Crime is the ______ of an act prohibited by or the ______ omission of an act required by a penal code.

• A. Commission, omission
• B. Commission, Commission
• C. Omission, Commission
• D. Omission, Omission

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that crime can arise from either a positive act or a failure to act when there is a legal duty. Crime is the commission of an act prohibited by the penal code or the omission of an act required by the penal code. The best fit fills the first blank with commission (doing the prohibited act) and the second with omission (failing to perform a required act). This captures the two classic ways law can deem conduct criminal: by something you actively do, or by something you fail to do when the law says you must act. The other word pairings don’t align with how crimes are described—using omission for the first part would imply a nonact when an act is prohibited, and repeating commission or omission for both parts doesn’t reflect the distinction between acting and failing to act when a duty exists.