Question 127 of 300 · Living in a Democracy

Question 127: Why does the 5% threshold exist in Germany's electoral law? It exists because …

Official question from the BAMF catalog used for the Einbürgerungstest (German citizenship test) and the Leben in Deutschland test. Topic: Living in a Democracy.

The question as it appears on the exam

Warum gibt es die 5%-Hürde im Wahlgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland? Es gibt sie, weil …

The Einbürgerungstest is written and sat in German only, with no dictionary allowed. Use the English below to understand the question, but learn to recognise the German wording above — that is what you will see on the day.

Diese Frage auf Deutsch →

Answer options

Adie Programme von vielen kleinen Parteien viele Gemeinsamkeiten haben.the programmes of many small parties have many similarities.
Bdie Bürgerinnen und Bürger bei vielen kleinen Parteien die Orientierung verlieren können.citizens can lose orientation with many small parties.
Cviele kleine Parteien die Regierungsbildung erschweren.many small parties make forming a government more difficult.Correct
Ddie kleinen Parteien nicht so viel Geld haben, um die Politikerinnen und Politiker zu bezahlen.small parties do not have enough money to pay politicians.

Correct answer

C — viele kleine Parteien die Regierungsbildung erschweren.

many small parties make forming a government more difficult.

Why this is the answer

This question belongs to the topic area “Leben in der Demokratie” (living in a democracy). One principle sits behind almost all of them: in Germany, state authority comes from the people — Article 20 of the Grundgesetz (the constitution). Citizens elect parliaments, parliaments pass laws, and the government answers to parliament. When you are unsure which option is right, ask yourself whether the answer increases ordinary people's say in government and puts limits on power. That option is almost always the correct one.

Key exam terms in this question

These exam terms appear in the question or in the answer options. Once you know them, you can still spot the right answer when the wording changes.

das Gesetz — law / statute
Ein Gesetz wird im Bundestag beschlossen.
die Partei — political party
In Deutschland gibt es mehrere Parteien.
die Regierung — government
Die Regierung führt das Land.
die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) — Federal Republic of Germany
Die BRD wurde 1949 gegründet.

All exam vocabulary with translations →

How this question fits into the exam

On exam day you answer 33 questions in 60 minutes: 30 from the general catalog of 300 questions — this question is one of them — and 3 about your federal state. You pass with 17 correct answers. Aiming for exactly 17 leaves no margin for nerves, so take timed mock exams until 33 out of 33 feels routine.

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