To analyze the validity of W. L. Taylor's cloze testing methodology, this paper first examines three areas contributing to Taylor's thinking: communications theory, the psychology of speech and communication, and the theory of dispositional mechanisms--or nonessential words--in speech. It then evaluates Taylor's research to determine how he established his initial methodology and what he later did to refine it. After reviewing other studies challenging the efficacy of the traditional cloze testing procedure, the paper concludes that, despite some reservations, the traditional methodology appears to provide a valid measure of readability. (MM)