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Quizzes > Society & Culture

Torts Quiz: Practice Intentional Torts, Negligence, and Defenses

Quick, free tort law quiz. Instant results and explanations.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Sean HintonUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 15
Study OutcomesAdditional Reading
3D voxel art illustrating the Torts course in a visually engaging manner

This torts quiz helps you practice issue spotting on intentional torts, negligence, strict liability, and defenses in 15 short questions. Get instant feedback and clear rules you can use in class or on exams. For more practice, try our intentional torts quiz, build speed with a legal terminology quiz, or broaden your prep with a contract law quiz.

Which of the following best defines an intentional tort?
A harm caused by following standard procedures.
An accidental harm resulting from a lack of care.
A legal wrong that occurs without any intent by the defendant.
A deliberate act that results in harmful or offensive contact.
Intentional torts involve deliberate actions taken by a defendant to cause harm or offense. This distinguishes them from negligent or accidental acts which lack the element of intent.
Which element is essential to establish a claim of battery?
Only the occurrence of physical injury, regardless of intent.
Intentional harmful or offensive contact.
Accidental contact during everyday interactions.
Failure to uphold a duty of care.
Battery requires that a defendant intentionally make harmful or offensive contact with the plaintiff. It is the deliberate nature of the act, rather than accidental contact or mere injury, that is at issue.
In a negligence claim, which element must a plaintiff establish first?
Breach of duty.
Causation.
Duty of care.
Damages.
The analysis of a negligence claim begins by establishing that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. This initial step is essential before considering a breach, causation, or damages.
In which scenario is strict liability most commonly imposed?
When negligence can be clearly proven.
Only when contractual obligations are breached.
In cases where there is evidence of deliberate intent to harm.
When engaging in ultra-hazardous activities that pose a high risk of harm.
Strict liability is imposed in contexts where activities are inherently dangerous, such as ultra-hazardous operations. In such cases, a defendant can be held liable for resulting harm regardless of negligence or intent.
What key element distinguishes negligence from intentional torts?
Negligence requires a deliberate harmful act.
Negligence involves a lack of intent to cause harm.
Intentional torts do not consider foreseeable damage.
Both require the same level of intent.
The primary difference is that negligence occurs without any intention to cause harm, whereas intentional torts involve deliberate actions aimed at causing injury or offense. This lack of intent is the central characteristic of negligence.
Which concept differentiates actual cause from proximate cause in negligence claims?
They are interchangeable terms in negligence law.
Actual cause is the direct cause of harm, while proximate cause limits liability to foreseeable consequences.
Both actual and proximate cause are determined solely by the defendant's intent.
Actual cause involves legal foreseeability, whereas proximate cause is about factual evidence.
Actual cause, or cause in fact, establishes that the defendant's conduct directly led to the injury. Proximate cause then limits liability to injuries that were a reasonably foreseeable outcome of that conduct.
Which legal test is commonly used to determine whether an activity poses an unreasonable risk in negligence cases?
The Res ipsa loquitur doctrine.
The strict liability principle.
The Hand formula.
The doctrine of respondeat superior.
The Hand formula weighs the burden of taking precautions against the probability and severity of potential harm. This test is crucial in determining if an activity exposes others to an unreasonable risk, thereby underpinning negligence analysis.
Which scenario is most illustrative of an assault in tort law?
A person is physically struck without warning.
A person is defamed in public statements.
A person accidentally bumps into another in a crowded space.
A person is threatened with imminent harmful contact and experiences apprehension.
Assault is defined by placing a person in reasonable fear of imminent harmful or offensive contact, even if no physical contact actually occurs. The key factor is the victim's apprehension of an attack, which distinguishes assault from battery.
When a defendant argues that the chain of events leading to injury was too remote, which concept are they invoking?
Duty of care.
Foreseeability in proximate cause.
Volenti non fit injuria.
Strict liability standards.
