Čtení s porozuměním - Reading comprehension
Čtení s porozuměním - what this part tests
The reading part of the didaktický test uses several authentic-style German texts: notices and adverts, short articles, interviews, letters. Tasks include multiple choice, matching headings to paragraphs, matching statements to people or texts, and completing gaps with whole sentences. It tests skimming for gist and scanning for specific detail at B1, not word-for-word translation.
Core rules
- Skim before you read closely: title, first and last sentence of each paragraph. German non-fiction usually puts the topic sentence first and restates it at the end.
- For heading matching, the heading must cover the whole paragraph, not one striking detail. Test each candidate heading against the paragraph's main idea.
- For sentence gaps, use cohesion: pronouns (er, sie, dieser, dabei), definite articles pointing to something already mentioned, connectors (deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem, allerdings, damit), and grammar (case, verb position). The right sentence fits both meaning and syntax.
- For multiple choice, locate the exact lines, cover the options, formulate the meaning yourself, then choose the closest option.
- For „who says what“ tasks, scan for the names and read only the sentences attached to them.
- Watch negation in statements: nicht, kein, nur, selten, ohne decide between true and false.
Worked example
Text: „Wer in Wien ein Fahrrad braucht, muss es nicht mehr kaufen. An 120 Stationen stehen Leihräder bereit, die man per App freischaltet. Die ersten 30 Minuten sind kostenlos, danach zahlt man einen Euro pro Stunde. Reparaturen übernimmt die Stadt.“
Headings: A) Fahrradkauf in Wien lohnt sich nicht mehr B) Günstiges Ausleihen in Wien C) Reparaturen werden teuer
Reasoning: A is an opinion the text only implies indirectly and never states. C contradicts „übernimmt die Stadt“. B covers the free first half hour and the one-euro rate - the paragraph's main point. Answer B.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing an option because it repeats a word from the text while distorting the meaning.
- Over-inferring: if the text does not say it, it is not the answer.
- False friends: bekommen (receive), Gift (poison), aktuell (current), Not (hardship).
- Spending equal time on every text instead of taking the shorter matching task first and banking those marks.