Read the following study guide for a concept review: Legal Terms Vocabulary Help
Legal Terms Vocabulary Practice
Words in Context
The following exercise will help you figure out the meaning of some words from the vocabulary list by reading context clues. After you have read and understood the paragraph, explain the context clues that helped you with the meaning of the vocabulary word.
The attorney explained that if I gave a deposition, then I probably would not have to testify in court. I would still be under oath, but my testimony would be given and transcribed into written form before the trial actually began. I was glad I didn't have to testify because the case seemed pretty ridiculous to me. My Aunt Sally died intestate and without children, so the family did not know what she wanted us to do with her possessions. I was sure that she meant for her house to be a bequest for my mother, who is her sister; yet my aunt's ex-husband, Tom, said the house should be his. He said he had a signed affidavit stating that my aunt told him she would leave him the house. Initially, my mom and I thought we could keep this from becoming a litigious matter, but Tom wasn't willing to discuss the situation with us and come to a compromise. He wanted a third party to adjudicate this dispute, so he hired an attorney, and we were forced to do the same.
Sentence Completion
Insert the correct word from the vocabulary list into the following sentences.
- The mayor issued a(n) _____ approving the city's subway-improvement plans.
- When I clerked for a judge, I was lucky to be able get to work in a(n) _____ court, where I saw many cases appealed.
- Since it was a small case, I didn't have to go to court; instead, I had to give a(n) _____ under oath while a stenographer recorded everything I said.
- Many types of fur are considered _____ and cannot be imported into the country.
- I am leaving my antiques to my children as a(n) _____
- I had to sign a(n) _____ that stated the house was in perfect condition and that the leak had been fixed.
- It would be nice if the federal government would _____ the use of nuclear weapons.
- When my brother and I were children and got into petty fights, sometimes my father would act as a judge and _____ our dispute.
- In the medical community, many doctors are leading a(n) _____ reform movement, as patients have begun to sue for malpractice even when the doctor is not at fault.
- She was charged with grand theft _____ when she was only sixteen, and since then, has been in and out of juvenile detention centers.
- A(n) _____ clause is a statement that says a contract or agreement will automatically terminate on the expiration date of the agreement unless otherwise amended.
- I do not want to die _____, so I plan to draft a will that clearly states who should inherit my possessions.
- When public officials engage in _____, many citizens feel betrayed.
- Committing _____ in a court of law is a very serious offense.
- The teacher accused the student of _____ when she handed in a paper she found on the Internet.
- _____, the philosophy of the law, is an interesting but complicated topic.
- When the criminal escaped to Mexico, we hoped Mexico would _____ him so we could make him stand trial in the United States for his crime.
- We have a(n) _____ on our house, because we were not able to pay off our debt, so now the bank from which we borrowed the money may take our house to satisfy the loan.
- Scientists sometimes study ancient remains that have been_____ (ed) from very old burial grounds.
- When the attorney called, I knew that the matter had become _____ and we were no longer going to try and settle our disagreement out of court.
True/False
In the space provided, write a T if the sentence is true or an F if it is false. If the sentence is false, cross out the word that makes it false and write the correct word from the vocabulary list above it.
- _____ When the mayor embezzled money from the city, it was an act of jurisprudence.
- _____ Cases are appealed in appellate court.
- _____ In a court of law, the judge is the person who will abrogate the case.
- _____ Lying under oath is an act of plagiarism.
- _____ When the cops found him with the stolen diamond ring, they charged him with larceny.
- _____ When the witness gave her affidavit, she was asked many questions under oath while a stenographer wrote down both the questions and her responses.
- _____ When I went through customs at the air port, they asked me if I was carrying any contraband items.
- _____ After her death, her family realized that she had died intestate, so they were not sure what to do with her estate.
- _____ If you run to another country after committing a crime, there is a very good chance that the country will exhume you to your homeland to be prosecuted.
- _____ Trying to pass off someone else's work as your own is an act of deposition.
Choosing the Right Word
Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence.
- Her father died (ipso facto, intestate), so she and her siblings had difficulty dividing his estate.
- Before we could close the deal, the borrower had to provide evidence to the lender that there were no (liens, larcenies) against the borrower's property.
- In our town, our water became contaminated because a local factory was not disposing of dangerous chemicals properly, so we brought a (sanction, tort) claim against them and won.
