TestZen · Einbürgerungstest · Practice

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

Official German wording

Was bedeutet in Deutschland der Grundsatz der Gleichbehandlung?

  1. Niemand darf z.B. wegen einer Behinderung benachteiligt werden.
  2. Man darf andere Personen benachteiligen, wenn ausreichende persönliche Gründe hierfür vorliegen.
  3. Niemand darf gegen Personen klagen, wenn sie benachteiligt wurden.
  4. Es ist für alle Gesetz, benachteiligten Gruppen jährlich Geld zu spenden.

Answer options

  1. No one may, for example, be disadvantaged on the grounds of a disability.
  2. It is permissible to disadvantage other persons if there are sufficient personal reasons for this.
  3. No one may bring a lawsuit against persons if they have been disadvantaged.
  4. There is a law requiring everyone to donate money annually to disadvantaged groups.

Correct answer

No one may, for example, be disadvantaged on the grounds of a disability.

Explanation

The equality principle is anchored in Article 3 of the Basic Law: all persons are equal before the law; certain characteristics—inter alia sex, origin, belief, and, since 1994, disability—may neither be disadvantaged nor favored. It primarily binds state authority; unequal treatment requires objective justification and must satisfy proportionality (Federal Constitutional Court: from the arbitrariness formula to the “new formula”). Discrimination covered by Article 3(3) is subject to particularly strict prohibitions. In private law, the General Equal Treatment Act (2006), implementing EU directives, complements constitutional protection.

Official sources

The German questions come from the original BAMF catalog for the Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland. Translations and explanations are study aids; verify legal details in the official sources.