Which task involves the most advanced level of phonological awareness?

The task of orally segmenting the phonemes in "chimp" and substituting /ŏ/ for /ĭ/ to create "chomp" demonstrates the most advanced level of phonological awareness because it requires both phoneme segmentation and phoneme manipulation.

In this task, the individual not only identifies the distinct sounds (phonemes) within a word but also actively changes one sound to create a different word. This manipulation of phonemes indicates a deeper understanding of how phonemes function in language and illustrates an advanced cognitive ability to decompose and recombine sounds.

This level of phonological awareness is critical for developing strong reading and spelling skills, as it helps individuals recognize the relationships between sounds and letters, facilitating word decoding and formation. The other options focus on different aspects of phonological awareness, such as syllable segmentation or recognizing onsets and rimes, which, while important, do not require the same level of advanced manipulation of individual phonemes as option A does.