Practice test 1

Correct answer: Minimum percentage of votes to get into parliament

The 5 % hurdle is the minimum share of nationwide second votes a party must reach to enter the Bundestag. It is designed to prevent excessive fragmentation of parliament and to make stable governing majorities possible.

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Correct answer: the federal eagle.

Behind the speaker's lectern in the plenary chamber of the Reichstag building hangs the federal eagle, the Federal Republic's heraldic animal. The current stylised form is based on Ludwig Gies's 1953 design.

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Correct answer: there is a church tax that is linked to income and wage tax.

In Germany, church tax is collected by the tax office as a surcharge on income or wage tax. It amounts to 8 or 9 percent of the income tax and is paid only by members of a tax-entitled religious community.

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Correct answer: dictatorship.

The "Third Reich" of 1933–1945 was a totalitarian dictatorship under Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP. Democratic structures were destroyed, other parties banned, trade unions dissolved and political opponents persecuted, imprisoned or murdered.

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Correct answer: the Bundestag.

In Germany the people directly elect only the Bundestag (Article 38 of the Basic Law). The Federal President, Chancellor and government are not elected by the people but by the Bundestag or the Federal Convention.

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Correct answer: Helmut Kohl

Helmut Kohl (CDU) was Chancellor from 1982 to 1998 and politically delivered reunification in 1989/90. For his role in the GDR's accession on 3 October 1990, he is known as the Chancellor of Unity.

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Correct answer: She has to submit an application to the parental allowance office.

Parental allowance must be applied for in writing at the responsible Elterngeldstelle in the federal state; there is no automatic payment. The application should be filed within the child's first three months, as back-payment is limited to three months.

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Correct answer: 1938

During the night of 9 to 10 November 1938, known as the November Pogrom or Kristallnacht, National Socialists and their followers destroyed synagogues, Jewish shops and homes across the Reich. Over 400 Jews were killed or driven to their deaths.

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Correct answer: the notice period

An ordinary resignation must observe the notice period – generally four weeks to the 15th or end of the month under §622 BGB, often longer in collective or individual contracts. The notice itself must be in writing.

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Correct answer: decorating a Christmas tree

Decorating a fir tree with candles and baubles has been the central Christmas custom in Germany since the 19th century. The tree is usually put up on 24 December and stays until Epiphany, 6 January.

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Correct answer: you can be punished for it.

Since 2000, §1631(2) BGB has guaranteed children the right to a non-violent upbringing; corporal punishment is forbidden. Striking a child can be prosecuted as bodily harm under §223 of the Criminal Code.

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Correct answer: 50s

The "economic miracle" (Wirtschaftswunder) refers to West Germany's rapid economic recovery in the 1950s. After the 1948 currency reform, Marshall Plan aid and Ludwig Erhard's social market economy delivered full employment and rising prosperity.

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Correct answer: Press

The three branches of state power are the legislature (lawmaking), the executive (administration) and the judiciary (courts). The press is often called the "fourth estate" but is not part of state power.

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Correct answer: European Union

EU stands for European Union, a union of currently 27 European states. It emerged from the European Community with the 1993 Treaty of Maastricht.

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Correct answer: active right to vote.

Being entitled to cast a vote is called the active right to vote. For Bundestag elections it applies to all German citizens aged 18 and over (Article 38(2) of the Basic Law); the right to stand as a candidate, the passive right, also starts at 18.

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Correct answer: more difficult if it changes the majority in the Bundesrat.

Through the Bundesrat the state governments take part in federal legislation. If a state election shifts the majorities in the Bundesrat, the federal government can be blocked on laws requiring its consent, which often shapes federal policy debates.

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Correct answer: Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz (CDU) was elected Federal Chancellor by the Bundestag on 6 May 2025, succeeding Olaf Scholz. He leads a black-red coalition government of the CDU/CSU and the SPD.

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Correct answer: 18

In Germany, the age of majority is reached on the 18th birthday (§2 BGB). The person then gains full legal capacity and the right to vote in federal elections.

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Correct answer: the parents/guardians

Attending kindergarten in Germany is voluntary; the decision lies solely with the parents or legal guardians. Compulsory schooling only begins with the start of primary school.

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

Public authorities are bound by an internal chain of command: anyone who feels mistreated can file a service complaint with the head of the authority. The complaint is informal, free of charge and reviewed internally.

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Correct answer: He asked Poland and the Polish Jews for forgiveness.

By kneeling on 7 December 1970 in front of the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial, Chancellor Willy Brandt symbolically asked Poland and Polish Jews for forgiveness for German crimes in the Second World War. The gesture became a milestone of reconciliation politics.

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Correct answer: the Federal President

Federal ministers are appointed and dismissed by the Federal President on the proposal of the Chancellor (Article 64). The President's role here is largely formal and reviews legality rather than political content.

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Correct answer: the parents

Responsibility for raising children lies primarily with the parents under Article 6 of the Basic Law. The state oversees how this right is exercised and offers support through youth welfare and schools.

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Correct answer: the Federal Assembly

The Federal President is elected by the Federal Convention (Bundesversammlung) under Article 54. It convenes solely for this purpose and consists of all Bundestag members plus an equal number of delegates sent by the state parliaments.

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Correct answer: All residents and the state must abide by the law.

Under the rule of law every state organ and every resident is bound by the law; nobody stands above it. This principle is enshrined in Article 20(3) of the Basic Law, which binds all state power to the constitution and the law.

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Correct answer: at 10 pm

Statutory night-time quiet hours run from 10 pm to 6 am; noise must be kept at room volume and special consideration is required. The exact rules are laid down in the Federal Immission Control Act and local noise ordinances.

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Correct answer: a member of parliament from the largest parliamentary group

By parliamentary tradition the largest parliamentary group nominates the President of the Bundestag. He or she is elected in the constituent session and chairs the sittings and the Bundestag's administration (Article 40).

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Correct answer: represents the country.

The Federal President's main role is representative: he represents Germany at home and abroad, signs laws into force and appoints ministers, judges and civil servants. Day-to-day political decisions are made by the Federal Government.

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Correct answer: is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany and is at least 18 years old.

To vote in a Bundestag election you must hold German citizenship and be at least 18 on election day (Article 38(2) of the Basic Law and Section 12 BWG). Foreign nationals cannot vote federally; EU citizens may vote only in local and European elections.

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Correct answer: free elections

Under National Socialism there were no longer any free elections. After the Enabling Act of March 1933 all other parties were banned or dissolved, and only sham single-list NSDAP ballots took place.

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