Michael Steinmetz questions in his study what competencies high school students need to possess in order to interpret literature in an exam situation. His goal is to put the expectations to the test in light of the actual abilities, rather than the usual practice of assessing abilities in the context of expectations. From this perspective, the author succeeds in transforming the ongoing complaints about students' deficiencies into a critique of the demands placed upon them. Based on an empirical investigation of high school graduation exam performances, Michael Steinmetz provides well-founded arguments for a measured reduction of the existing expectations for literature interpretation in high school.