The defense of remoteness challenges the proximate cause element by arguing that the harm was not a foreseeable result of the defendant's actions. Foreseeability is used to limit liability to those harms that were reasonably predictable.
What is the primary purpose of establishing a duty of care in a negligence claim?
To demonstrate that the defendant intentionally caused harm.
To show that the harm was unavoidable.
To confirm that the defendant had a legal obligation to act reasonably towards the plaintiff.
To establish that the plaintiff contributed to the injury.
Establishing a duty of care is the first step in a negligence claim, confirming that the defendant had a legal responsibility to act in a reasonably safe manner. Without this duty, a claim cannot proceed even if a breach or injury occurred.
Which rationale best explains the imposition of strict liability in cases involving ultra-hazardous activities?
It holds parties responsible for harm regardless of fault, promoting higher standards of safety.
It requires proof of negligence despite dangerous activities.
It solely rewards plaintiffs for their injuries without evaluating the defendant's precautions.
It absolves defendants if they demonstrate intent to harm.
Strict liability is imposed when the activity involved is inherently dangerous, meaning that the defendant can be held liable regardless of negligence or intent. This legal doctrine incentivizes safer practices in high-risk activities.
Which element is generally not required to establish a battery claim?
The occurrence of contact.
Intent to commit the act.
Proof of physical injury is not necessary if harmful or offensive contact occurred.
Absence of consent.
Battery focuses on the occurrence of harmful or offensive contact rather than the actual injury sustained by the victim. Therefore, even in the absence of a physical injury, a battery claim can be successfully pursued.
How does the concept of foreseeability affect the analysis of proximate cause in negligence?
It shifts the burden of proof entirely onto the defendant.
It removes the need to establish a direct link between the act and injury.
It limits liability to only those harms that could have been reasonably predicted.
It expands liability to cover all possible outcomes.
Foreseeability serves as a cap on liability in negligence cases by ensuring that a defendant is only held accountable for injuries that were a reasonably predictable result of their conduct. This principle refines the proximate cause analysis in tort law.
Which analysis is most applicable when evaluating whether a defendant's behavior met the standard of care in negligence cases?
Res Ipsa Loquitur.
The Comparative Negligence Test.
The Strict Liability Standard.
The Reasonable Person Standard.
The Reasonable Person Standard assesses whether a defendant's actions comport with what an average person would do under similar circumstances. This standard is central to evaluating breaches of duty in negligence cases.
How does comparative negligence affect a plaintiff's recovery in tort cases?
It completely bars recovery if the plaintiff has any fault.
It reduces the plaintiff's recovery by the percentage of their own fault.
It enhances damages if the plaintiff acted negligently.
It transfers all responsibility to the defendant regardless of the plaintiff's actions.
Comparative negligence takes into account the plaintiff's own role in contributing to the injury and reduces the recovery accordingly. This doctrine ensures that damages are allocated fairly based on the degree of fault of each party.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze the elements of intentional torts to determine liability in assault and battery cases.
  2. Evaluate negligence claims by identifying duty, breach, actual cause, and proximate cause.
  3. Apply strict liability concepts to assess fault in various factual scenarios.
  4. Synthesize legal doctrines to predict defenses and outcomes in civil wrong claims.

Torts Additional Reading

Ready to dive into the world of torts? Here are some top-notch resources to guide your journey:

  1. This comprehensive guide from Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute covers the fundamentals of tort law, including intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability.
  2. The University of California, Berkeley School of Law offers a detailed study guide that delves into key tort concepts, case law, and analysis techniques.
  3. The University of Chicago Law School provides access to course materials, including syllabi and reading lists, for their Torts course, offering valuable insights into the subject.
  4. Harvard Law School's Torts course syllabus outlines the topics covered, reading assignments, and key cases, serving as a useful roadmap for your studies.
  5. New York University School of Law offers a collection of resources, including lecture notes and case briefs, to support students in their understanding of tort law.
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