Reading Comprehension of Persian Prose Passages
What the examiner tests
This domain asks you to read an unseen Persian prose passage and answer questions on the main idea, supporting detail, pronoun reference, and the meaning of a word or phrase in context. The passage is usually a short narrative or explanatory paragraph with a moral or a factual point. Read the questions first, then read the passage twice: once for the gist, once for the exact lines that answer each question.
Core reading rules
- Persian is verb-final. Find the main verb first; the subject usually precedes it, and a definite direct object often takes را.
- Treat the ezafe (-e) as a link, not a possessive: کتابِ نو = 'a new book', not 'the book's new'.
- Track pronouns and clitics: -ش, -م, -ت refer to a noun already mentioned. Do not translate them in isolation.
- Use connectors to map logic: اما، ولی (contrast), زیرا، چون (cause), بنابراین، از این رو (result), نخست، سپس (sequence).
- For an unknown word, strip prefixes and suffixes and use the sentence topic; do not import an English meaning.
Worked example
Sentence: «کتابی که دیروز از کتابخانه گرفتم، بسیار سودمند بود.» Question: What was useful? Reasoning: The main verb is بود ('was'). Its subject is کتابی ('a book'), expanded by the relative clause که دیروز از کتابخانه گرفتم ('that I borrowed from the library yesterday'). Therefore the useful thing is the book borrowed yesterday, not the library or yesterday. Answer: همان کتابی که دیروز از کتابخانه گرفتم.
Traps
- Reading را as 'to' or 'for'; it marks a definite direct object.
- Missing the relative clause که and attaching the verb to the wrong noun.
- Confusing plural ها with a subject marker.
- Answering with a whole paragraph instead of the requested detail.