often convey meanings that differ significantly from the individual words that comprise them. For example, the idiom "kick the bucket" means to die, which is not intuitively derived from the literal interpretation of the words. By focusing on non-literal expressions, the assessment examines a person's grasp of figurative language, an important facet of language arts that reflects a deeper comprehension of communication and cultural nuances.

Testing knowledge of historical phrases, asking for definitions of common phrases, or requiring synonym matches each neglects the essential characteristic of idioms: their metaphorical meanings that cannot be understood through direct translation or definition alone. Hence, an understanding of non-literal expressions is critical for interpreting idiomatic language correctly.