Reading Comprehension: Structure, Reference, and Inference
B2 reading tests whether you can navigate a text efficiently and distinguish what it says from what it implies. Begin with a fast pass to identify genre, topic, and paragraph function (claim, example, counterargument, conclusion). Then read the questions and return to the relevant lines - answers are anchored in specific places, not spread evenly.
Core concepts: main idea and purpose, explicit detail, vocabulary in context, pronoun and reference tracking (هو، هذا، التي، ذلك referring back to earlier nouns), logical connectors (بيد أن، على الرغم من، بالتالي، من ناحية أخرى) that flip or extend meaning, and inference from stated evidence. In Arabic, pay attention to root patterns to guess unfamiliar words (ك-ت-ب → كاتب، مكتوب، مكتبة) and to definite/indefinite forms that signal whether a noun is new or already introduced.
Traps: an option that is true in general but not in the passage; a half-true statement that reverses a connector (turning concession into cause); a vocabulary option that fits the dictionary but not the sentence; and extreme wording (دائمًا، أبدًا، جميع) where the text was qualified (غالبًا، بعض).
Rule of thumb: the answer must be supported by a specific line. If you cannot point to where the text says it, it is probably a distractor.
Worked example: Text: «على الرغم من أن المشروع كلّف أكثر من المتوقع، إلا أنه حقق أهدافه في الوقت المحدد.» Question: What does the text say about the project? Correct: «تجاوز الميزانية لكنه نجح في موعده.» Trap: «فشل لأن التكلفة ارتفعت» - it misreads the concession connector على الرغم من.