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What is the duty of remembrance (devoir de mémoire) about the Shoah?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: Remembering to understand the results of hatred and racism. The duty of remembrance means remembering the Shoah. It is taught at school to understand the results of hatred, racism and antisemitism. Antisemitism is a perception of Jewish people that can show itself as hatred towards them.
Sources: Sheet “Focus sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale - la Shoah” (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
- ✗ Forgetting the past to build the futureOublier le passé pour mieux construire l'avenirThe duty of remembrance asks the opposite: to remember.
- ✗ Staying silent about the crimes of the past, even at schoolGarder le silence sur les crimes du passé, même à l'écoleThe Shoah is taught at school so that people remember it.
- ✗ Celebrating great military victories every yearFêter chaque année les grandes victoires militairesIt is not about celebrating, but about remembering.
- ✓ Remembering to understand the results of hatred and racismSe souvenir pour comprendre les conséquences de la haine et du racismeCorrect answer. The duty of remembrance means remembering the Shoah. It is taught at school to understand the results of hatred, racism and antisemitism. Antisemitism is a perception of Jewish people that can show itself as hatred towards them.
What the source says
« On étudie aujourd’hui la Shoah à l’école pour comprendre les conséquences de la haine, du racisme et de l’antisémitisme, et pour rappeler l’importance du devoir de mémoire »
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 le devoir de mémoire pour la Shoah ? ». 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 que le devoir de mémoire ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Focus sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale - la Shoah” (French).
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