Goethe-Zertifikat B1 · Lesen · Teil 2
Zwei kurze Zeitungstexte, zu jedem drei Aufgaben mit a, b oder c. Die erste Aufgabe zu einem Text fragt meist nach dem Thema, die weiteren nach Details.
Two short newspaper texts of about 200–260 words, each with a title, a line beneath it and its source, and three items on each with the answers a, b and c. A solved example stands before the first text, and 20 minutes are recommended for both. The first item on each text is global — “In diesem Text geht es um …” — and asks for the topic, not a detail. The second and third ask for details, often as sentences you complete: “… will, dass …”, “Für … braucht man …”.
All three answers use words from the text, and on the global item several of them can be true. Say the text reports that a library stays open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, that the annual fee for adults rises from 40 to 45 francs, and that children still pay nothing. “The fee goes up” is true, but only a consequence; “children pay nothing” is true, but a side remark; the topic is the longer opening hours. A test that helps: what title would you give the text? The answer that could be the title answers the global item.
On detail items, watch who says it and how much it covers. An answer can be true of another person in the text, or say “alle” where the text says “Erwachsene”, or “muss” where it says “kann”. Words from the item help you find the passage; the meaning decides. Do not pick the answer that sounds most like the text: the right one is a paraphrase.
Ask which one covers the whole text and which one only a sentence. A price, a number or a date sits in one sentence and is a detail; the title and the line beneath it name the topic.
The texts come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and regional words such as the Swiss “Velo” (bicycle) are explained under the text in the exam. A word that appears in no item need not be clarified: read on and see whether you can still answer.
