What V/F + justify is: A true/false + justify (verdadero/falso + justificar) question gives you a statement about the text. You do two things: you decide whether it is verdadero (true) or falso (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 Spanish Paper 2 exam, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
«Indica si las siguientes frases son verdaderas o falsas. Justifica tu respuesta con palabras del texto.» → Say whether the following statements are true or false. Justify your answer with words from the text.
What you have to do: BOTH parts are needed for the one mark: tick true/false 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.
- verdadero (V)
- true
- falso (F)
- false
- justificar
- to justify — give the reason, quoting the text
- la justificación
- the justification (the relevant words from the text)
- la afirmación / la frase
- the statement (the thing you judge true or false)
- citar / copiar del texto
- to quote / copy from the text
Both halves, or no mark: Marking is usually 1 mark for the decision (V/F) and 1 mark for a correct justification. A right V/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 V/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.
| Característica | Cómo funciona en V/F + justificar |
|---|---|
| La decisión sola (V o F) | no vale nada sin justificación |
| La justificación | deben ser las palabras RELEVANTES del texto |
| ¿Cuántas marcas? | normalmente 1 por la decisión + 1 por la justificación |
| ¿De dónde sale la justificación? | del texto: la copias o la citas |
| ¿Copias todo el párrafo? | no, solo la parte que prueba la respuesta |
| ¿Puedes releer? | sí, el texto está delante de ti |
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 V/F is right.
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A reliable V/F routine: Don't tick V 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 V/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 (verdadero) or false (falso) 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 V/F decision and the justification. One without the other loses marks.
Read → Find → Decide → Quote → Write both
Never write V or F alone: The single most common way to lose marks here is writing V or F with no justification. Make it a habit: every V/F answer gets the line from the text written next to it.
A V/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 Ver traducción if you get stuck), then we'll take one V/F statement through the routine.
Lucía y la protectora: Lucía empezó a hacer voluntariado en una protectora de animales hace dos años. Al principio solo iba los sábados, pero ahora va casi todos los días después de clase. Pasea a los perros, limpia las jaulas y ayuda a buscar familias que quieran adoptarlos.
Dice que el trabajo es duro y a veces triste, sobre todo cuando un animal está enfermo. Aun así, no piensa dejarlo: asegura que ver a un perro feliz en su nuevo hogar le da más alegría que cualquier otra cosa.
- el voluntariado
- volunteering
- la protectora (de animales)
- the (animal) shelter
- la jaula
- the cage
- adoptar
- to adopt
- dejar (algo)
- to give up / quit (something)
- la alegría
- the joy / happiness
Deciding and justifying
Una afirmación, paso a paso
- Read the statement — «Lucía piensa dejar el voluntariado pronto.» (V / F + justifica)
- Find the line and decide. Scan for «dejar»: «no piensa dejarlo: asegura que ver a un perro feliz… le da más alegría que cualquier otra cosa.» So the statement is FALSA.
- Quote and write both — Falsa. Justificación: «no piensa dejarlo».
Quote only «no piensa dejarlo»: Notice the justification is just the few words that prove it — «no piensa dejarlo» — 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 V/F marks are lost: Most V/F marks are lost to two habits: writing V or F with no (or an irrelevant) justification, and copying a whole paragraph instead of the few key words. Compare the two columns.
Buenas prácticas
- 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 V/F.
Errores típicos
- Write V 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 V/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.