Fragen 271 bis 300

In Germany, Christmas includes decorating a fir tree with baubles, candles or lights. Colourful eggs are hidden at Easter (a), masks and costumes belong to carnival (c), and pumpkins in front of the door are a Halloween custom (d).

Germany follows monogamy: a man married to two women at the same time acts unlawfully; the second marriage is invalid under § 1306 BGB and bigamy is a criminal offence. Answer d is therefore correct. Patchwork families after a divorce (a), two women living together (b) and a single father (c) are permitted.

With parenting problems, the youth welfare office is the responsible contact point; it advises parents free of charge and arranges support for upbringing (§ 16 SGB VIII). A doctor (a) and the public health office (b) are responsible for medical questions, the residents' registration office (c) for registration matters.

Letters are protected by the confidentiality of correspondence (Article 10 of the Basic Law); you may not open other people's mail, and doing so can be a criminal offence. Answer b is therefore correct. The right to remain silent (a) concerns statements in proceedings, the duty of confidentiality (c) concerns professional secrets, and freedom of expression (d) has nothing to do with other people's mail.

In a divorce, both spouses must be represented before the court by a lawyer (§ 114 FamFG); without legal representation the divorce petition is not valid. Parents (a) and children (c) do not have to consent, and a medical certificate (b) is not a requirement.

Against unfriendly or inappropriate behaviour by staff at an authority, you can complain to the head of the authority; there is often also a complaints or anti-discrimination office. Answer d is therefore correct. You do not have to accept such treatment (a, b), and threats (c) are not an acceptable route.

Disadvantaging someone because of motherhood or gender is prohibited by the General Equal Treatment Act (§ 1 AGG). Answer d is therefore correct. Lack of English (a), high salary expectations (b) and no professional experience (c) can, by contrast, be objective reasons for rejecting an application.

Disadvantaging someone because of a disability is prohibited by § 1 AGG; for an office job such as accounting, a wheelchair is not an objective reason for rejection. Answer a is therefore correct. Lack of experience (b), high salary demands (c) and poor English (d) can, by contrast, be objective reasons.

The house rules regulate living together in the apartment building, for example quiet hours, cleaning the stairwell, waste disposal and use of shared areas; all residents must follow them. Rules for public transport (a), a list of tenants (b) or an authority's address (d) do not belong in them.

Against an incorrect tax assessment notice you lodge an objection with the tax office within one month of notification (§ 347 Fiscal Code); the notice is then reviewed. Doing nothing (a), throwing it away (b) or waiting (d) means the notice becomes final and the incorrect tax has to be paid.

Exclusion solely because of skin colour violates the principle of equal treatment (Article 3 of the Basic Law) and the ban on discrimination in the AGG. Answer b is therefore correct. Freedom of expression (a), freedom of assembly (c) and freedom of movement (d) concern other rights and are not affected here.

Eligible voters can be obliged by the municipality to serve as election volunteers at elections; this honorary office is necessary for conducting the election. Club coaches (a), library supervisors (c) and teachers (d) are not offices to which the state can oblige citizens.

Against an incorrect fee or cost notice from an authority, you lodge a written objection with that authority; the demand is then reviewed (§ 68 Administrative Courts Act). Leaving the invoice lying there (a), merely sending it back (c) or going to the tax office (d) does not clear up the error.

Because requirements at work change quickly, lifelong learning is necessary: adults continue their education after training, for example through courses, further training or retraining. It is not irrelevant what one learns (a), school knowledge alone is not enough (c), and nobody has to stop working earlier for that reason (d).

Value added tax is charged when buying goods and services and is not deducted from a salary; it is included in the price. Wage tax (a) and contributions to unemployment insurance (b), pension and health insurance (c), by contrast, are deducted directly from gross pay.

The works council represents the employees' interests vis-à-vis the employer and has co-determination rights in many matters (Works Constitution Act). Company auditors (b) check taxes, and the company group (c) and company management (d) are not employee representation bodies.

Anyone wishing to end the employment relationship must give notice and observe the contractual or statutory notice period (§ 622 BGB); it determines when the employment ends. Salary payments (a), working hours (b) and insurance obligations (d) concern other matters and do not replace giving notice.

Germany's special responsibility for Israel arises from the National Socialist crimes against Jews, the Holocaust; from this follows the obligation to protect Jewish life and to stand up for Israel's security. Answer b is therefore correct. EU membership (a), the Basic Law (c) and the Christian tradition (d) do not establish this responsibility.

Rejection solely because of dark skin is racist discrimination and is prohibited by Article 3 of the Basic Law and § 1 AGG. Answer c is therefore correct. Poor German (a), high salary demands (b) and lack of experience (d) can, by contrast, be objective reasons for rejection.

If a purchased device is defective, you can report it to the retailer and demand repair or replacement under statutory warranty (§§ 434, 437 BGB). A report to the police (a) is not necessary, an unauthorised exchange (c) is not permitted, and the guarantee is not extended by it (d).

Anyone who belongs to a church that levies taxes pays church tax; it is charged as a surcharge on income and wage tax and collected by the tax office (Article 140 of the Basic Law in conjunction with Article 137 of the Weimar Constitution). Answer a is therefore correct. Statistics (b), higher taxes for non-members (c) and church responsibility (d) are not the reason.

Religious tolerance means that every person may freely choose, change and practise their faith; the right not to believe is protected as well (Article 4 of the Basic Law). Answer c is therefore correct. A ban on mosques (a), a belief in God binding on everyone (b) and a state decision on faith (d) contradict freedom of religion.

Easter in Germany includes painted eggs and hiding and searching for Easter eggs. Pumpkins in front of the door (a) are a Halloween custom, a decorated fir tree (b) belongs to Christmas, and rockets (d) are fired at New Year's Eve.

Pentecost is a Christian holiday: it commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter and is a public holiday throughout Germany. It is not a German day of remembrance (b), an international day of mourning (c) or a Bavarian custom (d).

Christianity has shaped European and German culture over centuries, for example in art, music, architecture, the calendar and public holidays. Hinduism (a), Buddhism (c) and Islam (d) originate in other regions and have not shaped this culture in a comparable way.

The four weeks before Christmas are called the Advent season; it begins on the fourth Sunday before 25 December and is marked by an Advent wreath with four candles. The Day of Repentance and Prayer (a), the harvest festival (b) and All Saints' Day (d) are individual days or festivals and do not describe this period.

Most migrants in Germany have Turkish roots; Turkey is therefore the most important country of origin. Italy (a) and Poland (b) follow with clearly smaller numbers, and Morocco (c) is far behind.

In the GDR there were mainly contract workers from Vietnam, Poland and Mozambique, recruited for industry; Cuban and Angolan workers also came. France and Romania (b), Chile and Zimbabwe (c) as well as North Korea, Mexico and Egypt (d) played no comparable role.

The foreign workers recruited in the 1950s and 1960s were called guest workers; initially they were only supposed to work in Germany for a limited period. Illegal workers (a), temporary workers (c) and shift workers (d) describe other forms of employment.

The Federal Republic of Germany concluded its first recruitment agreement with Italy in 1955; the first guest workers therefore came from Italy. Spain (b) and Portugal (c) followed in 1960 and 1964 respectively, Turkey (d) in 1961.