Tort law worksheet with answers

The phrase "res ipsa loquitur" in negligence means:

1. AThe facts suggest negligence unless the defendant gives an explanation
2. BThe defendant is strictly liable for any harm
3. CThe claimant has voluntarily accepted the risk
4. DThe case cannot be decided without expert evidence on the standard of care

Trespass to land means:

1. ABuilding a house on your own land
2. BMaking noise on your own land
3. CSelling land without a contract
4. DEntering or remaining on another's land without permission

When two tortfeasors cause the same indivisible damage, the claimant can usually:

1. ARecover the full damages from either of them
2. BRecover only half from each of them
3. CSue only if both are joined in one claim
4. DSue only the one who acted first

Two chimney sweeps die from fumes while sealing a chimney, despite warnings about the danger. In Roles v Nathan, the occupier was:

1. ALiable, because occupiers must make premises completely safe for every visitor, including specialists
2. BNot liable, because specialists can be expected to guard against risks of their trade
3. CNot liable, because the sweeps were trespassers
4. DLiable, because the warnings were given orally

An occupier hires a reputable lift company to maintain a lift. The company's negligence causes an accident. Under Haseldine v Daw, the occupier is:

1. ALiable only if the lift is new
2. BLiable, because maintenance is non-delegable
3. CLiable for any defect on its premises
4. DNot liable, if it reasonably chose a competent contractor

A worker inhales silica dust from two sources, only one of which was due to the employer's breach. In Bonnington Castings v Wardlaw, the employer was liable because the guilty dust:

1. AWas the only cause of the disease
2. BWas more than half of the total dust
3. CWas easier to prevent than the other dust
4. DMaterially contributed to the disease

As a practical joke, a man falsely tells a woman that her husband has been badly injured. She suffers a serious illness from the shock. In Wilkinson v Downton, the man was:

1. ALiable for intentionally causing physical harm by a false statement
2. BNot liable, because there was no direct physical contact with the woman
3. CNot liable, because it was only a joke
4. DLiable only in defamation

After an accident in a tunnel, a police inspector negligently orders an officer to ride back against the traffic, and the officer is hit. In Knightley v Johns, the original negligent driver was:

1. ALiable, because rescuers are foreseeable
2. BNot liable for the officer's injury, because the inspector's negligence broke the chain
3. CLiable for all consequences, because the officer's injury was a foreseeable result of the crash
4. DLiable for half, shared with the inspector