Institute – Practice Questions with Answers –
Funeral Service Law Exam Preparation
Material
Introduction:
This document contains a comprehensive set of practice
questions and answers covering essential legal principles
related to funeral service and mortuary practice. Topics
include right and duty of disposition, tort liability, probate
procedures, estate distribution, FTC Funeral Rule
requirements, contracts, anatomical gifts, and cemetery law.
The material is organized in a clear question-and-answer
format with true/false, multiple choice, and short legal
definition questions commonly tested in mortuary science
programs. It is designed to support exam preparation and
reinforce key legal concepts relevant to funeral directors and
mortuary science students.
Exam questions and Answers:
Which one of the following WOULD NOT be a possible tort
involving a dead human body?
Select one:
,A. Unauthorized mutilation of the body
B. Failure to surrender the body upon appropriate demand
C. Burial without eh permission of the next-of-kin
D. Entombment in a crypt purchased by the surviving spouse --
-Correct precise answer---The daughter who is 18 years old
The type of ownership where the property is owned by two or
more persons, in equal shares, and the right of survivorship
exists is called: ---Correct precise answer---Joint tenancy
A proportional reduction of a legacy when the funds out of
which the legacy is to be paid are NOT sufficient to pay it in
full is called ---Correct precise answer---Abatement
Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
Select one:
A. The making of funeral arrangements implies one's promise
to pay the funeral bill
B. In many states, the necessary and reasonable expenses of a
funeral become a priority claim against the decedent's estate
,C. Many states recognize a common law rule which places
primary liability for funeral expenses of a wife or dependent
child upon the husband/father
D. It is prudent for a funeral director to determine in advance
the means available for payment of the funeral bill to
determine his or her conduct in accepting and handling the
case accordingly
E. If a volunteer makes funeral arrangements with no intent or
legal duty to pay the funeral bill of the decedent, the funeral is
presumed to be ordered on the estate of the decedent ---
Correct precise answer---The making of funeral arrangements
implies one's promise to pay the funeral bill
Which one of the following factors WOULD be involved in
determining the reasonableness of the funeral bill? 1. The size
and solvency of the estate, 2. The station in life of the
deceased, 3. The size and color of the casket, or 4. Local
customs ---Correct precise answer---1, 2 and 4 only
When a man has physical possession of his wife's dead body,
he is said to have _____ custody. ---Correct precise answer---
Actual
, Courts may sometime side with the personal wishes of the
deceased concerning disposition, even against the desire of the
surviving spouse. True or False? ---Correct precise answer---
True
The condition in which a person dies without leaving a valid
will is termed ---Correct precise answer---Each of these
scenarios would be an acceptable reason to contest a will
A cemetery owned and operated by a religious group would be
considered a _____ cemetery. ---Correct precise answer---
Private
A householder, or person in control of a premise on which a
death has occurred, has a duty to see that the proper
authorities are notified of the death and that the decedent
receives a decent burial. True or False? ---Correct precise
answer---True
A man who is named in a will to oversee probate of a will is
properly termed a/an ---Correct precise answer---Executor