Question 16 of 300 · Basic Rights

Question 16: When is freedom of expression restricted in Germany?

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

The question as it appears on the exam

Wann ist die Meinungsfreiheit in Deutschland eingeschränkt?

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

Abei der öffentlichen Verbreitung falscher Behauptungen über einzelne Personenwhen publicly spreading false claims about individualsCorrect
Bbei Meinungsäußerungen über die Bundesregierungwhen expressing opinions about the federal government
Cbei Diskussionen über Religionenwhen discussing religions
Dbei Kritik am Staatwhen criticizing the state

Correct answer

A — bei der öffentlichen Verbreitung falscher Behauptungen über einzelne Personen

when publicly spreading false claims about individuals

Why this is the answer

This question is about the Grundrechte — the basic rights in Articles 1 to 19 of the German constitution. The benchmark is Article 1: “Human dignity is inviolable.” Basic rights protect the individual from the state; they are never permission to harm someone else. That is why options about owning weapons or taking the law into your own hands are never basic rights, while freedom of expression, religion and assembly always are. Ask yourself whether the option protects a person's freedom and dignity. If it does, it is the answer.

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.

die Regierung — government
Die Regierung führt das Land.
die Meinungsfreiheit — freedom of expression
Meinungsfreiheit erlaubt Kritik an der Politik.

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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