Question 1

The law set down by the founding fathers in the U.S. Constitution, written by legislators, and interpreted by judges is called the __________.

Accepted Answer

Black-letter law refers to the well-established legal rules that are no longer subject to reasonable dispute. It is derived from the foundational laws set forth in the U.S. Constitution, written statutes, and the interpretations of those statutes by judges.

Question 2

What describes the situational and personality factor that causes positive and negative motivation eventually causing changes in subjective well-being?

Accepted Answer

Self-determination theory of optimal motivation explains how situational and personality factors influence types of motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), which in turn affect outcomes like changes in subjective well-being.

Question 3

What term describes the process wherein a person's reasoning is typically outside of the person's awareness but functions as a powerful determinant of how people evaluate information and reach conclusions about the law?

Accepted Answer

Motivated reasoning is a process where a person's desires or wishes influence their beliefs and decisions, often without their conscious awareness. This process can strongly affect how individuals interpret information and make judgments, particularly in the context of legal evaluations.

Question 4

A large majority of states base their criminal laws on the ______ drafted by the influential American Law Institute in the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

The Model Penal Code, drafted by the American Law Institute in the 1960s, has been highly influential in the standardization and reform of criminal laws across many states in the United States.

Question 5

Although there are 50 different state court systems in the United States, they all typically include ______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although there are 50 different state court...

Question 6

If a plaintiff and a defendant are from different states, then a federal court has jurisdiction.

Accepted Answer

Federal courts have jurisdiction in cases involving parties from different states, known as "diversity jurisdiction," provided the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.

Question 7

The panel in an appeals court must decide the case by a majority vote.

Accepted Answer

In an appeals court, decisions are typically made by a panel of judges, and a majority vote among them is required to decide the case.

Question 8

People v. Taylor , 1992, the case of a duped would-be offender, illustrates ______.

Accepted Answer

The case of People v. Taylor, 1992, illustrates the Model Penal Code, particularly its provisions regarding legal impossibility and the attempt to commit a crime, even when the crime was factually impossible to complete due to the circumstances unknown to the defendant.

Question 9

Which of the following considers the accomplice as culpable as the triggerman in a crime scene?

Accepted Answer

The felony-murder doctrine holds accomplices liable for any deaths that occur during the commission of a felony, even if they did not directly cause the death, making them as culpable as the person who commits the killing (the triggerman).

Question 10

The judicial system in which the judge has more control of the proceedings is called a(n)______ system.

Accepted Answer

In an inquisitorial system, the judge plays a more active role in investigating the facts of the case, questioning witnesses, and controlling the proceedings, unlike in an adversarial system where the parties are responsible for presenting their cases.

Question 11

What is the methodology where lawyers often rely on intuitive cognitive mechanisms rather than deliberative processes to evaluate cases?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the methodology where lawyers often...

Question 12

State court systems typically include lower courts, trial courts, one or more courts of appeal, and a state supreme court.

Accepted Answer

State court systems are generally organized in a hierarchical structure that includes lower courts (such as municipal courts or justice of the peace courts) for minor issues, trial courts for initial hearings of civil and criminal cases, appellate courts for reviewing decisions of lower courts, and a state supreme court as the highest court for state law matters.

Question 13

Ken is feeling increasingly depressed during his first year of law school. The __________________ would likely explain his depression by suggesting that he is no longer intrinsically motivated to pursue his goal of being a lawyer; all his motivations are now extrinsic.

Accepted Answer

The self-determination theory of optimal motivation posits that intrinsic motivation (doing something because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable) is essential for psychological health and well-being. If Ken is feeling depressed because his motivations have shifted from intrinsic to extrinsic (doing something because it leads to a separable outcome), this theory would best explain his situation by highlighting the importance of intrinsic motivation for maintaining psychological health and motivation.

Question 14

Which justice system provides more justice than truth?

Accepted Answer

The adversarial system, which is used in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, focuses on a competitive process between the defense and prosecution to determine the truth. This system is often criticized for prioritizing winning over finding the truth, as each side presents its most convincing case, sometimes at the expense of a full and unbiased exploration of the facts.

Question 15

Which state in the United States passed a law in 2005 that banned the sale or rental of violent video games that portrayed killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being to minors?

Accepted Answer

California passed a law in 2005 aimed at restricting the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, which was later challenged and ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court in 2011.

Question 16

Which of these legal systems is followed in Europe but not in Great Britain?

Accepted Answer

The inquisitorial system is followed in many European countries but not in Great Britain, which uses the adversarial system. In the inquisitorial system, the court is actively involved in investigating the facts of the case, unlike in the adversarial system, where the parties present their cases to a neutral judge or jury.

Question 17

Name the school of thought wherein the judges' decisions are influenced by a variety of psychological, social, and political factors, and they care about the real-world ramifications of their decisions.

Accepted Answer

Legal realism is the school of thought that emphasizes that judges' decisions are influenced by various external factors, including psychological, social, and political influences, and that judges consider the practical impacts of their rulings on society.

Question 18

The ______ focuses on how people explain others' intentions.

Accepted Answer

Attribution theory specifically deals with how individuals infer the causes of other people's behavior, including their intentions and motivations. It explores how people attribute causes to actions and how those beliefs influence their social perception.

Question 19

Which justice system provides more truth than justice?

Accepted Answer

The inquisitorial system is designed to discover the truth through active investigation by the judge, rather than focusing on the competition between opposing parties as in the adversarial system.

Question 20

According to one study, when lawyers discussed their cases with other lawyers, their predictions about the case outcome were

Accepted Answer

When lawyers discussed their cases with other lawyers, their predictions about the case outcomes were significantly more accurate. This is likely due to the collaborative nature of the discussions, which allowed for a broader perspective and consideration of different angles, leading to more accurate predictions.

Quiz 2: The Legal System: Issues, Structure, and Players