What R/F + justify is: A true/false + justify (richtig/falsch + begründen) question gives you a statement about the text. You do two things: you decide whether it is richtig (true) or falsch (false), and you justify it by quoting the relevant words from the text. You need BOTH to score — the decision alone earns nothing. Because the text stays in front of you, the justifying words are always there to copy.
The exam instruction you'll see: In the real German Paper 2 exam, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
„Sind die folgenden Aussagen richtig oder falsch? Kreuzen Sie die richtige Antwort an und begründen Sie Ihre Antwort mit Wörtern aus dem Text.“ → Are the following statements true or false? Tick the correct answer and justify your answer with words from the text.
What you have to do: BOTH parts are needed for the one mark: tick richtig/falsch AND copy the exact words from the text that prove it. A tick on its own, or a justification in your own words, scores nothing.
- richtig (R)
- true
- falsch (F)
- false
- begründen
- to justify — give the reason, quoting the text
- die Begründung
- the justification (the relevant words from the text)
- die Aussage / der Satz
- the statement (the thing you judge true or false)
- aus dem Text zitieren / abschreiben
- to quote / copy from the text
Both halves, or no mark: Marking is usually 1 mark for the decision (R/F) and 1 mark for a correct justification. A right R/F with no justification — or the wrong line — often scores zero for the whole item. Always write both.
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How the marks are split: The key thing to understand is where the marks live. The R/F tick on its own is worth nothing — the marks depend on the justification being the right words from the text. Read the table, then the rule about quoting just the relevant part.
| Merkmal | So funktioniert es bei Richtig/Falsch + begründen |
|---|---|
| Die Entscheidung allein (R oder F) | zählt ohne Begründung nichts |
| Die Begründung | müssen die RELEVANTEN Wörter aus dem Text sein |
| Wie viele Punkte? | normalerweise 1 für die Entscheidung + 1 für die Begründung |
| Woher kommt die Begründung? | aus dem Text: du schreibst sie ab oder zitierst sie |
| Schreibst du den ganzen Absatz ab? | nein, nur den Teil, der die Antwort beweist |
| Darfst du noch einmal lesen? | ja, der Text liegt vor dir |
Quote the relevant words, not the paragraph: The justification must be the specific words that prove your decision — not a whole paragraph copied out. A vague or over-long justification can lose the justification mark even when your R/F is right.
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A reliable R/F routine: Don't tick R or F and move on. Use a routine: read the statement, find the relevant line, decide true or false, quote the justifying words, and write both. The text is visible, so the justifying words are always there to copy.
Answer R/F + justify — 5 steps
1
Read the statement
Read the statement carefully and note exactly what it claims.
2
Find the line
Scan the text for the line that deals with that claim.
3
Decide
Decide whether the statement is true (richtig) or false (falsch) against that line.
4
Quote
Quote the justifying words from the text — just the relevant part, not the whole paragraph.
5
Write both
Write BOTH: the R/F decision and the justification. One without the other loses marks.
Read → Find → Decide → Quote → Write both
Never write R or F alone: The single most common way to lose marks here is writing R or F with no justification. Make it a habit: every R/F answer gets the line from the text written next to it.
A R/F + justify question in action: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so you locate the justifying words rather than recall them. Read it once for the gist (tap Übersetzung anzeigen if you get stuck), then we'll take one R/F statement through the routine.
Lukas und das Tierheim: Lukas hat vor zwei Jahren angefangen, in einem Tierheim ehrenamtlich zu helfen. Am Anfang ging er nur samstags hin, aber jetzt geht er fast jeden Tag nach der Schule. Er führt die Hunde spazieren, reinigt die Käfige und hilft dabei, Familien zu finden, die ein Tier adoptieren möchten.
Er sagt, die Arbeit sei anstrengend und manchmal traurig, vor allem wenn ein Tier krank ist. Trotzdem will er nicht aufhören: Er versichert, dass es ihm mehr Freude macht als alles andere, einen Hund glücklich in seinem neuen Zuhause zu sehen.
- das Ehrenamt / ehrenamtlich helfen
- volunteering / to volunteer
- das Tierheim
- the (animal) shelter
- der Käfig
- the cage
- adoptieren
- to adopt
- aufhören (mit etwas)
- to give up / stop (something)
- die Freude
- the joy / happiness
Deciding and justifying
Eine Aussage, Schritt für Schritt
- Read the statement — „Lukas will bald mit dem Ehrenamt aufhören.“ (Richtig / Falsch + begründe)
- Find the line and decide. Scan for „aufhören“: „Trotzdem will er nicht aufhören: Er versichert, dass es ihm mehr Freude macht als alles andere…“ So the statement is FALSCH.
- Quote and write both — Falsch. Begründung: „Trotzdem will er nicht aufhören“.
Quote only „will er nicht aufhören“: Notice the justification is just the few words that prove it — „will er nicht aufhören“ — not the whole sentence about the dog and the joy. Quote the relevant part, and always pair it with the F.
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Where R/F marks are lost: Most R/F marks are lost to two habits: writing R or F with no (or an irrelevant) justification, and copying a whole paragraph instead of the few key words. Compare the two columns.
Gute Praxis
- Always write BOTH the decision and the justification.
- Quote the specific words that prove your decision.
- Keep the justification short and relevant.
- Check the quoted line actually supports your R/F.
Typische Fehler
- Write R or F with no justification (scores nothing).
- Give an irrelevant justification that doesn't prove the decision.
- Copy a whole paragraph instead of the key words.
- Decide R/F but quote a line about a different detail.
Relevant words, not the paragraph: If you copy a whole paragraph, the marker may not credit it because the relevant words are buried. Quote only the part that proves your answer — short and exact beats long and vague.