Auf einen Blick / At a glance
Free Abitur English practice pack: analyse a text on ambition and the fading American Dream, with guided annotation and self-check.
- Niveau / Level
- B2–C1 (GER/CEFR)
- Für / For
- Abitur
- Fertigkeiten / Skills
- Leseverstehen / Reading, Schreiben / Writing
- Schwerpunkt / Focus
- Text analysis
- Aufgaben / Tasks
- 5
- Kosten / Cost
- kostenlos, ohne Anmeldung / free, no sign-up
📘 Referenzleitfaden: Rhetorische Mittel (zum Nachschlagen)
Example: "Isn't it time we asked what success really costs?"
Example: "When Maria was twelve, she watched her father work three jobs to pay the rent."
Example: "Nearly 40% of graduates now say they would take a pay cut for a shorter working week."
Example: "The corporate ladder has become a treadmill."
Example: "You already know the feeling — that quiet dread on Sunday evening."
Example: "They wanted freedom, flexibility, and a reason to get out of bed."
Example: "Our parents chased security; we chase meaning."
Übung 1 · Rhetorische Mittel zuordnen
Read the article below. Match each highlighted quotation to the rhetorical/stylistic device it demonstrates. The devices used here are different from the ones in the reference guide above — use your own analytical judgement.
The Ambition Gap: Why Young Americans Are Rewriting the Rules of Success
For most of the twentieth century, the American Dream had a simple shape: work hard, climb the ladder, and the good life would follow. Ask any twenty-five-year-old today whether that promise still holds, and you will likely be met with a tired laugh. Something has shifted, and it is not merely a matter of economics.
Consider Daniel Ruiz, a 27-year-old marketing associate in Ohio. He grew up watching his father clock sixty-hour weeks at a steel plant that closed twice and reopened once, chasing a stability that never quite arrived. Daniel now works four days a week by choice, earning less than his father did, and describes himself as happier than his parents ever were.
He is far from alone. A recent Pew survey found that 61% of American workers under thirty now rank "time for life outside work" above salary when choosing a job. Employers who once dangled titles and corner offices are discovering that a new generation simply is not biting.
Critics call this laziness. Sociologists call it something else entirely: a rational response to a broken bargain. Their grandparents built companies; their parents built portfolios; they are building, above all, boundaries. The ambition has not disappeared — it has relocated, from the office to the self.
Whether this shift represents decline or wisdom will be argued for years. But one thing is already clear: the old ladder is rusting, and nobody under thirty seems particularly interested in climbing it.
Übung 2 · Purpose, Audience & Tone
Answer the following questions about the article's purpose, intended audience, and tone.
📄 Read the article again
For most of the twentieth century, the American Dream had a simple shape: work hard, climb the ladder, and the good life would follow. Ask any twenty-five-year-old today whether that promise still holds, and you will likely be met with a tired laugh. Something has shifted, and it is not merely a matter of economics.
Consider Daniel Ruiz, a 27-year-old marketing associate in Ohio. He grew up watching his father clock sixty-hour weeks at a steel plant that closed twice and reopened once, chasing a stability that never quite arrived. Daniel now works four days a week by choice, earning less than his father did, and describes himself as happier than his parents ever were.
He is far from alone. A recent Pew survey found that 61% of American workers under thirty now rank "time for life outside work" above salary when choosing a job. Employers who once dangled titles and corner offices are discovering that a new generation simply is not biting.
Critics call this laziness. Sociologists call it something else entirely: a rational response to a broken bargain. Their grandparents built companies; their parents built portfolios; they are building, above all, boundaries. The ambition has not disappeared — it has relocated, from the office to the self.
Whether this shift represents decline or wisdom will be argued for years. But one thing is already clear: the old ladder is rusting, and nobody under thirty seems particularly interested in climbing it.
Übung 3 · Wirkung analysieren (Effect Analysis)
For each technique below, choose the answer that best explains its effect on the reader.
📄 Read the article again
For most of the twentieth century, the American Dream had a simple shape: work hard, climb the ladder, and the good life would follow. Ask any twenty-five-year-old today whether that promise still holds, and you will likely be met with a tired laugh. Something has shifted, and it is not merely a matter of economics.
Consider Daniel Ruiz, a 27-year-old marketing associate in Ohio. He grew up watching his father clock sixty-hour weeks at a steel plant that closed twice and reopened once, chasing a stability that never quite arrived. Daniel now works four days a week by choice, earning less than his father did, and describes himself as happier than his parents ever were.
He is far from alone. A recent Pew survey found that 61% of American workers under thirty now rank "time for life outside work" above salary when choosing a job. Employers who once dangled titles and corner offices are discovering that a new generation simply is not biting.
Critics call this laziness. Sociologists call it something else entirely: a rational response to a broken bargain. Their grandparents built companies; their parents built portfolios; they are building, above all, boundaries. The ambition has not disappeared — it has relocated, from the office to the self.
Whether this shift represents decline or wisdom will be argued for years. But one thing is already clear: the old ladder is rusting, and nobody under thirty seems particularly interested in climbing it.
Übung 4 · Aufbau eines Analyseaufsatzes ordnen
Click the paragraph descriptions below in the correct order to build a well-structured analysis essay (introduction → body → conclusion).
Übung 5 · Vollständige Analyse schreiben
Choose a focus and write a full analysis paragraph (150–200 words) examining how the writer uses language to convey their message.
📄 Read the article again
For most of the twentieth century, the American Dream had a simple shape: work hard, climb the ladder, and the good life would follow. Ask any twenty-five-year-old today whether that promise still holds, and you will likely be met with a tired laugh. Something has shifted, and it is not merely a matter of economics.
Consider Daniel Ruiz, a 27-year-old marketing associate in Ohio. He grew up watching his father clock sixty-hour weeks at a steel plant that closed twice and reopened once, chasing a stability that never quite arrived. Daniel now works four days a week by choice, earning less than his father did, and describes himself as happier than his parents ever were.
He is far from alone. A recent Pew survey found that 61% of American workers under thirty now rank "time for life outside work" above salary when choosing a job. Employers who once dangled titles and corner offices are discovering that a new generation simply is not biting.
Critics call this laziness. Sociologists call it something else entirely: a rational response to a broken bargain. Their grandparents built companies; their parents built portfolios; they are building, above all, boundaries. The ambition has not disappeared — it has relocated, from the office to the self.
Whether this shift represents decline or wisdom will be argued for years. But one thing is already clear: the old ladder is rusting, and nobody under thirty seems particularly interested in climbing it.