MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS RELATED TO TORT: GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF TORT, TORT AFFECTING VALUATION

Which of the following best defines a tort?
a) A contractual obligation
b) A civil wrong that causes harm or loss
c) A criminal offense
d) A breach of statutory duty
Answer: b) A civil wrong that causes harm or loss

In the context of tort law, what does the term “negligence” refer to?
a) Intentional wrongdoing
b) Breach of contractual duty
c) Failure to exercise reasonable care
d) Malicious conduct
Answer: c) Failure to exercise reasonable care

Which of the following is not an essential element of negligence?
a) Duty of care
b) Breach of duty
c) Intent to cause harm
d) Causation
Answer: c) Intent to cause harm

In the tort of nuisance, what is typically affected?
a) Personal property rights
b) Emotional well-being
c) Physical safety
d) Enjoyment of property rights
Answer: d) Enjoyment of property rights

Which of the following torts is associated with an unreasonable interference with someone else’s use or enjoyment of their land?
a) Trespass
b) Nuisance
c) Defamation
d) Negligence
Answer: b) Nuisance

What is the primary aim of tort law?
a) To punish wrongdoers
b) To compensate victims
c) To establish criminal liability
d) To enforce contractual obligations
Answer: b) To compensate victims

In cases of defamation, which of the following is not necessary to prove?
a) Publication of the defamatory statement
b) Falsity of the statement
c) Intent to defame
d) Damage to reputation
Answer: c) Intent to defame

Which tort involves the unauthorized use or taking of someone else’s property?
a) Conversion
b) Trespass
c) Nuisance
d) Defamation
Answer: a) Conversion

What is the term for damages awarded not to compensate for a loss but to punish the defendant?
a) Compensatory damages
b) Nominal damages
c) Punitive damages
d) Liquidated damages
Answer: c) Punitive damages

In the tort of negligence, what is the standard of care required?
a) Absolute liability
b) Reasonable care
c) No liability unless intent is proven
d) Gross negligence
Answer: b) Reasonable care

Which of the following is an example of strict liability tort?
a) Negligence
b) Nuisance
c) Defamation
d) Rylands v. Fletcher
Answer: d) Rylands v. Fletcher

What doctrine allows a plaintiff to recover damages even if they were partly responsible for their own injury?
a) Contributory negligence
b) Vicarious liability
c) Joint tortfeasor
d) Doctrine of comparative negligence
Answer: d) Doctrine of comparative negligence

In which situation would the defense of “volenti non fit injuria” likely apply?
a) A person voluntarily assumes the risk of harm
b) A defendant causes harm intentionally
c) A plaintiff was not aware of the risk involved
d) A defendant acted negligently
Answer: a) A person voluntarily assumes the risk of harm

Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of trespass to land?
a) Intentional entry onto another’s land
b) Awareness of the intrusion
c) Lack of permission or lawful authority
d) Actual interference with the possession of the land
Answer: b) Awareness of the intrusion

What is the main distinction between battery and assault in tort law?
a) Battery requires physical contact, while assault does not.
b) Assault requires physical contact, while battery does not.
c) Battery is intentional infliction of harm, while assault is the threat of harm.
d) Assault is intentional infliction of harm, while battery is the threat of harm.
Answer: c) Battery is intentional infliction of harm, while assault is the threat of harm.

Which of the following torts is associated with the wrongful use of legal proceedings?
a) Malicious prosecution
b) Defamation
c) Conversion
d) Trespass
Answer: a) Malicious prosecution

What is the term for the legal principle that holds a person responsible for the consequences of their actions, regardless of their intentions?
a) Res ipsa loquitur
b) Actus reus
c) Strict liability
d) Mens rea
Answer: c) Strict liability

Which of the following best describes the tort of deceit?
a) Intentionally causing emotional distress
b) Making false statements to induce reliance
c) Unauthorized use of someone else’s property
d) Physical harm caused by negligence
Answer: b) Making false statements to induce reliance

In what circumstance might the defense of “necessity” apply in tort law?
a) When harm is caused unintentionally
b) When harm is caused intentionally
c) When harm is caused to protect a greater good
d) When harm is caused due to negligence
Answer: c) When harm is caused to protect a greater good

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for losses that are difficult to quantify precisely?
a) General damages
b) Special damages
c) Liquidated damages
d) Nominal damages
Answer: a) General damages

In the context of tort law, what does the term “vicarious liability” refer to?
a) Liability of multiple parties for the same tort
b) Liability for the actions of another person
c) Liability for intentional harm
d) Liability for negligence
Answer: b) Liability for the actions of another person

Which of the following is an example of an intentional tort?
a) Negligence
b) Defamation
c) Strict liability
d) Nuisance
Answer: b) Defamation

What is the legal doctrine that allows a person to defend themselves against an intruder on their property?
a) Defense of necessity
b) Defense of consent
c) Defense of property
d) Defense of self-defense
Answer: d) Defense of self-defense

Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of defamation?
a) Publication
b) Falsity of the statement
c) Intent to harm
d) Damages to reputation
Answer: c) Intent to harm

