A person is not merely a means to someone else’s ends.
Human dignity describes the inherent worth of every person. It does not depend on income, nationality, health or social approval. A person does not lose that worth because others disapprove of how they live.
Article 1 requires all public authority to respect and protect dignity. It is therefore more than a recommendation to be polite. Its third paragraph also makes clear that the following fundamental rights directly bind the legislature, executive and judiciary.
The other three answers
The other rights exist too. They simply appear in different articles.
the right to life
The right to life appears in Article 2(2). It is not the wording sought from Article 1. Keep these neighbouring provisions distinct.
freedom of religion
Faith and religious freedom belong to Article 4. Question 007 asks directly about that protection; question 018 instead asks about Article 1.
freedom of speech
Article 5 protects expression. It is a real fundamental right, but not the correct article match for this question.
Dignity remains in difficult circumstances.
A person convicted of a crime retains human dignity. State punishment must not remove that protection. This connects Article 1 with question 010 on the limits of permissible punishment.
Not every rude encounter is legally a violation of human dignity. The concept has a specific constitutional meaning. For the exam, start with the clear mapping: Article 1—dignity; Article 2—life; Article 4—faith; Article 5—expression.
Article 1 · Basic Law ↗First comes the person and their dignity.
Use the article number as a memory anchor. The other answers are not unimportant or imaginary rights; they are assigned to the wrong article here.
Three words for this question
- die Menschenwürdehuman dignity
- Every person’s inherent worth.
- unantastbarinviolable
- This protection must not be removed or violated.
- achten und schützento respect and protect
- To observe the protection oneself and safeguard it against threats.