An experiment, which replicates an earlier study conducted in Sweden, was performed to study the effects of prior knowledge of relevant subject matter on reading comprehension and on memory. Fifty college students read one of two contrasting passages that presented two opposing points of view after they had recorded their beliefs about the subject discussed in the passages. These beliefs were analyzed for their truth value, their factual correctness, and the degree to which they effectively discriminated between the two points of view. Tests of comprehension and recall were administered. According to stepwise regression analysis, the discriminability of the subjects' beliefs contributed more to comprehension than recall of the texts or verbal ability. Analyses of the relationships between recall and comprehension produced inconsistent results. Errors of comprehension occurred more frequently because false statements about the text were accepted than because true statements were rejected. Differences between the specific aspects of world knowledge studied in this experiment and previous work with more general aspects were discussed. (Author/CTM)