Question 38 · Federal question
The Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social ...
German original (as asked in the real test)
Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist ein demokratischer und sozialer …
- A Staatenverbund.
- B Bundesstaat. ✓ Correct answer
- C Staatenbund.
- D Zentralstaat.
Translation
The Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social ...
- A confederation of states.
- B federal state. ✓ Correct answer
- C union of states.
- D central state.
Explanation
Article 20(1) of the German Basic Law states that the Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social federal state. This reflects Germany’s federal structure with powers shared between the federation and the Länder (states).
Tips
- Look for keywords tied to Article 20 of the Basic Law: democracy, social state, federalism.
- Distinguish concepts: a federal state shares sovereignty between national and regional levels; a confederation is a loose union of sovereign states; a union of states (Staatenverbund) is often used to describe the EU; a unitary/centralized state concentrates power in the central government.
- Use elimination: Germany is not a centralized unitary system, and it is not a loose confederation; remember the constitutional principle of federalism (Föderalismus) with Bund and Länder.
Practice in the app
