Exam 1 Flashcards
(146 cards)
A critical thinker must first be a ____?
Good listener
The ability to understand, analyze and evaluate an argument is known as ____?
Critical thinking
In critical thinking it is common to compare and contrast a concept to another concept. This is known as using an ____?
Analogy
The quality of reasoning is the primary focus of all types of critical thinking. T/F
True
When you read a court case, you should be able to clearly distinguish the issue, reasoning, and conclusion sections. T/F
False
All relevant and irrelevant facts should be included in a court case. T/F
False
Critical thinking attributes center around:
a) Demonstrating how sophisticated the listener is
b) Skills of listening and evaluating the reasoning that supports a conclusion
c) The quality of the conclusion
d) The school of thought of the speaker
e) All of the above
b) Skills of listening and evaluating the reasoning that supports a conclusion
Legal reasoning is performed through several steps which include:
a) Listing or summarizing the relevant facts
b) Spotting the issue(s)
c) Applying the relevant law to the facts
d) Analyze the reasons to the legal conclusion
e) All of the above
e) all of the aboe
The American legal system:
a) originated in the US
b) is based on rules of law in the form of statutes interpreted by the Congress and provided to judges for guidance
c) is based on the English legal system and court decisions, which were adopted as foundational precedent
d) includes statutes and ordinances interpreted by the collaboration of lawyers and judges
e) does not permit any changes to set legal precedent unless it is approved by all judges
c) is based on the English legal system and court decisions, which were adopted as foundational precedent
Identifying and clarifying ambiguous words or sentences is important because:
a) it will help us understand a reasoning
b) it will help us accept or reject a conclusion based on a particular reasoning
c) we need to know the common thesaurus usage of these words or sentences
d) ambiguity is the basis for flexibility in the law
e) a and b only
e) a and b
A legal issue can best be defined as:
a) a set of facts by which the lawyers and their clients assist the judge in reaching a decision
b) a set of ethics and laws based on fairness and justice
c) the judgeβs reasoning of the final decision in a case
d) the lawyersβ arguments on their clientsβ behalf
e) the main reason why the case is in court
e) the main reason why the case is in court
When reading a judgeβs decision, you should expect to find the ethical norms and societal policies that shaped their decision. T/F
true
Jurisprudence can best be defined as:
a) the collective set of judgesβ opinions as adopted by attorneys.
b) the science and philosophy of law
c) a legal reasoning that justifies the conclusion in a court case
d) the legal research performed by legal scholars and philosophers
e) a set of legal or scientific principles adopted by the legal system
b) the science and philosophy of law
The American legal system includes 3 sources of law. T/F
false
The Natural Law school of thought
a) is based on the ancient Greek philosopher Platoβs theories
b) is best characterized by the writings of John Locke
c) advocates that a moral person may disobey an unjust law
d) it is the lawβs responsibility to prevent the natural consequences of a crime.
e) believes all of the above
c) advocates that a moral person may disobey an unjust law
Followers of the Legal Positivist School believe that morals are separate from the law. T/F
True
The legislative branch creates ____ law.
Statutory
A possible chronological sequence that a bill may undertake to become law is:
a) Subcommitteeβs vote, House of Representatives vote, Committeeβs vote, Presidentβs vote.
b) Presidentβs vote, senate vote, subcommitteeβs vote, committeeβs vote
c) Committeeβs vote, subcommitteeβs vote, senate vote, presidentβs vote
d) senateβs vote, subcommitteeβs vote, committeeβs vote, presidentβs vote
a) Subcommitteeβs vote, House of Representatives vote, Committeeβs vote, President vote
The Positivist School of thought advocates that:
a) ethics, morals, and the law are all intertwined and must be considered in legal decisions
b) the judges should display a positive attitude toward all parties appearing in their legal courtrooms
c) the most powerful party will prevail in a trial
d) morality and the law should be kept separate, and morality issues should not influence judges decisions
e) a positive society is a fair society
d) morality and the law should be kept separate, and morality issues should not influence judges decisions
The US Constitution is the source that creates all of the following branches of government except for:
a) the State and Federal branch
b) the Legislative branch
c) the Executive branch
d) the Judicial branch
a) the state and federal branch
Which of the following is true about the process of judicial review?
a) It is legal writing and research by scholars for the purpose of deciding whether a case can be decided by federal or state law
b) It determines whether the Congress had the authority to legislate in a particular area.
c) It explains that freedom of speech in the political arena is guaranteed under the Bill of Rights
d) It involves the power of courts to determine whether a statutes is unconstitutional
e) It authorizes judges in all courts to review other judges opinions for errors
d) It involves the power of courts to determine whether a statute is unconstitutional
Legislative history would be one of the factors considered by a court in the process of interpreting a statute. T/F
True
Public and Private Law differ in that:
a) public law applies to government cases and private law applies to only businesses
b) public law is created by the Congress and private law is created by the people
c) public law is known to the public and private law is secret law used by special military courts
d) there is no essential legal difference between the 2 types of law
e) Public law refers to the governmentβs powers and duties, while private law refers to the rights and duties in individual and business dealings
e) Public law refers to the governmentβs powers and duties, while private law refers to the rights and duties in individual and business dealings
The process during which attorneys and judges question potential individuals to evaluate whether they can serve as unbiased and objective jurors is called ____.
Voir Dire