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Key Facts: Português (Prova 639) Exam

639

National exam code for Português

EduQA Informação-Prova 2026

120 minutes

Duration: 120 minutes (+ 30 minutes tolerance)

EduQA Informação-Prova 2026

0–200

Scoring scale; admission minimums are set by institutions (never below 95)

JNE/DGES Guia Geral de Exames 2026

€0 / €3

Free for on-time students in compulsory education; €3 per exam in other cases

JNE/DGES Guia Geral de Exames 2026

EduQA

Exam papers prepared by EduQA, I. P. (successor to IAVE)

Decreto-Lei n.º 105/2025

Portugal's Exame Nacional de Português (639) is a 12th-grade national exam prepared by EduQA (formerly IAVE): 120 minutes (+ 30 minutes tolerance), scored 0–200. This free bank offers 100 English-language multiple-choice questions on the Portuguese literary corpus of the 10th–12th grades (medieval lyric, Fernão Lopes, Gil Vicente, Camões, Vieira, Garrett, the Romantic and Realist novel, Antero and Cesário Verde, Pessoa and his heteronyms, 20th-century poets and Saramago), grammar and textual analysis.

Sample Português (Prova 639) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Português (Prova 639) exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the medieval Galician-Portuguese lyric (Trovadorismo), which feature most clearly distinguishes a 'cantiga de amigo' from a 'cantiga de amor'?
A.A male poetic voice addresses his lady ('senhor') in the language of feudal service and complains of 'coita'.
B.The poem names a courtier openly and ridicules his vices in harsh, direct language.
C.The poem relies on veiled double meanings ('palavras cobertas') to mock an unnamed target.
D.A female poetic voice speaks of her 'amigo', often confiding in her mother, friends or nature.
Explanation: In the cantiga de amigo the poem is written by a male troubadour but the lyrical voice is a young woman who speaks of her 'amigo' (beloved), frequently confiding in her mother, female friends or elements of nature such as the sea, a fountain or a pine tree. The cantiga de amor has a male voice addressing an idealised 'senhor'.
2In the Provençal-influenced 'cantigas de amor', what does the concept of 'coita de amor' express?
A.The suffering of the male lover caused by unrequited love for an idealised, inaccessible lady.
B.The joyful certainty of the lover that his lady will soon return his affection.
C.The young woman's longing for her absent 'amigo', who has gone to war or to sea.
D.The poet's mocking complaint about a lady's vanity, expressed through ironic praise.
Explanation: 'Coita de amor' is the torment of the male lyrical subject in the cantiga de amor: his 'senhor' is socially superior, distant and indifferent, so his devotion (modelled on feudal vassalage) produces suffering that can reach the desire for death.
3According to the fragmentary 'Arte de Trovar' preserved in a Galician-Portuguese songbook, what separates a 'cantiga de escárnio' from a 'cantiga de maldizer'?
A.Escárnio is always sung by a female voice, while maldizer is always sung by a male voice.
B.Escárnio is composed with a refrain, while maldizer never uses a refrain.
C.Escárnio criticises the clergy, while maldizer is reserved for criticising noblemen.
D.Escárnio mocks through veiled, ambiguous words, while maldizer attacks openly and directly.
Explanation: The 'Arte de Trovar' defines cantigas de escárnio as those that speak ill of someone through 'palavras cobertas' with a double meaning, whereas cantigas de maldizer speak ill openly ('descobertamente'), with words that admit no other interpretation.
4Martim Codax's cantiga de amigo begins 'Ondas do mar de Vigo, / se vistes meu amigo? / E ai Deus, se verrá cedo!'. Which structural device dominates the poem?
A.Ottava rima in heroic decasyllables, with a closing rhymed couplet in each stanza.
B.Enjambment-free sonnet quatrains followed by two tercets with a final 'chave de ouro'.
C.Narrative stanzas in prose-like lines that recount a sequence of dated events.
D.Paralelismo with a refrain: paired stanzas repeat the same idea with small variations.
Explanation: Codax's poem is a model of paralelismo: stanzas come in pairs that repeat the same content with slight changes of wording and rhyme (vowel endings such as -igo / -ado), and each stanza closes with the refrain 'E ai Deus, se verrá cedo!', intensifying the maiden's anxious waiting.
5In Fernão Lopes's 'Crónica de D. João I', what role is given to the 'arraia-miúda' (the common people of Lisbon) in the 1383–1385 crisis?
A.It acts as a collective protagonist whose mobilisation supports the Mestre de Avis against Castile.
B.It is shown as a passive mass that waits for the nobility and the clergy to decide the succession.
C.It is presented mainly as a threat to order, so the chronicler sides with the queen's regency.
D.It appears only in the final chapters, celebrating the victory at Aljubarrota from a distance.
Explanation: Fernão Lopes is valued for turning the 'arraia-miúda' into a collective historical agent: the people of Lisbon rise in support of the Mestre de Avis and the defence of national independence, and their emotions and actions shape events. This affirmation of collective consciousness is a key AE theme for the Crónica.
6In chapter 11 of the 'Crónica de D. João I' (the death of Conde Andeiro), how does Fernão Lopes build dramatic tension?
A.He interrupts the action with a long moral commentary on the sins of the court.
B.He tells the episode through the queen's letters, delaying the outcome until the next chapter.
C.He reduces the episode to a brief summary so that he can focus on later battles.
D.He alternates the events inside the palace with the agitation of the crowd gathered outside.
Explanation: The chapter cross-cuts between two spaces: inside the palace, where the Mestre de Avis strikes the Conde Andeiro; and the streets, where Álvaro Pais spreads the cry that the Mestre is being killed, so the crowd rushes to the palace. This alternation, with dialogue and movement, gives the scene its visual, almost theatrical dynamism.
7When narrating the siege of Lisbon (chapter 148 of the 'Crónica de D. João I'), how does Fernão Lopes convey the suffering caused by hunger?
A.Through precise tables of food prices that let the reader judge the scale of the crisis.
B.Through ironic remarks about the citizens who had failed to store enough provisions.
C.Through concrete, visual details of the people's privations, which move the reader to compassion.
D.Through an allegory in which the city speaks as a mother to the Castilian besiegers.
Explanation: In the chapter on the city's tribulations, Lopes accumulates concrete images—people eating what they would normally reject, mothers unable to feed their children, the expulsion of those who could not help defend the city—to produce a vivid, emotional picture that engages the reader's sympathy.
8In Gil Vicente's 'Farsa de Inês Pereira', who arrange Inês's marriage to the Escudeiro Brás da Mata?
A.Lianor Vaz, who brings her a letter and gifts sent by Pero Marques.
B.Her mother, who negotiates the match directly with the Escudeiro's family.
C.Two Jewish matchmakers, Latão and Vidal, hired to find the husband she wants.
D.The Ermitão, who offers to bless her marriage to a gentleman of the court.
Explanation: Inês wants a 'discreto' husband who can sing, play and speak gallantly. The two Jewish matchmakers (judeus casamenteiros) Latão and Vidal find the Escudeiro Brás da Mata, whose courtly airs win her over despite her mother's warnings.
9Which statement best characterises Gil Vicente's dramatic technique in the 'Farsa de Inês Pereira'?
A.Five acts in prose that strictly observe the unities of time, place and action.
B.Psychologically complex individuals whose inner conflicts are revealed through long soliloquies.
C.Allegorical figures of the virtues and vices, judged after death in a supernatural setting.
D.Type characters, satire of social behaviour and verse dialogue, mostly in 'redondilha maior'.
Explanation: Vicentine farce uses type characters (the ambitious young woman, the foolish rich peasant, the penniless squire, the go-between), satirises everyday behaviour to moralise customs, and is written in verse, generally in the 'redondilha maior' (seven-syllable line), with a loose sequence of scenes rather than classical unities.
10How does the final scene of the 'Farsa de Inês Pereira' illustrate the proverb 'Mais quero asno que me leve que cavalo que me derrube'?
A.Brás da Mata returns from Africa and Inês begs his forgiveness for her disobedience.
B.Inês enters a convent, renouncing both the Escudeiro and Pero Marques.
C.Pero Marques refuses to take Inês to the hermitage and finally asserts his authority.
D.Pero Marques carries Inês on his back to visit the Ermitão, a former admirer, while they sing.
Explanation: After the Escudeiro's death, Inês marries the submissive Pero Marques. In the last scene he literally carries her on his back to the hermitage of the Ermitão, an old admirer, as she sings 'Marido cuco me levades' and he answers 'Pois assi se fazem as cousas'. The 'asno que me leve' is now, ironically, a deceived husband.

