Civil law

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/civil-law

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the legal tradition?One of the two major legal traditions globally, alongside common law
2. What is the primary legal source?Written statutes and comprehensive legal codes enacted by legislatures
3. What is civil law and how is it different from common law?Civil law is a system based on written codes that give clear rules for private matters. It is different from common law, which relies more on court decisions.
4. Why were civil codes like the Napoleonic Code created?They were made to make laws clear, rational, and easy to understand. They helped people know their rights and duties.

Civil Law Tradition: A legal system characterized by comprehensive, systematically codified statutes derived from Roman law.
Codification: The process of collecting and organizing laws into a systematic written code.
Jurisprudence: The theory and philosophy of law, including its principles and the study of legal systems.
Tort Law: The branch of civil law dealing with civil wrongs or harms caused by one party to another.