Which term describes someone who is asleep or unconscious and cannot resist?

• A. Mentally incapacitated
• B. Physically helpless
• C. Mentally defective
• D. Physically incapacitated

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is vulnerability due to an inability to resist because the person is not conscious. When someone is asleep or unconscious, they can’t physically push away or defend themselves, which is exactly what “physically helpless” describes. It focuses on the lack of physical capacity to resist in that moment.

Mentally incapacitated would refer to a reduction or impairment in mental functioning, not necessarily the inability to physically resist. Mentally defective is not appropriate terminology for this concept. Physically incapacitated means a person is unable to perform physical actions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are unconscious or asleep; they could be awake but unable to act. In the given scenario, the best fit is physically helpless because it captures the specific condition of being unconscious or asleep and unable to resist.