About the Português (Prova 639) Exam

The Exame Final Nacional de Português (prova 639) is a 12th-grade national secondary exam in Portugal. Since the 2025 reorganization of the Ministry of Education (Decreto-Lei n.º 105/2025), exam papers are prepared by EduQA — Instituto de Educação, Qualidade e Avaliação, I. P., which succeeded IAVE, and the exams are organized and graded under the Júri Nacional de Exames. Written exam on the Aprendizagens Essenciais of Português for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades: literary education and reading of literary and non-literary texts, grammar (knowledge of the language) and writing, including an essay of 200–350 words. The paper combines selection items (such as multiple choice) and constructed-response items, scored out of 200 points; answers are written on answer sheets that are later digitized. The exam covers the Portuguese literary corpus of the 10th–12th grades (medieval lyric, Fernão Lopes, Gil Vicente, Camões, Vieira, Garrett, the Romantic and Realist novel, Antero and Cesário Verde, Pessoa and his heteronyms, 20th-century poets and Saramago), grammar and textual analysis. It counts towards the subject's final grade and can be used as an admission exam (prova de ingresso) for higher education where a course requires it. This bank is an independent English-language multiple-choice study adaptation with 100 original practice questions. It is not affiliated with EduQA or the JNE and does not reproduce the official paper or its constructed-response tasks.

