Property and Casualty Insurance Practice Exam

Which term refers to a unlawful act that includes robbery and burglary?

1. Property damage

2. Theft

3. Assault

4. Vandalism

The correct answer is: Theft

The term that encapsulates unlawful acts such as robbery and burglary is "theft." Theft fundamentally refers to the act of taking someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it. Both robbery, which involves taking property from a person through force or intimidation, and burglary, which entails entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a crime inside (often theft), fall under the broad definition of theft, as they involve the illegal acquisition of someone else's property. Property damage focuses on the destruction of another person's property but does not necessarily involve the unlawful taking of that property. Assault pertains to the act of causing physical harm or the threat of harm to a person, which is distinct from property crimes. Vandalism refers to the intentional destruction or defacement of property but, like property damage, does not involve stealing or unlawfully taking someone else's property. Thus, theft is the most accurate term that encompasses both robbery and burglary.