A battery of reading tests designed to identify the component skills involved in reading comprehension was administered to 624 sixth grade students in the metropolitan Sydney (Australia) schools. Factor analysis of the data showed that knowledge of word meanings, sentence comprehension, and semantic context are experimentally identifiable components of reading comprehension. Less conclusive evidence indicates that reading speed and comprehension as determined by logically derived questions might also be components of reading comprehension. All tests in the battery measure knowledge of word meanings and semantic context, while some of the tests measure one or more additional components, such as sentence comprehension, reasoning, and perceptual speed (reading speed or processing speed). The patterns of factor loadings indicate that it is possible to assess comprehension without simultaneously assessing a person's inferential abilities. (The implications of these results for testing programs, test construction, reading instruction, and the search for a definition of reading comprehension are discussed. Appendixes provide details concerning test sources, test construction, test administration, reliability coefficients, and factor analyses. A list of references is included.) (RL)