Unseen Passage Comprehension
Unseen comprehension
The unseen passage is short and usually narrative: a boy goes to market, a student helps a neighbour, a traveller loses a bag. The examiner tests whether you can find facts, infer a reason, and answer in complete Arabic sentences. You do not need to know every word; you need to locate the words that answer the question.
Reading sequence
- Read the questions first and mark their question words: من، ماذا، أين، متى، لماذا، كيف.
- Scan for names and places; they answer من and أين.
- Find time words (صباحاً، ثم، بعد ذلك) for sequence questions.
- For لماذا, look for لأنّ، حتى، كي, or an implied reason.
- Answer with a full sentence reusing the passage's vocabulary.
Worked example
Passage: «ذهب أحمد إلى السوق صباحاً. اشترى خبزاً وحليباً. رأى صديقه علياً فسلّم عليه. ثم عاد إلى البيت مسروراً.» Question: لماذا عاد أحمد مسروراً؟ Reasoning: the passage does not state the reason explicitly, but the sequence (shopping, meeting Ali, returning) supports «لأنّه اشترى ما يحتاج إليه ولقي صديقه». A factual answer «لأنه ذهب إلى السوق» is too weak; an inference must stay within the text.
Traps
Copying a whole sentence when one clause is asked; confusing pronouns (هو/هي); answering نعم or لا without evidence; inventing a reason not implied; writing in English. Keep answers to one line unless the question says اشرح. A precise short sentence scores better than a copied paragraph.