Which of the following is a basic skill?

• A. Reading, Writing, Math
• B. Computer networking
• C. Public speaking
• D. Negotiation

Answer: (A)

Reading, writing, and math are basic skills because they form the foundation for almost every task you’ll encounter at work and in daily life. Reading lets you understand instructions, policies, and dashboards; writing lets you communicate clearly through emails, reports, and forms; and math gives you the ability to handle numbers, budgets, measurements, and problem solving. These core abilities support learning and applying more specialized or advanced skills later on.

The other options involve more context-specific or higher-level abilities. Computer networking is a technical field requiring knowledge of networks and hardware; public speaking focuses on presenting ideas effectively, often in front of others; negotiation is about persuading and reaching agreements in particular situations. They build on basic literacy and numeracy but aren’t considered foundational in the same universal way.