NSSCO German First Language 6096 cheat sheet

Three reading modes determine answer type: skimming (global gist, main idea), scanning (specific detail, numbers, names), intensive reading (inference, stance, effect).

Literal questions are answered by a phrase copied or minimally adapted from the text; inferential questions require a statement the text supports but never states.

Distinguish 'Textaussage' (what is said) from 'Textintention' (what the author wants to achieve): effect questions (Wirkung) ask about reader response, not content.

Signal words for argument structure: 'zwar ... aber', 'dennoch', 'folglich', 'zum einen ... zum anderen', 'allerdings', 'vielmehr' - these mark concession, consequence, or contrast.

Non-literary text types have fixed functions: Nachricht (factual, inverted pyramid), Kommentar (opinion, thesis first), Reportage (scene-setting, subjective colouring), Leserbrief (reacts to a prior article).

Literary devices to name in analysis: Metapher, Vergleich, Personifikation, Alliteration, Anapher, Hyperbel, Ironie, Symbol, Leitmotiv, rhetorische Frage.

For 'Welche Funktion hat der Text?' answer with purpose + audience + register, e.g. 'Der Kommentar will den Leser von X überzeugen; Ton: sarkastisch, Adressat: Bildungsbürgertum'.

Quotation rule: cite with line number ('Z. 14') and embed the quote in your own sentence; a bare quote without comment earns no analysis mark.

Watch for negation and hedging: 'kaum', 'keineswegs', 'nicht unbedingt', 'angeblich' reverse or weaken a claim and are frequent trap points in true/false items.

Four task types and their skeletons: beschreibend (space/impression order), erzählend (situation → complication → climax → resolution), argumentativ (thesis → 3 arguments with evidence → counter-argument → refutation → conclusion), diskursiv (balanced pro/contra → weighed judgement).

Erörterung structure: Einleitung (hook + topic + thesis), Hauptteil with the pattern 'Behauptung – Begründung – Beispiel – Folgerung' per paragraph, Schluss (no new arguments, restates the weighed position).

Paragraph cohesion tools: Konnektoren by function - addition (zudem, darüber hinaus), cause (da, weil, aufgrund), consequence (folglich, somit), contrast (hingegen, im Gegensatz dazu), concession (obwohl, zwar ... jedoch).

Register control: 'man' + Konjunktiv II for polite distance; avoid 'ich denke' in argumentative essays - use 'Es lässt sich argumentieren, dass ...' or 'Dies spricht dafür, dass ...'.

Narrative tense: Präteritum carries the plot, Plusquamperfekt marks prior events, Präsens is reserved for commentary or general truths; keep one dominant narrative tense.

Sentence variety: vary Vorfeld (subject, adverbial, object, subordinate clause first) to avoid monotonous SVO; Vorfeld choice controls emphasis.

Word count discipline: plan roughly 20% introduction, 60% body, 20% conclusion; an essay under the required length loses content marks regardless of quality.

Descriptive writing appeals to senses in a fixed order (sight → sound → smell/touch) and uses precise adjectives plus one dominant atmosphere word repeated as Leitmotiv.

Cohesion check before submission: every paragraph opens with a link to the previous one and closes with a sentence that advances the thesis.

Verb-second rule in main clauses: the finite verb occupies position 2; if an adverbial or object takes position 1, the subject moves behind the verb (Inversion).

Verb-final in subordinate clauses introduced by subordinating conjunctions (weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, da, damit, während) or relative pronouns.

Verb-first in yes/no questions, imperatives, and conditional clauses without 'wenn' ('Kommt er, ...').

Case government: Genitiv verbs (gedenken, bedürfen, sich erfreuen), Dativ verbs (helfen, danken, widersprechen, gehören, folgen), Dativ prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber).

Two-way prepositions (an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen): Akkusativ for direction/change, Dativ for position/state; test with 'wohin?' vs 'wo?'.

Konjunktiv II forms: hätte, wäre, würde, könnte, müsste, sollte; used for unreal conditions, polite requests, and hypothetical comparison ('als ob er käme').

Konjunktiv I for reported speech: er sei, er habe, er könne; if identical to indicative, switch to Konjunktiv II to mark indirect speech.

Adjective declension depends on three patterns: weak (after der/die/das), mixed (after ein/eine/kein), strong (no article) - the ending is carried by the article or the adjective, never both.

Passive voice: werden + Partizip II; agent with 'von' (person) or 'durch' (means); Zustandspassiv uses sein + Partizip II and describes a resulting state.

