Evidence may be inadmissible in court because it is/was

• A. Irrelevant
• B. All of the above
• C. Hearsay
• D. Privileged

Answer: (B)

Evidence is excluded if it fails a basic test of relevance or if it is protected or unreliable in other ways. Irrelevant evidence has no tendency to prove a fact of consequence in the case, so it doesn’t help the proceedings and is kept out. Hearsay is out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted; without a recognized exception, it can’t be admitted because the original speaker isn’t subject to cross-examination. Privileged information rests on legal protections that keep certain communications confidential (such as attorney-client, doctor-patient, or certain spousal communications); those communications cannot be used as evidence in court.

Since any of these conditions can independently cause evidence to be inadmissible, the option that captures all valid grounds is the correct one.