Which amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures?

• A. The First Amendment
• B. The Fifth Amendment
• C. The Eighth Amendment
• D. The Fourth Amendment

Answer: (D)

What’s being tested is the protection against government intrusion into private spaces and possessions. The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures by requiring police to show probable cause and, in most cases, obtain a warrant that describes the place to be searched and the items to be seized. This creates a check on government power and reinforces the right to privacy, with limited exceptions such as consent, exigent circumstances, or plain-view discoveries. The other amendments address different rights—freedom of expression and religious practice, protection against self-incrimination and due process, and prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment—so they do not govern how searches and seizures must be carried out.