Punctuation rule: a comma precedes subordinating conjunctions and relative clauses; 'und/oder' joining main clauses normally takes no comma unless it separates enumerations.

Summary (Zusammenfassung) uses Präsens, third person, no direct speech, no personal opinion, and no quotation - reported in your own words (indirekte Rede via Konjunktiv I where needed).

Content reduction hierarchy: keep thesis, main arguments, key data, conclusion; delete examples, repetitions, anecdotes, stylistic ornament, and author's rhetorical questions.

Length control: a one-third reduction is typical; count sentences and cut subordinate clauses rather than deleting whole arguments.

Information transfer tasks (table, chart, letter, notice) require exact transfer of figures, dates, and names - never round or paraphrase numbers.

Converting text to bullet points: parallel grammatical form (all noun phrases or all verb phrases), one idea per bullet, no full-sentence punctuation.

Converting notes to continuous prose: add connectors and finite verbs; the information must remain unchanged, only the form shifts.

Register shift rules: informal to formal replaces 'du' with 'Sie', contractions with full forms, and colloquial verbs (kriegen → erhalten, gucken → betrachten).

When comparing two texts, structure by criterion (topic, stance, tone, source) rather than summarising text A then text B; state similarities and differences explicitly.

Attribution in summaries: name the source and genre in the first sentence ('Der Kommentar von X, erschienen in Y, argumentiert, dass ...').

Narrative prose analysis categories: Erzähler (auktorial, personal/ich, neutral), Erzählperspektive, Zeitgestaltung (chronologisch, Rückblende, Dehnung/Raffung), Raum, Figurenkonstellation, Motiv.

Characterisation is direct (explicit description, 'Selbstaussage') or indirect (behaviour, speech, reactions of others); evidence must be quoted with line/page reference.

Drama analysis: Aufbau (Exposition, steigendes Moment, Höhepunkt/Peripetie, fallendes Moment, Katastrophe/Lösung), Figurenrede (Monolog, Dialog, beiseite), Regieanweisungen, Konfliktachse.

Poetry: stanza form, rhyme scheme (Paarreim aabb, Kreuzreim abab, umarmender Reim abba), metre (Jambus, Trochäus, Daktylus, Anapäst), Kadenz (männlich/weiblich).

Lyrical devices: lyrisches Ich, Strophenbau, Enjambement, Zäsur, Bildfeld (semantic field), Synästhesie, Oxymoron, Chiasmus.

Interpretation structure: Einleitung (author, title, genre, theme, Deutungshypothese), Analyse (form + content, linked), Deutung (hypothesis tested against evidence), Schluss.

Form-content link is the top-band criterion: never list devices; state what the device achieves, e.g. 'Der Kreuzreim spiegelt den Wechsel von Hoffnung und Zweifel'.

Epochen markers to recognise: Sturm und Drang (Genie, Gefühl, Natur), Romantik (Sehnsucht, Blaue Blume, Ironie), Realismus (objektive Darstellung, Verzicht auf Idealisierung), Expressionismus (Großstadt, Ich-Zerfall, Pathos).

Quote precisely and interpret immediately: quotation + line number + function in the argument; unconnected quotation lists lose marks.

Oral exam phases: self-presentation, picture/topic monologue, dialogue with examiner, and often a short listening-based response; each phase has its own assessment criteria.

Monologue structure for a picture or topic: describe (foreground → background), interpret (what it suggests), evaluate (own opinion with reason).

Listening for detail: numbers, times, prices, and names are the most frequent distractors - note them in writing during the first listening.

Signposting phrases for structuring speech: 'Zunächst einmal ...', 'Im Gegensatz dazu ...', 'Was mich betrifft ...', 'Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen ...'.

Redemittel for opinion: 'Meiner Meinung nach', 'Ich bin der Auffassung, dass', 'Das sehe ich anders, weil', 'Da muss ich Ihnen widersprechen'.

Pronunciation priorities: vowel length (Stadt/Staat, offen/Ofen), final devoicing (Tag → /tak/), 'ch' after a/o/u vs after e/i, and word stress in compounds.

Fluency repair strategies: paraphrase an unknown word ('das Ding, mit dem man ...'), use fillers sparingly ('also', 'nun ja'), self-correct without restarting the sentence.

Assessment criteria for oral: Aussprache, Intonation, Flüssigkeit, Wortschatzbreite, grammatische Korrektheit, Interaktion, Aufgabenbewältigung.

Interactive listening: respond to the examiner's question before adding your own point; unanswered questions cost interaction marks.