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What is freedom, according to the principles of the Republic?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: Doing what you want as long as you do not harm others. Freedom is the right to think, to express yourself and to live as you wish. The only limit is not to stop others from doing the same. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 guarantees it.
Sources: Sheet “La liberté” (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
- ✓ Doing what you want as long as you do not harm othersFaire ce qu'on veut tant qu'on ne nuit pas aux autresCorrect answer. Freedom is the right to think, to express yourself and to live as you wish. The only limit is not to stop others from doing the same. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 guarantees it.
- ✗ Doing whatever you want, with no limit at allFaire tout ce que l'on veut, sans aucune limite ni règleFreedom has one limit: the freedom of others.
- ✗ Doing only what the State allows you to doFaire seulement ce que l'État autorise ou permetEach person can think and live as they wish. The State protects this freedom.
- ✗ A right reserved only for people born in FranceUn droit réservé aux seules personnes nées en FranceFreedom is a right for everyone, whatever their country of origin.
What the source says
« La seule limite est de ne pas empêcher une autre personne d’en faire autant. »
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: « Qu'est-ce que la liberté, selon les principes de la République ? ». 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: “Qu'est-ce qu'une liberté ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
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