Which term is defined as force that is likely to cause, or that a person knows or should know would create a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily harm or injury?

• A. Deadly Force
• B. Probable Cause
• C. Jurisdiction
• D. Use of Force Continuum

Answer: (A)

The concept tested is deadly force. It means force that carries a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily harm, or force that a person knows or should know would create that risk. The emphasis is on the severe potential consequence and the awareness of it in the moment. In practice, deadly force is used to protect life when there is an imminent threat of death or serious harm, and when lesser options would be ineffective or unavailable. Less-lethal options are appropriate for threats that don’t present such a high risk. The other terms don’t capture this specific threshold of risk: probable cause relates to grounds for taking action like an arrest, jurisdiction concerns legal authority, and the use of force continuum is a framework for choosing levels of force, not the definition of deadly force.