CJUS CH 4 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% PASS
A - ANS Which of the following would be considered an example of a proper justification
defense?
a. During a home invasion, an individual comes under physical attack and smashes a lamp over
the attacker's head, causing injury.
b. During an arrest for drug dealing, the suspect pushes a plainclothes law enforcement officer,
unaware that the officer is a cop.
c. An individual sexually assaulted another, though he did so unknowingly and unwillingly
because he was highly inebriated at the time.
d. An individual shoots and kills an intruder in her yard to ensure the protection and security of
her property.
d - ANS Why does the United States have a legal system largely derived from common law?
a. It was chosen over customary law through a late-nineteenth-century referendum.
b. Common law is the most widely used legal system in the developed world.
c. The Founding Fathers saw common law as vastly superior to customary law.
d. It is a legacy of British legal practices that were in place during colonial times.
a - ANS Which of the following best characterizes criminal law in the world?
a. Ideas of criminal law date back centuries, and it is constantly evolving.
b. The basis for criminal law is relatively modern and open to significant interpretation.
c. Criminal law as a legal code is formulated on a mostly ad-hoc basis.
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, d. It is built around strict, religious principles, and its fundamentals are unchanging.
b - ANS Why is murder considered mala in se?
a. Since not all people share the view that it is evil, it must be criminalized.
b. It is an offense that by its very nature is evil and immoral.
c. A majority of people think it should be a crime.
d. It is one of the few crimes that universally is viewed as wrong.
c - ANS Which of the following situations cannot occur in the United States, as it would be
considered the result of an ex post facto law?
a. Due to the passing of a new law in a state, offenders in the future will be punished more
severely.
b. A state moves towards decriminalizing certain low-level violations without federal approval.
c. An individual is punished for an act that was not criminal at the time of the act.
d. The prison sentence of an individual is extended due to criminal behavior while in jail.
a - ANS The idea that the accused had the intent to commit a criminal act is __________.
a. mens rea
b. ad idem
c. actus reus
d. in situ
b - ANS What is an excuse defense?
a. a defense in which a person claims that he or she acted in self-defense
b. a defense in which a person states that, due to impairment, he or she lacks the capacity to
form sufficient intent to be held criminally responsible
c. a defense in which a person argues that he or she was justified in doing what they did
d. a defense in which a person admits to a lower-level criminal charge in exchange for the top
count being dismissed by the court
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
ANSWERS 100% PASS
A - ANS Which of the following would be considered an example of a proper justification
defense?
a. During a home invasion, an individual comes under physical attack and smashes a lamp over
the attacker's head, causing injury.
b. During an arrest for drug dealing, the suspect pushes a plainclothes law enforcement officer,
unaware that the officer is a cop.
c. An individual sexually assaulted another, though he did so unknowingly and unwillingly
because he was highly inebriated at the time.
d. An individual shoots and kills an intruder in her yard to ensure the protection and security of
her property.
d - ANS Why does the United States have a legal system largely derived from common law?
a. It was chosen over customary law through a late-nineteenth-century referendum.
b. Common law is the most widely used legal system in the developed world.
c. The Founding Fathers saw common law as vastly superior to customary law.
d. It is a legacy of British legal practices that were in place during colonial times.
a - ANS Which of the following best characterizes criminal law in the world?
a. Ideas of criminal law date back centuries, and it is constantly evolving.
b. The basis for criminal law is relatively modern and open to significant interpretation.
c. Criminal law as a legal code is formulated on a mostly ad-hoc basis.
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, d. It is built around strict, religious principles, and its fundamentals are unchanging.
b - ANS Why is murder considered mala in se?
a. Since not all people share the view that it is evil, it must be criminalized.
b. It is an offense that by its very nature is evil and immoral.
c. A majority of people think it should be a crime.
d. It is one of the few crimes that universally is viewed as wrong.
c - ANS Which of the following situations cannot occur in the United States, as it would be
considered the result of an ex post facto law?
a. Due to the passing of a new law in a state, offenders in the future will be punished more
severely.
b. A state moves towards decriminalizing certain low-level violations without federal approval.
c. An individual is punished for an act that was not criminal at the time of the act.
d. The prison sentence of an individual is extended due to criminal behavior while in jail.
a - ANS The idea that the accused had the intent to commit a criminal act is __________.
a. mens rea
b. ad idem
c. actus reus
d. in situ
b - ANS What is an excuse defense?
a. a defense in which a person claims that he or she acted in self-defense
b. a defense in which a person states that, due to impairment, he or she lacks the capacity to
form sufficient intent to be held criminally responsible
c. a defense in which a person argues that he or she was justified in doing what they did
d. a defense in which a person admits to a lower-level criminal charge in exchange for the top
count being dismissed by the court
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
