Want a German Passport? Then Get Revising, Says State Minister

They are questions that would test the mettle of even the most ardent German patriot. Name three German philosophers, a poem by Goethe, a German Nobel prize winner and the doctor who discovered the cholera virus.

Stuck? Then you would struggle to qualify for German citizenship under new plans by authorities to test would-be citizens on their German cultural knowledge.

The state of Hesse wants to introduce the values and knowledge test for all those applying for a German passport. Other sample questions are to list three German composers, including the creator of the "Ode to Joy"; name a work by Friedrich Schiller; list three mountains in middle Germany and describe the famous "motif" painted by the 19th-century German artist Caspar David Friedrich. There are also questions on the constitution.

Applicants who get more than half the questions wrong will not get a passport, Hesse's Christian Democrat interior minister, Volker Bouffier said.

Critics yesterday said the minister had spent too long watching the German version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

"I think it's great if people know about Caspar David Friedrich. But it doesn't make them good citizens, and it doesn't do much for integration either," said Tarek al-Wazir, the leader of Hesse's Green party.

Mr Bouffier said the 100-question test, an "integration course" and an oath of loyalty would help. "The government has to make certain that applicants want to be German citizens - and not just outsiders who live at home in a parallel society."

Tough though the test is, applicants should spare a thought for those seeking a Dutch passport. Yesterday a test became compulsory for would-be immigrants in the Netherlands in which applicants are compelled to buy and watch a DVD showing two men kissing in a park and a topless woman emerging from the sea. Those offended are not encouraged to apply.

Applicants are also asked to identify the Dutch favourite mode of transport: the bicycle. Taking the exam costs €350.