What is the difference between civil law and criminal law?

• A. Civil law resolves private disputes; criminal law punishes offenses against the state or society.
• B. Civil law deals with military conduct; criminal law handles civil contracts.
• C. Civil law punishes crimes; criminal law resolves private disputes.
• D. Civil law applies only to states; criminal law applies only to federal government.

Answer: (A)

Civil law focuses on private disputes between individuals or organizations, providing remedies such as damages or injunctions to resolve those conflicts. Criminal law defines acts that harm society as a whole and assigns penalties like imprisonment or fines to the offender. In civil cases, the plaintiff seeks redress and the burden of proof is typically a preponderance of the evidence. In criminal cases, the government prosecutes the accused and must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, due to the serious consequences involved.

That alignment—private disputes with civil remedies, versus offenses against the state or society with criminal penalties—is why this choice fits best. The other options mix up domains (military conduct, civil contracts) or reverse roles between civil and criminal, which doesn’t reflect the standard distinctions.