Question

Principle : A man is guilty of not only for what he actually does but also for the consequences of his doing.
Facts : A wanted to kill the animal of B. He saw B standing with his animal and fired a gun shot at the animal. The gun shot killed B.
This question consists of legal principle(s) (hereinafter referred to as ‘principle‘) and facts. Such proposition may or may not be true in the real and legal sense, yet you have to conclusively assume them to be true for the purposes of this section. Principles have to be applied to the given facts to arrive at the most reasonable conclusion. Only one of the alternatives, i.e., (A), (B), (C), or (D) is the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, in answering the following questions, you must not rely on any principle except the principles that are given herein below for every question. Further you must not assume any facts other than those stated in the question. The objective of this section is to test your ability in legal aptitude, study of law, research aptitude and problem solving ability even if the ’most reasonable conclusion‘ arrived at may be absurd or unacceptable for any other reason.

• A. A is guilty of killing B.
• B. A is not guilty of killing B.
• C. B is guilty of standing with the animal.
• D. A did not know that the gun shot will kill B.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct option is (A): A is guilty of killing B.

Answer 2

The principle says a person is guilty not only for what he actually does but also for the consequences of his doing. A fired at B's animal intending to kill it, but the shot killed B instead. Let's test each option.

1. Option A: A is guilty of killing B: A deliberately fired the gun, meaning to kill the animal. The principle extends guilt to the consequences of that act, and the actual consequence was B's death, so A is guilty of killing B even though B was not the intended target.
2. Option B: A is not guilty of killing B: This ignores the principle entirely, since the whole point of the rule is to fix liability for consequences that go beyond the act as originally intended.
3. Option C: B is guilty of standing with the animal: Simply standing near his own animal is not wrongful conduct of any kind, B did nothing that could make him guilty of anything.
4. Option D: A did not know that the gun shot will kill B: Even taking this as true, it does not change who is guilty under the principle, which attaches guilt based on the consequences of the act, not on whether the wrongdoer specifically foresaw that exact consequence, so this option does not answer the question of guilt.

A fired the gun deliberately at the animal, and the consequence of that act was B's death, which the principle makes A answerable for.

Therefore, the correct answer is A is guilty of killing B.

Answer 3

Break the principle into a short test: identify the deliberate act, identify the actual consequence that resulted, and attach liability to that actual consequence rather than to the originally intended target.

1. A is guilty of killing B: A deliberately fired the gun, that is the act, and the actual consequence of that act was B's death, not the animal's. Applying the test, liability follows the real consequence, so A is guilty of killing B even though B was never the intended target.
2. A is not guilty of killing B: This ignores the second half of the test, that liability attaches to the actual consequence of the act, not merely to the act as originally aimed.
3. B is guilty of standing with the animal: This does not engage the test at all, standing near one's own animal is not a wrongful act, so no question of guilt even arises for B.
4. A did not know that the gun shot will kill B: Even accepting this as true, it does not change the outcome of the test, which asks about the actual consequence of the act, not about whether that specific consequence was foreseen in advance.

Since A's deliberate act of firing the gun actually resulted in B's death, the test attaches liability for that outcome to A, regardless of who he meant to hit.

Therefore, the correct answer is A is guilty of killing B.