Fatal Offences Against the Person | AQA A-Level Law (7162)
Fatal Offences Against the Person
- 40 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 1: Criminal law
- Paper 1
Murder and its elements, and the partial defences of loss of control and diminished responsibility, together with involuntary manslaughter..
It covers the Elements of Murder, loss of Control, diminished Responsibility and unlawful Act and Gross Negligence Manslaughter.
Sample questions from Fatal Offences Against the Person
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Elements of Murder
What does 'under the King's peace' mean in the definition of murder?
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The killing must not occur during the course of war against an enemy combatant; it excludes lawful acts of war. -
The Elements of Murder
Define 'malice aforethought' as an element of murder.
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The mental element of murder, meaning intention to kill or intention to cause grievous bodily harm. -
Loss of Control
Name the two qualifying triggers for loss of control.
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(1) Fear of serious violence from the victim, and (2) circumstances of an extremely grave character causing the defendant to have a justifiable sense of being seriously wronged. -
Loss of Control
Can sexual infidelity on its own amount to a qualifying trigger for loss of control?
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No, sexual infidelity alone cannot constitute a qualifying trigger. -
Diminished Responsibility
Name the three capacities that may be substantially impaired for diminished responsibility.
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(1) Ability to understand the nature of their conduct, (2) ability to form a rational judgment, (3) ability to exercise self-control. -
Diminished Responsibility
What causal link must exist between the abnormality of mental functioning and the killing for diminished responsibility?
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The abnormality must provide an explanation for the defendant's acts or omissions in killing. -
Unlawful Act and Gross Negligence Manslaughter
How is a 'dangerous act' defined for unlawful act manslaughter?
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An act that a sober and reasonable person would recognise as carrying a risk of some physical harm. -
Unlawful Act and Gross Negligence Manslaughter
What causal requirement must be satisfied in gross negligence manslaughter?
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The breach of duty must cause the death of the victim.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Elements of Murder | Recall questions on the four elements of murder at common law and on unlawful killing, the King's peace and who counts as a human being. | 8 |
| Loss of Control | Recall questions on the effect of the partial defence, the statute containing it, what must have caused the loss and the qualifying triggers. | 9 |
| Diminished Responsibility | Recall questions on the three capacities that may be substantially impaired and what impairment of each means. | 10 |
| Unlawful Act and Gross Negligence Manslaughter | Recall questions on the elements of unlawful act manslaughter, what makes an act unlawful and dangerous, the duty, breach, causation and gross negligence required for gross negligence manslaughter, and how both differ from murder. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Law Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,352 questions with their answers.