Topic 4: Law, society and political involvement

Multiple choice quiz

1. John sued his neighbour for $200 000.

In which court would this case be heard?
A. Local Court
B. District Court
C. Supreme Court
D. Coroner’s Court

2. Which of the following statements is FALSE in relation to the Local Court?

A. It hears bail applications.
B. Cases are heard by a judge.
C. It hears summary offences (minor crimes).
D. It hears civil disputes for claims of up to $100 000.

3. What is the name of the two parties involved in a criminal case?

A. Plaintiff and sheriff
B. Plaintiff and defendant
C. Plaintiff and prosecution
D. Prosecution and defendant

4. Which of the following statements is FALSE in relation to juries?

A. Juries decide the sentence.
B. Anyone on the electoral roll is eligible to be selected for jury duty.
C. Juries need to determine a person’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
D. Juries must make a unanimous decision or a majority decision of 11 out of 12.

5. What is tort law classified as?

A. Public law
B. Private law
C. Criminal law
D. Common law

6. Rebecca sued a newspaper for writing an article that damaged her reputation. Of which area of tort
law is this an example?
A. Defamation
B. Negligence
C. Nuisance
D. Trespass

7. Which of the following is not a level of government in Australia?

A. Federal
B. State
C. democracy

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 Topic 4: Law, society and political involvement

D. local

8. Which of the following is a system of government?

A. democracy
B. anarchy
C. common law
D. adversarial system

9. Which is the standard of proof required in civil trials in Australia?

A. half the jury members
B. quota
C. balance of probabilities
D. beyond reasonable doubt

10. Do the following terms relate to civil or criminal law, or both? Tick the appropriate boxes.

Term Criminal Civil

a plaintiff
a prosecutor
suing for damages
a jury
a judge
bail
an indictable offence

11. Who is in the Cabinet?

A. an individual or party holding the casting vote in parliament
B. the group of government ministers who decide major issues of government
C. the king or queen who is the head of state in a constitutional monarchy
D. all members of the House of Representatives and the Senate

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 Topic 4: Law, society and political involvement

12. Match each term to its best definition.

 a grading system based on order of importance

 half the number of formal votes received in an election plus one

 the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in a country

 system in which two opposing parties present their arguments to a magistrate or judge

 a counting system that is designed to allow the majority of Australians to have their say in an
election by stating the order in which they prefer candidates

 a form of government in which a non-elected monarch acts as the head of state.

adversarial system  system in which two opposing parties present their arguments to a
magistrate or judge

constitutional  a form of government in which a non-elected monarch acts as the head

monarchy of state.

hierarchy  a grading system based on order of importance

judiciary  the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in a country

preferential system  a counting system that is designed to allow the majority of Australians to
have their say in an election by stating the order in which they prefer
candidates

absolute majority  half the number of formal votes received in an election plus one

13. Complete the following passages using the words in the wordbank below:

Acts of Parliament, bill, Cabinet, constitution, common law, double dissolution, hung parliament,
judges, minority government, precedents, statute, tort

Hint: there might be some words that do not need to be used at all!

There are two ways of making laws in Australia. Laws that are written down beforehand are called
constitution law, or . Each parliament has a , which is a document
that outlines the powers of the parliament and any restrictions to its law-making authority. Usually, the
first step of making a new law, or changed law, is a discussion in . If the government decides to
proceed, government lawyers are asked to draft a that is debated and voted on in parliament.

Laws can also be developed piece by piece by , as they come across new problems in the
cases they hear. These laws are referred to as . If a judge has to decide on a case where

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 Topic 4: Law, society and political involvement

there is no existing law that regulates, the judge has to make a decision. These decisions are known as
legal .

14. Which is the purpose of a constitution?

A. to determine when an accused person who is awaiting trial can be released
B. to outline the powers of a parliament
C. to record traditional indigenous rules that outline the correct way of living for each parliament
D. to record the Ministers who take on an area of government responsibility, such as health or defence

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