À quoi sert le droit de grève ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 95 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Examen Civique (French Civic Exam) · Rights
Examen Civique Practice Questions: Rights and Duties (2026)
The rights and duties theme of the examen civique is built on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789, the founding text that proclaims that men are born and remain free and equal in rights. It contributes 37 of the 258 official knowledge questions, testing what each freedom guarantees, where the law may limit it, and the duties that citizenship carries: obeying the law, declaring taxes, serving as a juror and assisting a person in danger. The free practice questions below are in the original French.
Practice
Free practice questions
Au nom de quoi l'État justifie-t-il la restriction des droits ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 96 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Laquelle de ces citations est inscrite dans la Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen de 1789 ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 97 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
L'article 4 de la Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen affirme que "la liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui". Qu'est-ce que cela signifie ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 98 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Que dit l'article 1er de la Constitution française ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 99 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Que garantit la liberté de la presse ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 100 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Que permet la liberté de circulation ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 101 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Que signifie être citoyen d'un État ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 102 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Que sont les droits fondamentaux ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 103 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Quel droit protège une personne contre une arrestation arbitraire ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Droits et devoirs », n° 104 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
The founding texts and what each freedom protects
Two texts anchor this theme. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789, which today has constitutional value, states in Article 1 that men are born and remain free and equal in rights, and in Article 4 that liberty consists in being able to do anything that does not harm others: your freedom stops where another person's begins. Article 1 of the 1958 Constitution then defines France as an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic. From these flow the fundamental rights the exam catalogues: freedom of expression, which covers social media but is limited by law where speech becomes insult, defamation or incitement to hatred; freedom of the press under the law of 29 July 1881, which bars prior state censorship; freedom of movement across the national territory; the right to sûreté, protecting against arbitrary arrest; and the right to strike, recognised by the Constitution. The State may restrict a freedom only in the name of the general interest, public order and the rights of others, and any restriction must be set by law and proportionate. A person taken into police custody keeps concrete rights too: to a lawyer, to a doctor, to remain silent and to have a relative informed.
Duties, ages and the scale of offences
Citizenship pairs rights with duties, and the exam tests both sides. Everyone must respect the law: no one is deemed ignorant of it, and disagreeing with a law does not excuse breaking it. Declaring your income to the tax authorities every year is a legal obligation for all taxpayers, even those who owe nothing, because taxes fund public services such as schools, hospitals, police and justice. Assisting a person in danger is a legal obligation, not just a moral one. Serving as an assize juror is a compulsory civic duty: jurors are French citizens registered on the electoral rolls and drawn by lot, excusable only for a serious recognised reason. The key ages recur constantly: civil majority at 18, which also opens the right to vote, digital majority at 15, under which signing a minor up to a social network in principle requires parental consent, and 18 as the minimum age for buying alcohol. Finally, French law ranks offences in three categories of rising seriousness: contravention, délit and crime. A judge may add the loss of civil and political rights for serious offences such as electoral fraud, which suspends the right to vote and to stand for election but removes neither nationality nor freedom of movement.
| Category | Seriousness | Example from the exam |
|---|---|---|
| Contravention | Least serious | Public outrage to the tricolour flag (article R645-15) |
| Délit | Intermediate | Riding a motorbike without a licence (fine up to 15,000 euros and possible prison) |
| Crime | Most serious | Judged at the assize court, with citizen jurors drawn by lot |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man say, for the examen civique?
Article 1 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 states that men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Article 4 defines liberty as the power to do anything that does not harm others. It is the founding text of citizens' rights and duties in France and has constitutional value today.
Is jury duty compulsory in France?
Yes. Serving as a juror at the assize court is a compulsory civic duty. Jurors are French citizens of full age, registered on the electoral rolls and drawn by lot. A citizen called to serve must sit and can be excused only for a serious, recognised reason; an unjustified refusal exposes them to a fine.
Can freedom of expression be limited in France?
Yes, but only by law. Freedom of expression, including on social media, is guaranteed, yet the law punishes abuses such as insult, defamation and incitement to hatred. Criticising political leaders remains permitted. More broadly, the State may restrict a freedom only for the general interest, public order and the rights of others, and proportionately.
What are the key legal ages tested on the examen civique?
Civil majority is 18: from that age a person is legally responsible and may vote. The digital majority is 15: below it, signing a minor up to a social network in principle requires parental consent. Selling alcohol is forbidden to people under 18. Voters can register from 18, with registration automatic after the citizen census at 16.
Is it a legal duty to help a person in danger in France?
Yes. Helping a person in danger is a legal obligation, not merely a moral one. Failing to assist, when help could be given without risk, is the offence of failing to assist a person in danger. It sits alongside the duty of solidarity, which means contributing to the common good through taxes and helping others.
What happens when someone is deprived of civil and political rights?
A judge may order the loss of civil and political rights as an additional penalty for serious offences such as electoral fraud, corruption or treason. For the period set by the judge, the person can neither vote nor stand for election, but the penalty removes neither their French nationality nor their freedom of movement.