TestZen · Einbürgerungstest · Practice

267. A young woman in Germany, 22 years old, is living together with her boyfriend. The woman's parents disapprove because they do not like the boyfriend. What can the parents do?

Official German wording

Eine junge Frau in Deutschland, 22 Jahre alt, lebt mit ihrem Freund zusammen. Die Eltern der Frau finden das nicht gut, weil ihnen der Freund nicht gefällt. Was können die Eltern tun?

  1. Sie müssen die Entscheidung der volljährigen Tochter respektieren.
  2. Sie haben das Recht, die Tochter in die elterliche Wohnung zurückzuholen.
  3. Sie können zur Polizei gehen und die Tochter anzeigen.
  4. Sie suchen einen anderen Mann für die Tochter.

Answer options

  1. They must respect their adult daughter's decision.
  2. They have the right to bring the daughter back to the parental home.
  3. They can go to the police and report their daughter.
  4. They look for another man for their daughter.

Correct answer

They must respect their adult daughter's decision.

Explanation

Upon reaching 18, a person is of full age under § 2 BGB; parental custody (§§ 1626 et seq. BGB), including the right to determine residence, ceases and does not transform into a right to command. Choosing a partner and cohabiting are matters of private autonomy and intimate life protected by Article 2(1) in conjunction with Article 1(1) of the Basic Law; parental coercion would be unlawful. Police intervention is warranted only in cases of concrete danger or criminal offenses; mere disapproval creates no offense. Historically, equality and family-law reforms and the lowering of the age of majority in 1975 marked the shift from parental tutelage to individual self-determination.

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.