Which term is defined as forced sexual intercourse without consent?

• A. Rape
• B. Stranger rape
• C. Assault
• D. Battery

Answer: (A)

Rape is defined as forced sexual intercourse without the consent of the other person. The key idea is that consent must be voluntary and present for sexual activity to be legal; when there is no consent (through coercion, incapacity, or refusal, for example), the act qualifies as rape. This makes it the best answer because it directly names the non-consensual sexual act, regardless of who commits it or how it occurs.

The other terms describe different crimes or aspects of sexual violence but don’t capture the essential element of non-consensual intercourse itself: assault involves threats or attempts to harm, not necessarily sexual activity; battery is unlawful physical contact, which may or may not be sexual; and stranger rape is a subtype focusing on the offender’s identity, not the fundamental definition of the act.