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for actual losses suffered by the plaintiff?
a) Nominal damages
b) Punitive damages
c) Compensatory damages
d) Exemplary damages
Answer: c) Compensatory damages

In the tort of negligence, what is the term used to describe the actual cause of the harm?
a) Proximate cause
b) Foreseeable cause
c) Actual cause
d) But-for cause
Answer: c) Actual cause

Which of the following is a defense to the tort of negligence?
a) Volenti non fit injuria
b) Res ipsa loquitur
c) Strict liability
d) Assumption of risk
Answer: d) Assumption of risk

What is the term for a false statement that harms a person’s reputation?
a) Libel
b) Slander
c) Defamation
d) Malice
Answer: c) Defamation

In the tort of conversion, what is the defendant accused of doing?
a) Making false statements
b) Intentionally causing emotional distress
c) Unauthorized use or taking of someone else’s property
d) Negligently causing harm
Answer: c) Unauthorized use or taking of someone else’s property

Which of the following is NOT a defense to the tort of trespass to land?
a) Necessity
b) Consent
c) Legal authority
d) Mistake
Answer: d) Mistake

What is the legal term for a false statement made to induce someone to enter into a contract?
a) Fraud
b) Libel
c) Slander
d) Nuisance
Answer: a) Fraud

Which of the following is NOT an intentional tort?
a) Assault
b) Battery
c) Negligence
d) False imprisonment
Answer: c) Negligence

In the tort of trespass to chattels, what does “chattels” refer to?
a) Land
b) Personal property
c) Intellectual property
d) Real property
Answer: b) Personal property

What is the term for a wrongful act that causes harm to another person or their property, but is not necessarily a crime?
a) Misdemeanor
b) Tort
c) Felony
d) Breach of contract
Answer: b) Tort

Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of nuisance?
a) Interference with the plaintiff’s use or enjoyment of their land
b) Intent to cause harm
c) Unreasonable interference
d) Damage or harm suffered by the plaintiff
Answer: b) Intent to cause harm

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for actual financial losses suffered by the plaintiff?
a) General damages
b) Special damages
c) Punitive damages
d) Nominal damages
Answer: b) Special damages

In the tort of defamation, what is the term for a false statement made in writing that harms a person’s reputation?
a) Slander
b) Libel
c) Malice
d) Defamation per se
Answer: b) Libel

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for harm that is assumed to have occurred, even if no actual loss is proven?
a) Compensatory damages
b) Nominal damages
c) Punitive damages
d) Liquidated damages
Answer: b) Nominal damages

In the tort of negligence, what is the term for the failure to exercise the care that a reasonable person would exercise in similar circumstances?
a) Duty of care
b) Standard of care
c) Breach of duty
d) Causation
Answer: c) Breach of duty

Which of the following is NOT a defense to the tort of negligence?
a) Contributory negligence
b) Assumption of risk
c) Res ipsa loquitur
d) Strict liability
Answer: d) Strict liability

In the tort of trespass to land, what is required for liability?
a) Physical harm to the plaintiff
b) Entry onto another’s land without permission
c) Intent to cause harm
d) Emotional distress suffered by the plaintiff
Answer: b) Entry onto another’s land without permission

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for loss of reputation or emotional distress?
a) Economic damages
b) General damages
c) Non-economic damages
d) Special damages
Answer: c) Non-economic damages

In the tort of conversion, what does the plaintiff typically seek?
a) Damages for emotional distress
b) Punitive damages
c) Return of the property or its value
d) Compensation for medical expenses
Answer: c) Return of the property or its value

What is the term for a defense to defamation based on the truth of the statement?
a) Privilege
b) Justification
c) Consent
d) Absolute defense
Answer: b) Justification

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for the defense of self-defense in tort law?
a) Reasonable belief in the need to use force
b) Proportionality of the force used
c) Preemptive strike
d) Imminent threat of harm
Answer: c) Preemptive strike

In the tort of negligence, what is the term for the legal cause that is most closely connected to the harm suffered?
a) Proximate cause
b) Foreseeable cause
c) Actual cause
d) But-for cause
Answer: a) Proximate cause

What is the term for damages awarded to punish the defendant for their conduct and deter similar conduct in the future?
a) Compensatory damages
b) Nominal damages
c) Punitive damages
d) Liquidated damages
Answer: c) Punitive damages

In the tort of nuisance, what is the primary focus?
a) Physical injury to the plaintiff
b) Economic loss suffered by the plaintiff
c) Interference with the plaintiff’s use or enjoyment of their land
d) Emotional distress suffered by the plaintiff
Answer: c) Interference with the plaintiff’s use or enjoyment of their land

What is the term for damages awarded to compensate for losses that are a direct result of the defendant’s wrongful conduct?
a) General damages
b) Special damages
c) Nominal damages
d) Punitive damages
Answer: a) General damages

Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of defamation?
a) Publication
b) Falsity of the statement
c) Intent to harm
d) Absence of damages
Answer: d) Absence of damages