Law Legal Studies · Civics Polity

Legal Principles and Doctrines

2,603 Questions

Legal principles and doctrines establish the foundational rules of jurisprudence and civil rights. Questions cover constitutional reasonable restrictions, courtroom evidence standards, and property laws. These topics are strictly necessary for law legal studies exams and judicial services prelims.

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Legal Principles and Doctrines Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

  1. The litigant has a right to wait till the last day of limitation.

  2. Sufficient cause in Section 5 must receive a liberal construction so as to advance substantial justice.

  3. The sufficient cause is a question of fact and not a question of principle.

  4. A plea that the delay was due to administrative reasons is sufficient by itself to establish sufficient cause.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A plea that the delay was due to administrative reasons is not sufficient by itself to establish sufficient cause. It is merely an averment in the nature of a plea and it does not itself establish sufficiency for cause of action.

Multiple choice

Mere silence is not fraud unless____________________.

  1. the silence is deceptive

  2. there is a change in the circumstances to be brought to the notice of other party

  3. there is a duty to speak

  4. all of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Mere silence is not fraud, unless there is a duty to speak.

Multiple choice

Silent is fraudulent in the following cases

  1. if the circumstances of the case are such that, regard being had to them, it is the duty of the person keeping silence to speak

  2. where the circumstances are such that silence is in itself equivalent to speech

  3. both (1) and (2)

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Silence becomes fraudulent when there's a legal duty to disclose (such as in fiduciary relationships or when parties are not at arm's length) OR when the circumstances make silence equivalent to speech (like when a person's conduct would naturally lead the other to believe the silent facts are true). Since both conditions independently make silence fraudulent, option C is correct.

Multiple choice

The maxim 'delegatus non potest delegare' means

  1. a person whom authority has been given cannot delegate the authority to another

  2. a person whom authority has been given can delegate the authority to another with prior permission

  3. a person whom authority has been given to indemnify agent for injury caused by principal's neglect can be delegated

  4. an authority can be delegated under protest by the person to whom authority has been given
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Latin maxim 'delegatus non potest delegare' means that a delegate cannot further delegate their authority - the person to whom authority has been given cannot pass it on to another. This principle ensures that delegated authority remains with the intended delegate. Option B incorrectly suggests delegation is possible with permission, while options C and D introduce concepts not related to the core meaning of this maxim.

Multiple choice

A proposal may be revoked in the following ways

  1. by notice of revocation

  2. by lapse of time

  3. by death or insanity

  4. all of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Under Section 6 of the Indian Contract Act, a proposal (offer) may be revoked by: (1) notice of revocation communicated to the offeree, (2) lapse of reasonable time, or (3) death or insanity of the proposer before acceptance. All three are valid modes of revocation, making 'all of these' the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Jus in personam means

  1. a right against or in respect of a thing

  2. a right against or in respect of a person

  3. both (1) and (2)

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Jus in personam is a Latin legal term meaning 'a right against or in respect of a person'. It refers to personal rights enforceable against specific individuals, distinguished from jus in rem which is a right against the world at large (like property rights). Contractual rights are typically jus in personam.

Multiple choice

Misrepresentation means and includes

  1. the positive assertion, in a manner not warranted by the information of the person making it, of that which is not true, though he believes it to be true

  2. any breach of duty, which, without an intention to deceive, gains an advantage to the person committing it, or any one claiming under him, by misleading another to his prejudice or to the prejudice of any one claiming under him

  3. causing, however innocently, a party to an agreement to make a mistake as to the substance of the thing which is the subject of the agreement

  4. all of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Misrepresentation under Section 18 includes three types: (1) unwarranted positive assertions of untruths believed true, (2) innocent breach of duty that misleads and advantages the representor, and (3) innocent acts causing mistakes about the subject matter. All three constitute misrepresentation, making 'all of these' correct.

Multiple choice

Suit for specific performance & suit for injunction

  1. are remedies which provide the same result

  2. are different remedies and they provide different results

  3. are not the correct way to act against the party committing the breach

  4. are the only correct way to act against the party committing the breach
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Specific performance compels a party to fulfill their contractual obligations (often for unique goods or property), while injunction restrains a party from doing something they shouldn't (like violating a negative covenant). They are fundamentally different remedies serving different purposes.

Multiple choice

Agency by ostensible authority may happen in the following ways:

  1. By estoppel

  2. By a legal presumption

  3. By holding-out

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Agency by ostensible authority occurs when a principal's words or conduct lead a third party to reasonably believe that an agent has authority, even if no actual authority was granted. This can arise through estoppel (the principal is prevented from denying the agent's authority), legal presumption, or holding-out (where the principal represents the agent as having authority).

Multiple choice

Where a person asserts something which is not true, though he believes it to be true, his assertion amounts to

  1. coercion

  2. undue Influence

  3. fraud

  4. misrepresentation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Misrepresentation occurs when someone makes a false statement believing it to be true. It differs from fraud (which requires knowledge of falsity), coercion (which involves threats), and undue influence (which involves unfair pressure). The key element is the absence of intent to deceive.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a requirement for misrepresentation to exist?

  1. Misrepresentation should relate to a material fact.

  2. The person making a misrepresentation should not believe it to be true.

  3. It must be made with an intention to deceive the other party.

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

For misrepresentation to exist in contract law, the false statement must relate to a MATERIAL fact - something that would influence a reasonable party's decision to enter the contract. Option B is incorrect because the person may innocently believe a false statement (innocent misrepresentation). Option C is incorrect because misrepresentation doesn't require intent to deceive (that's fraud). The key requirement is materiality of the fact misrepresented.

Multiple choice

Consent is not said to be free when it is caused by

  1. coercion

  2. undue influence

  3. fraud

  4. all of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Consent is not free when caused by coercion (physical threats), undue influence (moral dominance), fraud (active deception), or misrepresentation (false statements). All these factors vitiate free consent, making all options correct.

Multiple choice

A member of the Legislative Assembly (LA) attracts disqualification if he (a) holds any office of profit (b) acquires the citizenship of a foreign state (c) is of unsound mind and stands so declared by court (d) is a discharged insolvent

  1. Only (a)

  2. Only (a) and (b)

  3. Only (a), (b) and (c)

  4. Only (d)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

If a member of the Legislative Assembly is declared in insolvent and he is not discharged by a court of law, the member is disqualified.

Multiple choice

The two elements of corpus and animus are necessary for

  1. commencement of possession as well as for continuance of possession

  2. commencement of possession, but possession will continue even if one or both the elements are lost

  3. commencement of possession, but only animus is required for continuance of possession

  4. commencement of possession, but only corpus is required for continuance of possession
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The two elements of corpus and animus are necessary for commencement of possession as well as for continuance of possession. The Romans called the mental element as animus and the subject element as corpus. 

Multiple choice

Defamation can be

  1. only of a living person

  2. of a deceased person

  3. of a living as well as deceased person

  4. of an individual, a company, an association or collection of persons

  5. Both 3 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

As provided under Explanation I of section 499, defamation may be of a deceased person with the intention to hurt the feelings of his family or near relatives. Explanation II of section 499 states that defamation may be concerning a company, an association or a collection of persons. Defamation is the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of an individual person, whether living or dead or real or imaginary, business, government, religion or nation.