Question:medium

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.

Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • A is guilty of killing B.
  • A is not guilty of killing B.
  • B is guilty of standing with the animal.
  • A did not know that the gun shot will kill B.
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The Correct Option is A

Approach Solution - 1

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need to decide A's liability for B's death, when A's actual target was an animal, not B.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Apply the principle that guilt attaches to the consequences of an act, not just to the act as it was originally intended.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
A fired a gunshot at the animal, which is a deliberate act. B happened to be standing there, and the shot killed him instead of the animal. Under the principle, A is answerable not only for the act of firing at the animal, but for what that firing actually caused, which was B's death. The mismatch between the intended target and the actual victim does not remove liability, this is exactly the kind of situation the principle is meant to cover.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Since the gunshot A fired caused B's death, A is guilty of killing B.
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Approach Solution -2

Work through this by eliminating the option that does not involve any wrongdoing at all, then the one that raises an irrelevant point, before deciding between what is left.

  1. B is guilty of standing with the animal: Eliminate this first, standing near his own animal is not wrongful conduct of any kind, so no guilt attaches to B here.
  2. A did not know that the gun shot will kill B: Eliminate this too, whether or not A specifically foresaw that exact outcome does not change who is answerable for the actual consequence of his act, it does not resolve the guilt question either way.
  3. A is not guilty of killing B: Between the two remaining options, this one requires disregarding that A's deliberate shot is what actually caused B's death.
  4. A is guilty of killing B: Once the others are eliminated, this is what remains, since the shot A deliberately fired is what actually killed B, regardless of his original target.

Eliminating the option with no wrongdoing at all, and the one that raises a point the principle does not turn on, leaves guilt resting on A for the real outcome of his act.

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

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