Question

Principle: A person, who is usually mad, but occasionally not mad, may make a contract when he is not mad.
Facts: ‘A’ generally remains in the state of madness and rarely becomes capable of understanding anything.
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 can make a contract.
• B. A can never make a contract.
• C. A can make a contract at any time whenever he pleases.
• D. A can make a contract only for his own benefit.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct option is (A): A can make a contract..

Answer 2

The principle allows a person who is usually mad but occasionally lucid to make a valid contract during the periods when they are not mad. A is described as generally mad but rarely capable of understanding things, meaning there are, at least sometimes, moments when A can understand. Let's check each option against this principle.

1. A can make a contract: The facts say A "rarely becomes capable of understanding anything," which means there are occasional windows, however rare, where A is capable of understanding. The principle allows a contract to be made during exactly such lucid periods, so A can make a contract during those rare moments.
2. A can never make a contract: This would only be correct if A had no lucid periods at all, but the facts explicitly state A "rarely" becomes capable of understanding, which means such periods do exist, even if infrequent, so "never" goes further than the facts support.
3. A can make a contract at any time whenever he pleases: The principle restricts contract-making to the periods when the person is actually not mad, it does not give free choice of timing regardless of mental state, so this overstates what the principle allows.
4. A can make a contract only for his own benefit: Nothing in the principle limits valid contracts made during lucid periods to those benefiting only the person making them, this restriction is not found anywhere in the given principle.

Since A does have rare periods of being capable of understanding, the principle allows A to make a valid contract during those periods.

Therefore, the correct answer is A can make a contract.

Answer 3

The principle can be framed as a conditional rule: if a person is usually mad but has periods, however rare, when they are not mad, then a contract entered into during one of those specific lucid periods is valid; the rule attaches to the state of mind at the moment of contracting, not to the person's general condition or to their own preference of timing. The facts tell us A generally remains mad but rarely becomes capable of understanding, which confirms lucid periods exist for A, just infrequently. Let's test each option against this conditional.

1. A can make a contract: The rule's condition, the existence of at least some period when the person is not mad, is satisfied here since the facts confirm A rarely becomes capable of understanding. That rare capability is exactly the lucid window the rule requires for a valid contract, so this option follows from the rule.
2. A can never make a contract: For this to be correct, A would need to have no lucid periods at all, but the facts explicitly state such periods occur, if rarely. Since the rule's condition is about the existence of any lucid period, not its frequency, this option is inconsistent with a rule that only requires occasional lucidity.
3. A can make a contract at any time whenever he pleases: The rule's condition is specifically tied to A's mental state being lucid at the time of contracting, it does not grant contracting power independent of that state simply on A's own preference. This option removes the condition the rule actually imposes, so it overstates what the rule permits.
4. A can make a contract only for his own benefit: The rule's condition concerns only whether A is mad or not mad at the relevant time, it says nothing about who the contract must benefit. This option adds a restriction the rule's wording does not contain.

Since the facts confirm A does have rare lucid periods, the rule's condition for a valid contract is met during those periods, without any of the added restrictions the other options introduce.

Therefore, the correct answer is A can make a contract.