A person makes a threat to harm someone, causing them to feel fearful. This is best described as which term?

• A. Battery
• B. Assault
• C. Defamation
• D. Confidentiality

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that assault is an intentional act that creates a reasonable fear of imminent harmful contact. When someone makes a threat to harm another and that threat causes the person to feel fear of that imminent harm, it fulfills the essential element of assault—the creation of apprehension of immediate violence—even if no physical harm actually occurs.

In your scenario, the threat triggers fear of being harmed right away, so it’s described as assault. Battery would involve actual physical contact or touching, which isn’t present here. Defamation is about false statements that harm someone’s reputation, not threats of harm. Confidentiality concerns keeping information private, not threats or harm.