Exam sponsor: EduQA, I. P. (exam papers; successor to IAVE since 2025) with the Júri Nacional de Exames (JNE). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Written exam on the Aprendizagens Essenciais of Português for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades: literary education and reading of literary and non-literary texts, grammar (knowledge of the language) and writing, including an essay of 200–350 words. The paper combines selection items (such as multiple choice) and constructed-response items, scored out of 200 points; answers are written on answer sheets that are later digitized.

Time Limit

120 minutes (+ 30 minutes tolerance)

Passing Score

Scored 0–200; counts 25% of the subject grade for internal students; admission-exam minimums are set by institutions (never below 95/200)

Exam / Certification Fees

€0 for on-time students in compulsory education; €3 per exam in other cases; €25 + €3 per exam if registering late

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

~50% of this bank

Literary education

Portuguese literature from medieval lyric to Pessoa and Saramago, following the 10th–12th grade corpus.

~30% of this bank

Grammar and knowledge of the language

Syntax, syntactic functions, subordination and coordination, semantics, deixis, word formation and the history of the language.

~20% of this bank

Reading and textual analysis

Comprehension, argument, cohesion and rhetoric in literary and non-literary texts.

Preparing for the Português (Prova 639) Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Scored 0–200; counts 25% of the subject grade for internal students; admission-exam minimums are set by institutions (never below 95/200)
  • Assessment: Written exam on the Aprendizagens Essenciais of Português for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades: literary education and reading of literary and non-literary texts, grammar (knowledge of the language) and writing, including an essay of 200–350 words. The paper combines selection items (such as multiple choice) and constructed-response items, scored out of 200 points; answers are written on answer sheets that are later digitized.
  • Time limit: 120 minutes (+ 30 minutes tolerance)
  • Exam / certification fees: €0 for on-time students in compulsory education; €3 per exam in other cases; €25 + €3 per exam if registering late Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Português (Prova 639): Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the distinction between relative clauses: orações subordinadas adjetivas relativas restritivas (essential to meaning, no commas) versus relativas explicativas (parenthetical additional information, separated by commas).
2Recognize syntactic functions within the verb phrase: differentiate strictly between complemento oblíquo (prepositional phrase selected by the verb) and modificador do grupo verbal (optional circumstantial adjunct).
3Memorize historical sound shifts from Latin to Portuguese: syncope, apocope, apheresis (suppression); prosthesis, epenthesis, paragoge (addition); and metathesis, assimilation, dissimilation, and vocalization (alteration).
4Study Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms through their philosophical contrasts: Alberto Caeiro's sensationalist paganism and rejection of metaphysics; Ricardo Reis's Epicurean and Stoic Horace-inspired classicism; and Álvaro de Campos's futurist dynamism and subsequent existential weariness.
5Understand the allegorical architecture of Padre António Vieira's Sermão de Santo António aos Peixes, identifying how each fish's natural traits critique human vices (roncadores = pride/arrogance; pegadores = opportunism/parasitism; voadores = excessive ambition; polvo = betrayal/hypocrisy).
6In Eça de Queirós's Os Maias, connect the tragic incestuous romance of Carlos da Maia and Maria Eduarda to the fatalistic Greek tragedy model combined with Naturalist determinism (heredity, education, and environment).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who prepares and grades the exam?

Since the 2025 reorganization (Decreto-Lei n.º 105/2025), exam papers are prepared by EduQA — Instituto de Educação, Qualidade e Avaliação, I. P., which succeeded IAVE. The exams are run in schools and graded under the Júri Nacional de Exames (JNE).

How is the exam structured?

Written exam on the Aprendizagens Essenciais of Português for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades: literary education and reading of literary and non-literary texts, grammar (knowledge of the language) and writing, including an essay of 200–350 words. The paper combines selection items (such as multiple choice) and constructed-response items, scored out of 200 points; answers are written on answer sheets that are later digitized.

Is there a pass mark?

No single pass mark: the exam is scored 0–200. For internal students it counts for 25% of the final subject grade (CFD = 0.75 × internal grade + 0.25 × exam); for external candidates the exam grade is the subject grade, so at least 95/200 is needed. When used as an admission exam (prova de ingresso), each higher-education institution sets the minimum, never below 95/200.

How much does it cost?

Free for students in compulsory education who register on time and for internal students in the 1st phase; €3 per exam for 2nd-phase grade improvement, for external candidates (autopropostos) outside compulsory education and for external grade improvement; late registration costs €25 plus €3 per exam (JNE/DGES Guia Geral de Exames 2026).

Which literary works are assessed?

The exam follows the Aprendizagens Essenciais: in the 10th grade, medieval lyric poetry, Fernão Lopes, Gil Vicente (Farsa de Inês Pereira or Auto da Feira) and Camões; in the 11th, Vieira, Frei Luís de Sousa, a Romantic text, Os Maias or A Ilustre Casa de Ramires, Antero and Cesário Verde; in the 12th, Pessoa (orthonym, heteronyms and Mensagem), short stories, contemporary poets and a Saramago novel.

How does this practice bank relate to the official exam?

This bank is an independent English-language multiple-choice study adaptation with 100 original practice questions. It is not affiliated with EduQA or the JNE and does not reproduce the official paper or its constructed-response tasks. Use it to review content and concepts alongside official Informação-Prova documents and past papers.