Auf einen Blick / At a glance

Free Abitur English practice pack: analyse a text on how media consumption is reshaping society, with guided annotation tools.

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

Mehr in diesem Kurs / More from this course

📘 Reference Guide: Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical question — a question asked to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Example: "Isn't it time we asked what success really costs?"
Anecdote — a short personal story used to illustrate a wider point.
Example: "When Maria was twelve, she watched her father work three jobs to pay the rent."
Statistic — a number or piece of data used as evidence.
Example: "Nearly 40% of graduates now say they would take a pay cut for a shorter working week."
Metaphor — describing something as if it were something else, without using "like" or "as".
Example: "The corporate ladder has become a treadmill."
Direct address — speaking straight to the reader using "you" or "your".
Example: "You already know the feeling — that quiet dread on Sunday evening."
Tricolon (list of three) — three parallel words or phrases for rhythm and emphasis.
Example: "They wanted freedom, flexibility, and a reason to get out of bed."
Antithesis / contrast — placing two opposing ideas close together for effect.
Example: "Our parents chased security; we chase meaning."

Exercise 1 · Match Rhetorical Devices

Read the article below. Match each highlighted quotation to the rhetorical/stylistic device it demonstrates.

💡 Prüfungstipp / Exam tip: Never name a device without saying what it does to the reader in that sentence — "the text uses a metaphor" earns nothing on its own; naming the effect on the audience is what the mark scheme actually rewards.

The Feed That Never Sleeps: How Social Media Rewired the American Mind

Adapted from a US media-affairs feature

Twenty years ago, the average American got their news from a handful of evening broadcasts and a folded newspaper. Where do you get your news now — and can you honestly say you remember the last time you checked only once a day? The answer, for most people, is no.

Take Jordan Mills, a 19-year-old college student in Atlanta. He checks his phone within ninety seconds of waking up, scrolls through six different news apps before breakfast, and estimates he sees over 200 headlines before his first class even begins. He is, by his own admission, exhausted by information he never asked for.

He is not unusual. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 86% of American adults at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, and 53% at least sometimes get news from social media. The feed, it seems, has become both a lifeline and a burden.

Media companies insist they are simply meeting demand. Critics counter that they have manufactured it. The algorithm does not care whether a headline informs you or merely inflames you — it only cares whether you keep scrolling. Attention, once freely given, is now the most valuable currency in America.

Whatever side of that argument one takes, one thing is undeniable. The feed never sleeps, and increasingly, neither do we.

Exercise 2 · Purpose, Audience & Tone

Answer the following questions about the article's purpose, intended audience, and tone.

📄 Read the article again

Twenty years ago, the average American got their news from a handful of evening broadcasts and a folded newspaper. Where do you get your news now — and can you honestly say you remember the last time you checked only once a day? The answer, for most people, is no.

Take Jordan Mills, a 19-year-old college student in Atlanta. He checks his phone within ninety seconds of waking up, scrolls through six different news apps before breakfast, and estimates he sees over 200 headlines before his first class even begins. He is, by his own admission, exhausted by information he never asked for.

He is not unusual. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 86% of American adults at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, and 53% at least sometimes get news from social media. The feed, it seems, has become both a lifeline and a burden.

Media companies insist they are simply meeting demand. Critics counter that they have manufactured it. The algorithm does not care whether a headline informs you or merely inflames you — it only cares whether you keep scrolling. Attention, once freely given, is now the most valuable currency in America.

Whatever side of that argument one takes, one thing is undeniable. The feed never sleeps, and increasingly, neither do we.

Exercise 3 · Effect Analysis

For each technique below, choose the answer that best explains its effect on the reader.

📄 Read the article again

Twenty years ago, the average American got their news from a handful of evening broadcasts and a folded newspaper. Where do you get your news now — and can you honestly say you remember the last time you checked only once a day? The answer, for most people, is no.

Take Jordan Mills, a 19-year-old college student in Atlanta. He checks his phone within ninety seconds of waking up, scrolls through six different news apps before breakfast, and estimates he sees over 200 headlines before his first class even begins. He is, by his own admission, exhausted by information he never asked for.

He is not unusual. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 86% of American adults at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, and 53% at least sometimes get news from social media. The feed, it seems, has become both a lifeline and a burden.

Media companies insist they are simply meeting demand. Critics counter that they have manufactured it. The algorithm does not care whether a headline informs you or merely inflames you — it only cares whether you keep scrolling. Attention, once freely given, is now the most valuable currency in America.

Whatever side of that argument one takes, one thing is undeniable. The feed never sleeps, and increasingly, neither do we.

Exercise 4 · Order the Analysis Essay

Click the paragraph descriptions below in the correct order to build a well-structured analysis essay. Click a filled slot to send it back.

Exercise 5 · Write a Full Analysis

Write a full analysis paragraph (150–200 words) examining how the writer uses language to convey her message.

📄 Read the article again

Twenty years ago, the average American got their news from a handful of evening broadcasts and a folded newspaper. Where do you get your news now — and can you honestly say you remember the last time you checked only once a day? The answer, for most people, is no.

Take Jordan Mills, a 19-year-old college student in Atlanta. He checks his phone within ninety seconds of waking up, scrolls through six different news apps before breakfast, and estimates he sees over 200 headlines before his first class even begins. He is, by his own admission, exhausted by information he never asked for.

He is not unusual. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 86% of American adults at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, and 53% at least sometimes get news from social media. The feed, it seems, has become both a lifeline and a burden.

Media companies insist they are simply meeting demand. Critics counter that they have manufactured it. The algorithm does not care whether a headline informs you or merely inflames you — it only cares whether you keep scrolling. Attention, once freely given, is now the most valuable currency in America.

Whatever side of that argument one takes, one thing is undeniable. The feed never sleeps, and increasingly, neither do we.

Focus: Analyse how the writer uses direct address, the case study of Jordan Mills, and the closing personification of "the feed" to convey her argument about the effects of social media on society.
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