Kansas Funeral Director Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Study Resource

The legal term that denotes an action resulting in harm due to a breach of the duty of care is "tort." In legal contexts, a tort refers to a wrongful act that causes harm or loss to another person and can lead to civil liability. This encompasses a wide range of misconduct, including negligence, which occurs when a party fails to act with the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in similar circumstances, leading to injury or harm to another individual.

In contrast, a contract pertains to a legally binding agreement between parties, focusing on obligations and responsibilities agreed upon rather than a breach leading to harm. Assault is a specific type of tort that involves intentionally causing another person to fear imminent harm, while liability refers to the state of being responsible for something, particularly in a legal sense. Liability can arise from torts, but the term itself does not inherently describe the action that causes harm; tort is the more specific term for such scenarios.