Decomposing torsion modules

E. Matlis proved that if R is an integral domain with quotient field Q and K is the R-module Q/R, then all torsion R-modules decompose into a direct sum of local submodules if and only if K decomposes into a direct sum of local submodules. Thus K is a test module to determine whether torsion modules decompose. We generalize this result to commutative rings. If R is a commutative ring and a torsion theory of R is given by a Gabriel topology , then form the ring of quotients R_ and let K be the cokernel of the canonical ring homomorphism from R to R_. In some special cases, every -torsion R-module decomposes into a direct sum of local submodules if and only if K decomposes. However, there is an example where this is not the case. The principal result is: given R,  and K, there is a related filter _K of ideals of R, which is a subset of , such that all _K-pretorsion R-modules decompose into a direct sum of local submodules if and only if K decomposes. The relationship between  and _K is investigated.