LAW-F26-TORTS-04 MOCK EXAM COMPREHENSIVE
PREDICTOR 2026/2027
Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of tort law?
A. To punish criminal wrongdoing
B. To compensate victims for harm caused by others
C. To enforce contractual obligations
D. To regulate government conduct
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Tort law's primary purpose is to provide
compensation to victims who have suffered harm due to another's
actions or negligence. Criminal law punishes wrongdoing (A),
contract law enforces obligations (C), and administrative law
regulates government conduct (D).
In a negligence claim, which element must the plaintiff prove FIRST?
A. Breach of duty
B. Causation
C. Duty of care
D. Damages
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The plaintiff must first establish that the defendant
owed them a duty of care. Without duty, there is no negligence
claim. Breach (A), causation (B), and damages (D) are subsequent
elements that must be proven after duty is established.
A driver speeds through a residential neighborhood and hits a
pedestrian. The pedestrian sues for negligence. Which test
determines whether the driver owed a duty of care?
A. The reasonable person test
B. The foreseeability test
C. The proximate cause test
, D. The strict liability test
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The foreseeability test (whether harm was reasonably
foreseeable) determines duty of care in negligence. The reasonable
person test (A) determines breach, proximate cause (C) limits
liability scope, and strict liability (D) applies without fault.
Which of the following scenarios would MOST likely result in no duty of
care being found?
A. A doctor treating a patient in an emergency
B. A manufacturer producing defective goods
C. A bystander watching someone drown without attempting rescue
D. A property owner allowing a visitor to trip on broken stairs
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Generally, there is no duty to rescue a stranger unless
a special relationship exists. Doctors (A), manufacturers (B), and
property owners (D) all have established duties to their patients,
customers, and visitors respectively.
The "reasonable person standard" in negligence law is:
A. Based on the defendant's actual subjective capabilities
B. An objective standard based on what an ordinarily prudent person
would do
C. Determined by the plaintiff's expectations
D. Varied according to the defendant's profession only
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The reasonable person standard is objective—it asks
what an ordinarily prudent person would do under similar
circumstances, not what the defendant personally believed (A), what
the plaintiff expected (C), or only professional standards (D).
,In Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), what key principle was established?
A. Vicarious liability for employees
B. Duty of care from manufacturers to consumers
C. Strict liability for nuisance
D. Defamation of product quality
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Donoghue v Stevenson established that manufacturers
owe a duty of care to ultimate consumers who may be harmed by
defective products. This case created the modern negligence
framework. Vicarious liability (A), nuisance (C), and defamation (D)
are separate torts.
Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of negligence?
A. Duty of care
B. Breach of duty
C. Intent to harm
D. Causation
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Negligence is unintentional tort—intent to harm is
NOT required. The four elements are duty (A), breach (B), causation
(D), and damages. Intent is required for intentional torts like assault
or battery.
A hospital fails to sanitize equipment properly, and a patient develops an
infection. This is primarily an example of:
A. Strict liability
B. Negligence
C. Nuisance
D. Trespass to goods
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: This is negligence—the hospital breached its duty of
care by failing to follow proper sanitization procedures. Strict
liability (A) applies without fault, nuisance (C) involves interference
, with property, and trespass to goods (D) involves unauthorized
interference with belongings.
The "but-for" test is used to determine:
A. Whether duty exists
B. Whether breach occurred
C. Factual causation
D. Damages amount
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The "but-for" test asks whether the harm would have
occurred "but for" the defendant's action—it determines factual
causation. Duty (A), breach (B), and damages (D) are determined by
different tests.
In which case was the "neighbor principle" first articulated?
A. Rylands v Fletcher
B. Donoghue v Stevenson
C. Caparo v Dickinson
D. Palsgraf v Long Island Railroad
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Lord Atkin articulated the "neighbor principle" in
Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), stating you must take care to avoid
acts that could reasonably harm your "neighbor." Rylands (A)
established strict liability, Caparo (C) limited duty scope, and
Palsgraf (D) is American.
A doctor performs surgery while intoxicated but the surgery is
technically successful. The patient later sues. What is the outcome?
A. No liability because no harm occurred
B. Liability for negligence due to breach of duty
C. Liability only if the patient proves intent
PREDICTOR 2026/2027
Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of tort law?
