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What does the law of 1905 decide?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: It separates the Church and the State. The law of 1905 separates the Church and the State. The State is independent of religions and finances no religion. Religions organise themselves independently, within the rules set by the State.
Sources: Sheet “Histoire de la laïcité” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✓ It separates the Church and the StateElle sépare l'Église et l'ÉtatCorrect answer. The law of 1905 separates the Church and the State. The State is independent of religions and finances no religion. Religions organise themselves independently, within the rules set by the State.
- ✗ It makes public primary school compulsory and freeElle rend l'école primaire publique obligatoire et gratuiteThis rule dates from 1882, not 1905.
- ✗ It organises relations between the State and the Catholic ChurchElle organise les relations entre l'État et l'Église catholiqueThat was the role of the Concordat of 1801, before the law of 1905.
- ✗ It forbids religious signs in public schoolsElle interdit les signes religieux dans les écoles publiquesThis ban comes from a law of 2004.
What the source says
« En 1905, une loi sépare l’Église et l’État : »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « Que décide la loi de 1905 ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “Que dit la loi de 1905 ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Histoire de la laïcité” (French).
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