Answer the comprehension task in Arabic
Find relevant evidence and express concise comprehension answers in Modern Standard Arabic using accurate details from an original practice passage.
Exam scope and assessment notes
StudyForA lessons and questions are original and are not Cambridge materials. Answers to language and literature responses are examples for self-review, not Cambridge marks or grades; ask a qualified Arabic teacher to review extended writing and interpretation. This route is not a full timed specimen paper. The 9865 grammar-and-structures list is a separate, non-exhaustive Cambridge document and has not yet been reconciled item by item. Literature set-text passages are not reproduced; use the correct books and pages for your examination year. Cambridge has not yet published past papers, examiner reports or example candidate responses for this new qualification.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should a comprehension answer contain?
What you will learn
- Locate the detail or inference each question requests.
- Answer in Arabic with the required information and no unsupported additions.
- Check number, tense and vocabulary against the source passage.
Match the answer to the question
Question 19 asks candidates to read a text and answer comprehension questions in Arabic, for 10 marks. The questions may require detail, a reason or an inference.
Underline the command and key idea in the question. Find the matching evidence, then write only enough Arabic to make the answer clear.
Paraphrase carefully
You may use your own words where the question allows, but preserve who did what, why and when. Do not copy an entire sentence if only one detail is asked.
A helpful final check is to point from every phrase in your response back to a line or logical clue in the passage.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Why should you check your Arabic answer against the passage?
Worked example
Original text: «بدأت مريم الذهاب إلى المكتبة بالحافلة بعد أن أغلقت الطريق قرب منزلها للصيانة. وكانت تختار كتباً قصيرة لتقرأها في الطريق.» Why did Mary change how she travelled?
Show the worked solution
- Find the cause introduced by «بعد أن».
- Keep the answer about transport, not her book choice.
- Answer in a concise Arabic phrase.
Answer «لأن الطريق قرب منزلها أُغلق للصيانة.» (Because the road near her home was closed for maintenance.)
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Read: «وفّرت الجمعية أدوات مدرسية مستعملة بعد أن لاحظت أن بعض الأسر تجد صعوبة في شرائها.» Why did the charity provide supplies? Answer in Arabic.
Give me a hint
Use the cause following «بعد أن» and preserve «some families».
Compare my reasoning
- Identify what the group observed.
- Keep the quantity limited to some families.
- Write a direct Arabic answer.
«لأنها لاحظت صعوبة شراء بعض الأسر للأدوات المدرسية.»
Look for these in your work
- States the reason
- Preserves the group limit
- Answers in clear Arabic
Read: «انخفضت النفايات في الحديقة بعد تركيب صناديق الفرز، إلا أن الزوار ما زالوا يتركون علباً قرب الملعب.» What changed and what problem remained?
Give me a hint
Give one answer for each half of the contrast.
Compare my reasoning
- Find the reported change after installation.
- Find the remaining behaviour after «إلا أن».
- Keep both details in your answer.
Recycling-bin installation was followed by lower waste in the park, but visitors still left cans near the playing field. The text does not prove the bins alone caused the reduction.
Look for these in your work
- Reports the change
- Reports the remaining problem
- Does not overstate causation
The question asks 'How do you know the programme helped new students feel welcome?' Which type of evidence should your answer include?
Give me a hint
Find a reported experience or action that signals welcome, not just the programme's stated goal.
Compare my reasoning
- Look for an outcome reported by students.
- Separate the programme's intention from its effect.
- Cite the specific evidence in a short answer.
Use a text detail such as students reporting that they found a classmate or asking more questions at the welcome desk. A programme's stated aim alone does not show how students experienced it.
Look for these in your work
- Uses outcome evidence
- Distinguishes aim from effect
- Answers the 'how do you know' command
Common mistakes
- Answering a neighbouring detail instead of the question
- Adding a reason from personal knowledge
- Changing singular/plural or tense so the answer says something different
What can you explain now?
Which detail answers why Mary changed how she travelled?
Compare with the explanation
The road near her home closed for maintenance
This is the reason explicitly stated in the passage.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
How can you check that every phrase in your comprehension answer is supported by the passage?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.