LJU4804 Private International Law Exam –
Actual Questions & Verified Answers (100%
Correct, Latest Updated Study Guide)
LJU4804 Private International Law — Exam Study Guide
200 Questions with Verified Answers
• This study guide contains 200 multiple-choice questions covering all core topics in
LJU4804 Private International Law, each with five options (A–E), a highlighted correct
answer, and a EXPERT RATIONALE to deepen your understanding.
• Use this material by attempting each question independently before checking the
correct answer and EXPERT RATIONALE — this active recall method significantly
improves retention and exam performance.
QUESTION 1
What is the primary concern of Private International Law?
A) Regulating criminal conduct across borders
B) Governing trade relations between sovereign states
C) Determining which country's law applies to a legal dispute involving a foreign
element
D) Establishing treaties between nations
E) Regulating immigration between countries
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Determining which country's law applies to a legal
dispute involving a foreign element
EXPERT RATIONALE: Private International Law (also called Conflict of Laws) deals with
disputes that have a foreign element — it determines jurisdiction, the applicable law,
and recognition of foreign judgments.
QUESTION 2
,Which of the following best describes the "foreign element" in Private
International Law?
A) A dispute involving a government entity
B) Any factor connecting a legal dispute to more than one legal system
C) A contract written in a foreign language
D) A dispute resolved in an international tribunal
E) A matter governed exclusively by public international law
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Any factor connecting a legal dispute to more than
one legal system
EXPERT RATIONALE: A foreign element is any fact that links a case to a foreign legal
system — such as a party's nationality, place of contracting, or location of property.
QUESTION 3
In South African Private International Law, which three main questions must
a court address?
A) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and treaty compliance
B) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and recognition/enforcement of foreign judgments
C) Domicile, nationality, and residence
D) Lex fori, lex situs, and lex causae
E) Comity, reciprocity, and sovereignty
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and
recognition/enforcement of foreign judgments
EXPERT RATIONALE: The three pillars of Private International Law are: (1) Does the court
have jurisdiction? (2) Which law governs the dispute? (3) Will a foreign judgment be
recognised or enforced?
,QUESTION 4
What does "lex fori" mean?
A) The law of the place where the contract was made
B) The law of the place where the property is situated
C) The law of the forum — the court hearing the case
D) The law chosen by the parties
E) The law of the defendant's domicile
CORRECT ANSWER: C) The law of the forum — the court hearing the case
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex fori refers to the domestic law of the court seized of the matter.
Procedural matters are generally governed by the lex fori.
QUESTION 5
What does "lex situs" refer to?
A) The law of the place of performance of a contract
B) The law of the country where immovable property is situated
C) The law applicable to family disputes
D) The personal law of the parties
E) The law of the place where a tort was committed
CORRECT ANSWER: B) The law of the country where immovable property is
situated
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex situs (or lex rei sitae) is the law of the place where property —
particularly immovable property — is located. It governs questions of title and transfer.
QUESTION 6
What is "lex causae"?
, A) The law of the place of marriage
B) The procedural law applied by the forum
C) The foreign law that is applicable to the merits of a dispute
D) The law governing contractual capacity
E) The law of the domicile of the deceased
CORRECT ANSWER: C) The foreign law that is applicable to the merits of a
dispute
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex causae is the system of law — often foreign — that a court
determines should govern the substance of the matter before it.
QUESTION 7
Domicile in Private International Law primarily serves to:
A) Determine which language a contract must be written in
B) Connect a person to a legal system for personal law purposes
C) Establish the jurisdiction of criminal courts
D) Fix the tax obligations of an individual
E) Determine the nationality of a corporation
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Connect a person to a legal system for personal law
purposes
EXPERT RATIONALE: Domicile is the principal connecting factor used in Private
International Law to link a person to a legal system, particularly for matters of status,
family law, and succession.
QUESTION 8
Which type of domicile is assigned to a person at birth?
