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Multiple Choice

A life estate measured by someone else’s life is known as what?

A life estate measured by someone else’s life is called a pur autre vie. This means the holder’s rights to possess and use the property last for the life of another person—the measuring life—not the holder’s own life. For example, if a grant states “to A for the life of B,” A can use and enjoy the property while B is alive, but A’s interest ends when B dies. After B’s death, the property passes to the designated remainderman or reverts to the grantor, regardless of whether A is still alive. During the measuring life, the life tenant has the usual rights and duties—they must avoid waste and generally pay ordinary taxes and interest on any encumbrances. The other estate types listed involve duration tied to conditions or to a general, indefinite ownership, not to the life of another person, so they don’t fit the scenario.

A life estate measured by someone else’s life is called a pur autre vie. This means the holder’s rights to possess and use the property last for the life of another person—the measuring life—not the holder’s own life. For example, if a grant states “to A for the life of B,” A can use and enjoy the property while B is alive, but A’s interest ends when B dies. After B’s death, the property passes to the designated remainderman or reverts to the grantor, regardless of whether A is still alive. During the measuring life, the life tenant has the usual rights and duties—they must avoid waste and generally pay ordinary taxes and interest on any encumbrances. The other estate types listed involve duration tied to conditions or to a general, indefinite ownership, not to the life of another person, so they don’t fit the scenario.