Which statement best describes how SMOG and Flesch-Kincaid differ in estimating grade level?

• A. SMOG estimates education-grade level by counting polysyllabic words in a sample; Flesch-Kincaid uses sentence length and syllable counts to estimate grade level.
• B. SMOG uses sentence length and syllable counts; Flesch-Kincaid counts polysyllabic words.
• C. SMOG focuses on vocabulary difficulty; Flesch-Kincaid focuses on font readability.
• D. SMOG requires reading aloud; Flesch-Kincaid requires eye-tracking metrics.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that SMOG and Flesch-Kincaid assess readability using different text features. SMOG centers on the number of polysyllabic words in a sample and uses that count to estimate the grade level needed to understand the text. This focus on long words captures how vocabulary complexity contributes to reading difficulty. Flesch-Kincaid, in contrast, combines two factors—how long sentences are and how many syllables words have—to calculate a grade-level score. The longer the sentences and the more syllables per word, the higher the estimated grade level.

So the statement that SMOG estimates education-grade level by counting polysyllabic words and that Flesch-Kincaid uses sentence length and syllable counts best describes how these two formulas differ. The other descriptions either swap the methods or bring in unrelated ideas like font readability or eye-tracking, which aren’t part of these readability formulas.