AustriaDemokratie 71 · Democracy and the Republic's core principles
Newspapers, radio and television are sometimes called the “fourth power” in the state (in German: “vierte Gewalt”). Why?
In the exam (German)
Zeitungen, Radio und Fernsehen werden manchmal als „vierte Gewalt“ im Staat bezeichnet. Warum?
- aBecause they inform people and can uncover abuse of power by politicians and authorities.Weil sie informieren und Machtmissbrauch von Politik und Behörden aufdecken können.Correct answer
- bBecause they may pass laws when parliament is not sitting.Weil sie Gesetze beschließen dürfen, wenn das Parlament gerade nicht tagt.
- cBecause journalists may themselves give judgments on criminals.Weil Journalistinnen und Journalisten selbst Urteile über Straftäter fällen dürfen.
- dBecause the federal government decides what they report on and what they do not.Weil die Bundesregierung bestimmt, worüber sie berichten und worüber nicht.
Why?
Free media are not part of the state, but they check the powerful by informing people and uncovering wrongdoing. That is why the state may not censor reports in advance.
Translated with AI. In the exam the question is in German, as shown above.
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Wie werden die Abgeordneten des Europäischen Parlaments bestimmt? — Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger der EU-Staaten wählen sie direkt, alle fünf Jahre.
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Die Europäische Kommission legt einen Vorschlag für ein neues EU-Gesetz vor. Wer beschließt dieses Gesetz im Normalfall? — Das Europäische Parlament und der Rat der EU gemeinsam
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Correct answer:If an Austrian law contradicts a valid EU rule, the EU rule is applied in the individual case.
Was trifft auf das Verhältnis zwischen EU-Recht und österreichischem Recht zu? — Ein österreichisches Gericht kann den Gerichtshof der EU in Luxemburg fragen, wie eine EU-Vorschrift zu verstehen ist. · Widerspricht ein österreichisches Gesetz einer geltenden EU-Regel, wird im Einzelfall die EU-Regel angewendet.
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Source
Our own practice questions on the content of the official learning material “Mein Österreich” and the federal states’ learning materials. They are not the real exam questions – those are not published – and we have not copied wording from the materials. Every question was answered a second time, independently, and checked against public sources. The English translation and the explanations were made with AI; in the exam the questions are asked in German. Not an official service: no connection with the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the offices of the state governments.
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