🕊️ BAMF topic area: Living in a democracy

German Citizenship Test: Basic Rights — 22 questions

Articles 1 to 19 of the Grundgesetz: human dignity, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and equality before the law. This block covers 22 of the 300 general questions, so on average about 2.2 of the 30 general questions in your exam will come from it.

What this block tests

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.

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All 22 questions on Basic Rights

Open any question for the answer options, the reasoning, the key exam vocabulary, and the German wording used on exam day.

  1. 1 In Germany, people may openly speak against the government because …

    Correct: freedom of expression applies here.

  2. 4 Which right is one of the basic rights (Grundrechte) in Germany?

    Correct: Freedom of expression

  3. 7 Which right is guaranteed by the German constitution as a basic right? The right to …

    Correct: freedom of faith and conscience

  4. 8 What is NOT in the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz)?

    Correct: Everyone should have the same amount of money.

  5. 9 Which basic right in Germany applies only to foreigners? The basic right to …

    Correct: asylum

  6. 12 A party in the German Bundestag wants to abolish freedom of the press. Is that possible?

    Correct: No, because freedom of the press is a basic right. It cannot be abolished.

  7. 14 Freedom of expression in Germany means that I …

    Correct: can express my opinion on the internet.

  8. 15 What does the German Basic Law prohibit?

    Correct: Forced labor

  9. 16 When is freedom of expression restricted in Germany?

    Correct: when publicly spreading false claims about individuals

  10. 18 Which basic right is guaranteed in Article 1 of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany?

    Correct: the inviolability of human dignity

  11. 19 What does the right of "freedom of movement" (Freizügigkeit) mean in Germany?

    Correct: You may choose your own place of residence.

  12. 104 A woman in Germany loses her job. What must not be the reason for this dismissal?

    Correct: The woman is having a baby and her boss knows it.

  13. 243 Maik and Sybille want to hold a street demonstration with friends at their German place of residence. What must they do beforehand?

    Correct: They must register the demonstration.

  14. 262 What does the principle of equal treatment mean in Germany?

    Correct: Nobody may be disadvantaged e.g. because of a disability.

  15. 267 A young woman in Germany, 22 years old, lives with her boyfriend. The woman's parents do not approve because they don't like the boyfriend. What can the parents do?

    Correct: They must respect the decision of their adult daughter.

  16. 274 You have intentionally opened a letter addressed to another person in Germany. What have you not respected?

    Correct: the privacy of correspondence

  17. 276 What should you do if you are treated badly by your contact person at a German government office?

    Correct: I can complain to the head of the authority.

  18. 277 A woman with a two-year-old child applies for a job in Germany. What is an example of discrimination? She doesn't get the job only because she …

    Correct: is a mother.

  19. 278 A man in a wheelchair has applied for a position as an accountant. What is an example of discrimination? He doesn't get the job only because he …

    Correct: is in a wheelchair.

  20. 281 Two friends want to go to a public swimming pool in Germany. Both have dark skin and are therefore not allowed in. Which right is being violated in this situation? The right to …

    Correct: equal treatment

  21. 289 A man with dark skin applies for a position as a waiter in a restaurant in Germany. What is an example of discrimination? He doesn't get the job only because …

    Correct: he has dark skin.

  22. 292 People in Germany live according to the principle of religious tolerance. What does that mean?

    Correct: Everyone can believe what they want.

Other topics

History and Responsibility · Living in a Democracy · The State and Federalism · Law and the Rule of Law · People and Society · Symbols and Public Holidays

Also worth doing: the 10 state questions for your Bundesland and the exam vocabulary list with translations.

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