In mathematics instruction, more and more reality-based tasks are used, with the aim of enabling pupils to deal with the world as responsible citizens. Such tasks encompass a broad spectrum concerning their references to reality and demand mathematical and comprehension skills to varying degrees. This study used texts in the format of newspaper articles with a mathematical question to gain insights into the comprehension and solution processes of pupils during working on this unfamiliar task format. Furthermore, classical word problems, which are familiar from textbooks, were used. 20 9th graders worked each on two classical word problems and two newspaper articles using the Think Aloud Method. To examine the influence of linguistic complexity, linguistic features were systematically varied in both task types. Using reconstructions and detailed analyses of these 80 solution processes, the role of comprehending the task as well as associated differences and strategies could be identified and compared regarding the two task types.