Actual Questions & Verified Answers (100%
Correct, Latest Updated Study Guide)
LJU4804 Private International Law — Exam Study Guide
200 Questions with Verified Answers
• This study guide contains 200 multiple-choice questions covering all core topics in
LJU4804 Private International Law, each with five options (A–E), a highlighted correct
answer, and a EXPERT RATIONALE to deepen your understanding.
• Use this material by attempting each question independently before checking the
correct answer and EXPERT RATIONALE — this active recall method significantly
improves retention and exam performance.
QUESTION 1
What is the primary concern of Private International Law?
A) Regulating criminal conduct across borders
B) Governing trade relations between sovereign states
C) Determining which country's law applies to a legal dispute involving a foreign
element
D) Establishing treaties between nations
E) Regulating immigration between countries
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Determining which country's law applies to a legal
dispute involving a foreign element
EXPERT RATIONALE: Private International Law (also called Conflict of Laws) deals with
disputes that have a foreign element — it determines jurisdiction, the applicable law,
and recognition of foreign judgments.
QUESTION 2
,Which of the following best describes the "foreign element" in Private
International Law?
A) A dispute involving a government entity
B) Any factor connecting a legal dispute to more than one legal system
C) A contract written in a foreign language
D) A dispute resolved in an international tribunal
E) A matter governed exclusively by public international law
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Any factor connecting a legal dispute to more than
one legal system
EXPERT RATIONALE: A foreign element is any fact that links a case to a foreign legal
system — such as a party's nationality, place of contracting, or location of property.
QUESTION 3
In South African Private International Law, which three main questions must
a court address?
A) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and treaty compliance
B) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and recognition/enforcement of foreign judgments
C) Domicile, nationality, and residence
D) Lex fori, lex situs, and lex causae
E) Comity, reciprocity, and sovereignty
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Jurisdiction, applicable law, and
recognition/enforcement of foreign judgments
EXPERT RATIONALE: The three pillars of Private International Law are: (1) Does the court
have jurisdiction? (2) Which law governs the dispute? (3) Will a foreign judgment be
recognised or enforced?
,QUESTION 4
What does "lex fori" mean?
A) The law of the place where the contract was made
B) The law of the place where the property is situated
C) The law of the forum — the court hearing the case
D) The law chosen by the parties
E) The law of the defendant's domicile
CORRECT ANSWER: C) The law of the forum — the court hearing the case
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex fori refers to the domestic law of the court seized of the matter.
Procedural matters are generally governed by the lex fori.
QUESTION 5
What does "lex situs" refer to?
A) The law of the place of performance of a contract
B) The law of the country where immovable property is situated
C) The law applicable to family disputes
D) The personal law of the parties
E) The law of the place where a tort was committed
CORRECT ANSWER: B) The law of the country where immovable property is
situated
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex situs (or lex rei sitae) is the law of the place where property —
particularly immovable property — is located. It governs questions of title and transfer.
QUESTION 6
What is "lex causae"?
, A) The law of the place of marriage
B) The procedural law applied by the forum
C) The foreign law that is applicable to the merits of a dispute
D) The law governing contractual capacity
E) The law of the domicile of the deceased
CORRECT ANSWER: C) The foreign law that is applicable to the merits of a
dispute
EXPERT RATIONALE: Lex causae is the system of law — often foreign — that a court
determines should govern the substance of the matter before it.
QUESTION 7
Domicile in Private International Law primarily serves to:
A) Determine which language a contract must be written in
B) Connect a person to a legal system for personal law purposes
C) Establish the jurisdiction of criminal courts
D) Fix the tax obligations of an individual
E) Determine the nationality of a corporation
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Connect a person to a legal system for personal law
purposes
EXPERT RATIONALE: Domicile is the principal connecting factor used in Private
International Law to link a person to a legal system, particularly for matters of status,
family law, and succession.
QUESTION 8
Which type of domicile is assigned to a person at birth?