A. To punish criminal wrongdoing
B. To compensate victims for harm caused by others
C. To enforce contractual obligations
D. To regulate government conduct
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Tort law's primary purpose is to provide
compensation to victims who have suffered harm due to another's
actions or negligence. Criminal law punishes wrongdoing (A),
contract law enforces obligations (C), and administrative law
regulates government conduct (D).
In a negligence claim, which element must the plaintiff prove FIRST?
A. Breach of duty
B. Causation
C. Duty of care
D. Damages
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The plaintiff must first establish that the defendant
owed them a duty of care. Without duty, there is no negligence
claim. Breach (A), causation (B), and damages (D) are subsequent
elements that must be proven after duty is established.
A driver speeds through a residential neighborhood and hits a
pedestrian. The pedestrian sues for negligence. Which test
determines whether the driver owed a duty of care?
A. The reasonable person test
B. The foreseeability test
C. The proximate cause test
, D. The strict liability test
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The foreseeability test (whether harm was reasonably
foreseeable) determines duty of care in negligence. The reasonable
person test (A) determines breach, proximate cause (C) limits
liability scope, and strict liability (D) applies without fault.
Which of the following scenarios would MOST likely result in no duty of
care being found?
A. A doctor treating a patient in an emergency
B. A manufacturer producing defective goods
C. A bystander watching someone drown without attempting rescue
D. A property owner allowing a visitor to trip on broken stairs
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Generally, there is no duty to rescue a stranger unless
a special relationship exists. Doctors (A), manufacturers (B), and
property owners (D) all have established duties to their patients,
customers, and visitors respectively.
The "reasonable person standard" in negligence law is:
A. Based on the defendant's actual subjective capabilities
B. An objective standard based on what an ordinarily prudent person
would do
C. Determined by the plaintiff's expectations
D. Varied according to the defendant's profession only
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The reasonable person standard is objective—it asks
what an ordinarily prudent person would do under similar
circumstances, not what the defendant personally believed (A), what
the plaintiff expected (C), or only professional standards (D).
,In Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), what key principle was established?
A. Vicarious liability for employees
B. Duty of care from manufacturers to consumers
C. Strict liability for nuisance
D. Defamation of product quality
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Donoghue v Stevenson established that manufacturers
owe a duty of care to ultimate consumers who may be harmed by
defective products. This case created the modern negligence
framework. Vicarious liability (A), nuisance (C), and defamation (D)
are separate torts.
Which of the following is NOT an element of the tort of negligence?
A. Duty of care
B. Breach of duty
C. Intent to harm
D. Causation
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Negligence is unintentional tort—intent to harm is
NOT required. The four elements are duty (A), breach (B), causation
(D), and damages. Intent is required for intentional torts like assault
or battery.
A hospital fails to sanitize equipment properly, and a patient develops an
infection. This is primarily an example of:
A. Strict liability
B. Negligence
C. Nuisance
D. Trespass to goods
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: This is negligence—the hospital breached its duty of
care by failing to follow proper sanitization procedures. Strict
liability (A) applies without fault, nuisance (C) involves interference
, with property, and trespass to goods (D) involves unauthorized
interference with belongings.
The "but-for" test is used to determine:
A. Whether duty exists
B. Whether breach occurred
C. Factual causation
D. Damages amount
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The "but-for" test asks whether the harm would have
occurred "but for" the defendant's action—it determines factual
causation. Duty (A), breach (B), and damages (D) are determined by
different tests.
In which case was the "neighbor principle" first articulated?
A. Rylands v Fletcher
B. Donoghue v Stevenson
C. Caparo v Dickinson
D. Palsgraf v Long Island Railroad
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Lord Atkin articulated the "neighbor principle" in
Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), stating you must take care to avoid
acts that could reasonably harm your "neighbor." Rylands (A)
established strict liability, Caparo (C) limited duty scope, and
Palsgraf (D) is American.
A doctor performs surgery while intoxicated but the surgery is
technically successful. The patient later sues. What is the outcome?
A. No liability because no harm occurred
B. Liability for negligence due to breach of duty
C. Liability only if the patient proves intent
