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. An intentional act that creates a reasonable apprehension of an immediate harmful or offensive physical contact.






2. General principles that guide the courts in their interpretation of statutes.






3. A person who assists an attorney and - working under the attorney's supervision - does tasks that - absent the paralegal - the attorney would do. A paralegal cannot give advice or appear in court.






4. The process of signaling that you are really listening - accomplished by using verbal and nonverbal clues - paraphrasing - and reflecting the client's feelings.






5. The person who is being asked questions at a deposition.






6. Broad questions that put few limits on the freedom of the respondent.






7. A defense requiring proof that the defendant would not have committed the crime but for police trickery.






8. A trial court error that is not sufficient to warrant reversing the decision.






9. Someone who has the power to act in the place of another.






10. A book that contains court opinion headnotes arranged by subject matter.






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






12. A national association of paralegal managers.






13. A witness who has not been shown to have any special expertise.






14. When an appellate court overturns or negates the decision of a lower court.






15. A national paralegal association.






16. The standard of proof most commonly used in civil trials. The evidence presented must prove that it is more likely than not the defendant committed the wrong.






17. The rules whereby all members of a law firm are treated as though they had represented the former client.






18. How subsequent cases have affected the case you are Shepardizing. It is sometimes indicated by a one-letter abbreviation before the Shepard's citation.






19. 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.






20. Rules and regulations created by administrative agencies.






21. The status of being formally recognized by a nongovernmental organization for having met special criteria - such as fulfilling educational requirements and passing an exam - established by that organization.






22. The modern pretrial procedure by which one party gains information from the adverse party.






23. The questioning of your own witness.






24. A set of standardized jury instructions.






25. Consists of the description of events that a witness testifies to under oath in a legal proceeding.






26. 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.






27. A person who initiates an appeal.






28. A system of government in which the authority to govern is split between a single - nationwide central government and several regional governments that control specific geographical areas.






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






30. A request that the court order a rehearing of a lawsuit because irregularities - such as errors of the court or jury misconduct - make it probable that an impartial trial do not occur.






31. A repeat offender; one who continues to commit more crimes.






32. Information about what happened procedurally to the cited case before it was heard by the cited court. Do not include this information in a citation.






33. In logic - an argument is considered to be valid or sound if the assumption underlying the argument are true.






34. Disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that harm will result.






35. Affiliated with the federal government's Legal Services Corporation - these offices serve those who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance.






36. Evidence that suggests the defendant's guilt.






37. 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.






38. The rule that in order to claim self-defense there must have been no possibility of retreat.






39. A method for excusing a prospective juror based on the juror's inability to serve in an unbiased manner.






40. A claim by the defendant against the plaintiff.






41. The educated ability to apply law to specific facts.






42. A notice informing the defendant of the lawsuit and requiring the defendant to respond or risk losing the suit.






43. A method for interpreting statutes in which the ordinary meaning of the statute's language is examined.






44. A decision is reversed when the litigants appeal the trial court decision and the higher court disagrees with the decision of a lower court.






45. Fairness; a court's power to do justice. Equity powers allow judges to take action when otherwise the law would limit their decisions to monetary awards. Equity powers include a judge's ability to issue an injunction and to order specific performance






46. An attorney's written argument presented to an appeals court - setting forth a statement of the law as it should be applied to the client's facts.






47. The background documents created during the process of a bill becoming a statute. These documents can include alternative versions of the legislation - proceedings of committee hearings and reports - and transcripts of floor debates.






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






49. The papers that begin a lawsuit-generally - the complaint and the answer.






50. In a case brief - the rule of law applied to the case's specific facts.