Practice test 8

Correct answer: Konrad Adenauer.

The first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany was Konrad Adenauer (CDU). He governed from 1949 to 1963 and shaped the rebuilding of West German democracy, integration with the West and reconciliation with France.

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Correct answer: a dictatorship.

Through the Reichstag fire and the Enabling Act of March 1933 the Nazis stripped parliament, parties and basic rights of power and built a dictatorship. From August 1934 Hitler merged the offices of Chancellor and President as Führer.

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Correct answer: 18

All German citizens aged 18 and over are entitled to vote in federal elections (Article 38(2) of the Basic Law). The same age limit applies to standing for election (passive voting right).

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Correct answer: Synagogue

The Jewish house of prayer is called a synagogue, where the faithful gather for worship and the reading of the Torah. In Christianity the equivalent is the church, in Islam the mosque, and in Buddhism the temple. Germany's most prominent synagogues are in Berlin (Rykestrasse) and Munich.

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Correct answer: the Ministry for State Security.

The Stasi was the GDR's Ministry for State Security (1950–1990) and acted as the secret police of the ruling SED. With around 91,000 full-time officers and over 170,000 informers it spied on its own population and suppressed dissidents.

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Correct answer: No-one may be discriminated against because of a disability, for example.

The principle of equal treatment under Article 3 of the Basic Law and the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) prohibits discrimination based on sex, origin, religion, disability, age or sexual identity. It applies in employment, tenancy and everyday life.

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Correct answer: She may be able to take the theory test in her native language. There are more than ten languages to choose from.

The theoretical driving licence test in Germany can be taken in more than ten foreign languages, including English, Turkish, Russian and Arabic. The practical test, however, is only available in German.

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Correct answer: Austria

In Austria, German is the sole official language and is spoken by around 9 million people natively. German is also widespread in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and South Tyrol.

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Correct answer: Denmark

Denmark is Germany's only northern neighbour; the roughly 70 km land border separates Schleswig-Holstein from Jutland. Denmark is an EU member but has not adopted the euro.

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Correct answer: to the youth welfare office.

The Jugendamt is the responsible municipal body for families and offers free advice and support on parenting issues under §16 ff. SGB VIII. Counselling is voluntary and confidential.

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Correct answer: Forced labour

Article 12(3) of the Basic Law prohibits forced labour, allowing it only in connection with a court-ordered deprivation of liberty. The ban is a direct lesson drawn from forced labour under the Nazi regime.

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Correct answer: Guest workers

Foreign workers recruited in the 1950s and 1960s were called Gastarbeiter (guest workers) – their stay was originally intended to be temporary. Recruitment agreements were concluded with Italy (1955), Spain, Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia, among others.

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Correct answer: employed by a company or public authority.

Around 90 percent of the workforce in Germany is in dependent employment, working for a company or a public authority. Self-employed people make up only about one tenth of the workforce.

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Correct answer: Vietnam, Poland, Mozambique.

From the 1960s, the GDR brought in contract workers under bilateral agreements with socialist partner states, mainly from Vietnam, Poland and Mozambique, later also Cuba and Angola. They mostly worked in industry and construction under strictly regulated residence conditions.

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Correct answer: Today's five eastern federal states joined the Federal Republic of Germany.

On 3 October 1990, the five newly formed East German states joined the Federal Republic under Article 23 of the Basic Law. The GDR thereby ceased to exist; no new constitution was adopted.

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Correct answer: to monitor compliance with the law

A core task of the police is to monitor compliance with the law, prevent criminal offences and investigate them when they occur. The police belong to the executive branch and in Germany are largely a matter for the federal states.

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Correct answer: the parliament for Germany.

In the Bundestag election citizens choose the federal parliament, that is, the Deutscher Bundestag. The Bundestag then elects the Chancellor, who is therefore not directly chosen by the voters.

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Correct answer: publicly calling for the destruction of Israel

Publicly calling for the destruction of Israel is a criminal offence under German law, notably Section 130 of the Penal Code (incitement to hatred). Given the legacy of the Holocaust, Israel's right to exist is regarded as a German state principle.

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Correct answer: I lodge an objection with the authority.

An incorrect notice or invoice from a public authority can be challenged in writing within one month by lodging an objection (§70 VwGO). The deadline and recipient are stated in the legal remedies notice at the end of the decision.

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Correct answer: 2002

Euro cash was introduced in Germany on 1 January 2002, replacing the Deutsche Mark. The euro had already existed as book money since 1999.

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Correct answer: 4 years

Under Article 39 of the Basic Law the Bundestag is elected for a fixed term of four years. This regular cycle gives stable government and ensures the parliament is renewed democratically at predictable intervals.

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Correct answer: You can vote.

The active right to vote is the right to cast a ballot yourself. It is distinct from the passive right to vote, which is the right to stand as a candidate; for Bundestag elections both apply from age 18.

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Correct answer: by the "Treaties of Rome"

With the Treaties of Rome of 25 March 1957, Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux states formed the EEC. This is the economic foundation of the later European Union.

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Correct answer: from the National Socialist crimes against Jews

Germany's special responsibility for Israel stems from the Holocaust: under National Socialist rule, around six million European Jews were murdered. The Federal Republic derives a lasting political and moral obligation from this history.

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

Dismissing a woman because she is pregnant is forbidden under Section 17 of the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG). Once the employer knows about the pregnancy, no termination is allowed from its start until four months after childbirth, and any such dismissal is void.

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Correct answer: on Shrove Monday

On Rosenmontag, the high point of carnival before Ash Wednesday, large parades with colourful costumes and masks march through the streets, especially in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz. The tradition has been firmly established since the 19th century.

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Correct answer: Judiciary.

Judges belong to the judiciary, the judicial branch of state power. Under the separation of powers in Article 20(2) of the Basic Law it is kept distinct from the legislature, which makes the law, and the executive, which carries it out.

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Correct answer: They count the votes after the end of the election.

Volunteer poll workers staff the polling station: they hand out ballots, ensure correct procedure, and after the station closes they publicly count the votes. This guarantees independent and transparent determination of the election result.

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Correct answer: You have to register the demonstration.

Open-air assemblies must be registered with the competent authority – usually the public order office or police – at least 48 hours in advance under §14 of the Assembly Act. The underlying right of freedom of assembly is guaranteed by Article 8 of the Basic Law.

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Correct answer: about 1700 years ago

An edict of Emperor Constantine from around the year 321 mentions a Jewish community in Cologne, the oldest written record of Jewish life on today's German soil. The 1,700-year anniversary was officially commemorated in 2021.

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