Question 46
In the GDR, the abbreviation “Stasi” meant…
German original: Mit der Abkürzung "Stasi" meinte man in der DDR …. In the test, all questions are asked in German.
Answer options
- the parliament.
- the Ministry of State Security. — Correct answer
- a ruling party.
- the Ministry of Public Education.
Explanation
The 'Stasi' (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, meaning Ministry for State Security) was the secret service of the GDR (East Germany). It monitored the entire population in a widespread manner, had hundreds of thousands of unofficial informants, and persecuted political opponents.
Key terms in this question
- abbreviation — An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase, for example 'etc.' for 'et cetera'.
- cut / reduction — A cut means that something is reduced or decreased, for example a financial benefit or a budget. The amount or quantity becomes smaller than before.
- my / mine — A possessive pronoun in the first person singular, showing that something belongs to or is associated with the speaker. For example, 'mein Buch' means 'my book'.
- thought / meant / believed — 'Meinte' is the simple past form of 'meinen', indicating that someone thought, believed, or held a certain opinion at a past point in time.
- Stasi — The Stasi (Ministry for State Security) was the secret police of East Germany (GDR), which monitored citizens and persecuted political opponents. It is considered one of the most oppressive surveillance agencies in history.