Test your basic knowledge |

Paralegal 101

Subject : law
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.






2. A claim by a defendant against someone in addition to the persons the plaintiff has already sued.






3. The law that sets the length of time from when something happens to when a lawsuit must be filed before the right to bring it is lost.






4. A summary of a court opinion that appears at the beginning of the case.






5. The publication of false statements that harm a person's reputation.






6. Money or something else of value that is held by the government to ensure the defendant's appearance in court.






7. The process of finding the law.






8. To perform.






9. Proof that the evidence is what it is said to be.






10. Specific questions that usually demand very short or yes-no answers.






11. Questions relating to the interpretation or application of the law.






12. A defendant's plea meaning that the defendant neither admits nor denies the charges.






13. An opinion that disagrees with the majority's decision and its reasoning.






14. Law that deals with harm to a person or a person's property.






15. Also known as real estate; land and items growing on or permanently attached to that land.






16. Ownership by two or more people. Ownership shares do not have to be equal - but each has an undivided interest in the property. When a tenant in common dies - that person's share passes either by will or by intestate statute.






17. A rule of evidence that prevents an attorney or a paralegal from being compelled to testify about confidential client information.






18. The power of the federal government to prevent the states from passing conflicting laws - and sometimes even to prohibit states from passing any laws on a particular subject.






19. The questioning of an opposing witness.






20. A statement of the court's decision that contains many of the case's specific facts - thereby limiting its future applicability to a narrow range of cases.






21. A motion brought before the beginning of a trial either to eliminate the necessity for a trial or to limit the information that can be heard at the trial.






22. A decision is affirmed when the litigants appeal the trial court decision and the higher court agrees with what the lower court has done.






23. Summary of one legal point in a court opinion; written by the editors at West.






24. A judicial philosophy that supports an active role for the judiciary in changing the law.






25. Courts that determine the facts and apply the law to the facts.






26. Voluntarily and knowingly subjecting oneself to danger.






27. Negligence by the plaintiff that contributed to his or her injury. Normally - it is a complete bar to the plaintiff's recovery.






28. The standard of proof used in criminal trials. The evidence represented must be so conclusive and complete that all reasonable doubts regarding the facts are removed from the jurors' minds.






29. A form of logical reasoning based on a major premise - a minor premise - and a conclusion.






30. A defense requiring proof that force or a threat of force was used to cause a person to commit a criminal act.






31. A professional entity in which the owners share in the organization's profits but are not liable for the malpractice of their partners.






32. When the defendant does not have sufficient money or other assets to pay the judgment.






33. A grand jury's written accusation that a given individual has committed a crime.






34. A compilation of federal or state statutes in which the statutes are organized by subject matter rather than by year of enactment.






35. The power of a court to force a person to appear before it.






36. A calendering system that records key dates and important deadlines.






37. The principle that courts cannot decide abstract issues or render advisory opinions; rather - they are limited to deciding cases that involve litigants who are personally affected by the court's decision.






38. Liability without a showing of fault.






39. A test that provides that the defendant is not guity due to insanity if - at the time of the killing the defendant could not control his or her actions.






40. The defense's request that the court find the prosecution failed to meet its burden and that it remove the case from the jury by finding the defendant not guilty.






41. Law that deals with harm to an individual.






42. When a higher court agrees with what lower court has done.






43. Techniques for resolving conflicts that are alternatives to full-scale litigation. The two most common are arbitration and mediation.






44. The tenant's right to be free from interference from the landlord with respect to how the property is used.






45. A request that the court grant judgment in favor of the moving party because there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. It is similar to a 12(b)(6) motion except that the court a






46. An activity that requires professional judgment - or the educational ability to relate law to a specific legal problem.






47. The process by which individuals or organizations have their names placed on an official list kept by some private organization or governmental agency.






48. A requirement that a party fulfill his or her contractual obligations.






49. A summary of one legal point in a court opinion; written by the editors at West.






50. A request that the court prohibit the use of certain evidence at the trial.