Reading comprehension (Leseverstehen)
What the section tests
The Leseverstehen section of the PSEB Class 12 German paper gives you an unseen German text - often a short Anzeige, E-Mail, Blog, Fahrplan or simple article - and checks whether you can extract gist, specific detail and simple inference. Marks are for evidence, not for translating every word.
Core reading rules
- Read the questions first, then scan for names, numbers, times, places and negations (nicht, kein, nie, außer); these carry most answers.
- Identify the text type and the sender–receiver relationship. An E-Mail to a friend uses du; a public notice uses neutral language or Sie.
- Use word formation to guess unknown vocabulary: separable verbs (anrufen → ich rufe … an), compounds (Fahrkarte = Fahr + Karte) and familiar stems.
- Answer in the language and length the question demands. A German question normally needs a German answer, often a full sentence.
- Distinguish stated fact from personal opinion: a text may report what someone thinks without the writer agreeing.
Worked example
Text: „Lena fährt jeden Morgen mit dem Fahrrad zur Schule, weil der Bus oft zu spät kommt.“ Question: Warum fährt Lena mit dem Fahrrad? Reasoning: weil introduces the reason, and the stated reason is that the bus is often late. Answer: „Weil der Bus oft zu spät kommt.“ Do not write „Weil sie Sport mag“ - that is plausible but not in the text.
Traps that cost marks
- Keyword matching instead of meaning: a question containing Rad does not make every sentence with Rad correct.
- Ignoring nicht/kein and reversing the answer.
- Confusing lookalike pairs such as besuchen/besichtigen or stellen/stehen.
- Copying a whole paragraph when one sentence is required, or answering with a single word when a sentence is asked.