Which term means a threat or attempt to injure someone?

• A. Battery
• B. Simple assault
• C. Stranger rape
• D. Assault

Answer: (D)

Assault is the act of threatening to inflict harm or attempting to injure someone, creating a reasonable fear of imminent harm. The key element is the threat or attempt, not actual physical contact. Battery, by contrast, is the actual harmful or offensive contact that follows if the threat is carried out. Simple assault refers to a lesser form within assault in some jurisdictions, but the fundamental idea remains threat or attempt. The option about stranger rape targets a different crime (sexual assault) and isn’t about injuring someone in the general sense. So the term that means a threat or attempt to injure someone is assault.