- I am very interested in studying (jurisprudence, malfeasance), because I am fascinated by the different systems of law and the philosophical tenets on which they are based.
- In our country, child labor was (extradited, abrogated) a long time ago; however, in some countries, people are still fighting to end it.
- When my grandfather died, he left me his piano as a (contraband, bequest), which touched me deeply because he was the one who taught me how to play.
- After they found the tomb, the explorers wanted to (extradite, exhume) the remains to see if they could determine the date it was buried.
- The contract stated that the parties must give written notification of intent to extend the contract, or the contract (ipso facto, adjudicate) terminated on the expiration.
- Before the bank would give us our loan, the attorney prepared a(n) (deposition, affidavit) that stated that our property was debt-free and environmentally sound and asked me to sign it under oath.
- The woman who snatched the other woman's purse was eventually charged with (plagiarism, larceny).
TIP
Don't be afraid to ask questions. In a legal situation, ask someone to explain unfamiliar terms. It will give you a better understanding, and you might learn a new word or two in the process.
Matching Questions
Match the word in the first column with the corresponding word in the second column.
- lien a. the very fact
- extradite b. testimony under oath
- adjudicate c. the act of passing someone else's writing off as your own
- bequest d. to abolish
- contraband e. a violation of someone's rights
- perjury f. one who dies without a will
- jurisprudence g. the act of bequeathing
- ipso facto h. charge against real property to satisfy a debt
- exhume i. to act as judge
- abrogate j. contentious
- appellate k. misconduct, especially of a public official
- larceny l. to surrender a criminal to a country where he or she can be tried
- tort m. lying under oath
- sanction n. to remove from a grave
- affidavit o. stealing
- litigious p. sworn written statement
- malfeasance q. illegal import or export of goods
- plagiarism r. authoritative approval
- intestate s. the philosophy of the law
- deposition t. having the power to review the judgment of another court
Practice Activities
Read an article about a current or historical court case and see how many of the vocabulary words from this chapter appear in the article. Write down any additional legal words you find in the article and their definitions based on the context clues. Be sure to look up each word in your dictionary and to write down its definition as well.
Find a legal document such as the lease for your apartment, the back of a credit card application, a letter from a lawyer, the agreement with your car insurance company, or any other contract. Read through the document, add any new legal words to your vocabulary list, and look them up. As you read, think about the following questions: How is the document written? Is it easy to understand? Why or why not? How are legal words used in the document?
Crossword Puzzle
Choose the word from the vocabulary list that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You will use 20 words from the vocabulary list to solve the puzzle. You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions.
Answers
Words in Context
The first word we encounter is deposition. The context tells us that it is an alternative to testifying in court, but that you are still under oath. We can conclude that it means a written testimony under oath prior to a trial. Sally died intestate, leaving the family unsure of how she wanted them to split up her belongings, so intestate must mean without a will. The narrator says he thinks Sally meant the house to be a bequest, or meant the narrator's mother to inherit the house. So bequest must mean something that is left to someone in a will. Tom has a signed affidavit, so an affidavit must mean a written statement. The narrator didn't want this to become litigious but it has, so we can conclude that litigious must mean contentious and prone to litigation. Finally, Tom wants someone else to adjudicate, or settle, this dispute. So adjudicate must mean to act as a judge or to settle judicially.
Sentence Completion
- sanction. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- appellate. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- deposition. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- contraband. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- bequest. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- affidavit. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- abrogate. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- adjudicate. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- tort. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- larceny. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- ipso facto. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- intestate. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- malfeasance. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- perjury. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- plagiarism. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- jurisprudence. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- extradite. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- lien. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- exhume. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
- litigious. If you got this question wrong, go back and review the word's definition.
True/False
- False, correct word is malfeasance
- True
- False, correct word is adjudicate
- False, correct word is perjury
- True
- False, correct word is deposition
- True
- True
- False, correct word is extradite
- False, correct word is plagiarism
Choosing the Right Word
- intestate
- liens
- tort
- jurisprudence
- abrogated
- bequest
- exhume
- ipso facto
- affidavit
- larceny
Matching Questions
- h
- l
- i
- g
- q
- m
- s
- a
- n
- d
- t
- o
- e
- r
- p
- j
- k
- c
- f
- b
Crossword Puzzle Solution
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