Any Intent Is Enough
This trap appears as a wrong-answer choice in 1 active question. Spotting how it is built is the repair: read each example's “why it's attractive” before the “why it's wrong.”
Subject distribution
- Criminal Law1
Example wrong choices
14637_peters_hilltop_car_crash · CRIMINAL_LAW · Choice AYes, because Peter’s intent to steal Mary’s car provides the necessary mental element.
Why it's attractive
Students see real intent and assume any intent is enough.
Why it's wrong
Uses intent to steal Mary’s car to supply the mental element for damaging Lydia’s property.
Spot it next time
Ask: intent toward Mary’s car or mental state toward Lydia’s property damage?
14637_peters_hilltop_car_crash · CRIMINAL_LAW · Choice BYes, because Peter was committing a felony.
Why it's attractive
Students import a felony-result shortcut from neighboring criminal doctrines.
Why it's wrong
Uses felony status as a neighboring shortcut instead of the mental state for malicious damage.
Spot it next time
Ask whether the felony label supplies the element of the property-damage offense.
14637_peters_hilltop_car_crash · CRIMINAL_LAW · Choice DNo, because it would violate double jeopardy to convict Peter of two crimes for a single act.
Why it's attractive
Students see two convictions from one episode and jump to a constitutional slogan.
Why it's wrong
Double jeopardy does not automatically bar separate offenses with separate elements arising from one episode.
Spot it next time
Return to the challenged instruction and test the element omitted.
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