Question:medium

Contributory negligence is a:

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • Tort
  • Crime
  • Defence
  • Right
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

A simple way to classify a legal concept like this is to ask who raises it and what it is meant to do for them, that question sorts out all four options quickly here.

  1. Tort: a tort is a wrong that gives the injured party a claim against the wrongdoer, contributory negligence does not create any fresh claim for anyone, so it is not itself a tort.
  2. Crime: a crime is a wrong punished by the state, careless conduct that only affects the careless person's own claim for damages has nothing to do with criminal liability.
  3. Defence: it is the defendant who raises contributory negligence, and it is raised specifically to cut down the compensation the plaintiff can recover, on the ground that the plaintiff's own lack of care played a part in causing the harm. That is precisely the function of a defence, a tool used to resist or reduce liability.
  4. Right: nobody is asserting an entitlement to something by raising contributory negligence, it works the opposite way, limiting what the plaintiff can claim, so calling it a right does not fit.

Since it is raised by the defendant purely to limit liability, contributory negligence sits squarely in the category of a defence.

The correct answer is Defence.

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