The two elements required to establish assault are:

The two elements required to establish assault are:

• A. Intent to cause physical contact and actual contact
• B. Ability to commit a battery and awareness of an immediate threat and fear of it
• C. Harm and damages
• D. False imprisonment

Answer: (B)

Assault centers on making someone reasonably fear that immediate harmful or offensive contact could occur, and there must be a real ability to carry out that threat right away. The two elements needed are: first, an intentional act that creates apprehension of imminent harm; second, the defendant has the apparent ability to carry out the threatened contact at once, so the person feels fear of it. In practice, this means if a person raises a fist toward another and implies they’ll strike now, the threatened contact is imminent and the other person perceives a real possibility of harm. Actual contact isn’t required for assault, and damages aren’t needed. This is why the option describing the ability to commit a battery plus awareness of an immediate threat and fear best captures what makes an assault.

Assault centers on making someone reasonably fear that immediate harmful or offensive contact could occur, and there must be a real ability to carry out that threat right away. The two elements needed are: first, an intentional act that creates apprehension of imminent harm; second, the defendant has the apparent ability to carry out the threatened contact at once, so the person feels fear of it. In practice, this means if a person raises a fist toward another and implies they’ll strike now, the threatened contact is imminent and the other person perceives a real possibility of harm. Actual contact isn’t required for assault, and damages aren’t needed. This is why the option describing the ability to commit a battery plus awareness of an immediate threat and fear best captures what makes an assault.