The passage dependence of an item refers to the degree to which it is necessary to read the associated passage in order to be able to answer that item correctly. This paper studies the value of obtaining data about passage dependence in the construction of reading comprehension achievement tests. Passage dependence indices were examined in several ways. The reading comprehension tests used were subtests of the newly standardized California Achievement Tests, Form E for levels 13, 16 and 19, (designed for grades 3, 6 and 9-10). Approximately 20 classes for each of the grades were recruited from 12 schools in 5 school districts. Results showed that a high degree of passage dependence is not an essential feature of every item in a valid reading comprehension test. Results suggest that importance of passage dependence to the quality of an item is itself context dependent. Some passage dependence and some passage independence is to be expected in any test of reading comprehension that covers a broad range of objectives. (JAZ)