Under criminal law, offenses are classified as minor or major.

• A. Misdemeanors and Felonies
• B. Infractions and Violations
• C. Petty Offenses
• D. Civil Penalties

Answer: (A)

In criminal law, offenses are described by how serious they are, with two broad categories capturing that scale: the less serious crimes and the more serious crimes. The standard pairing for this is misdemeanors for the lesser offenses and felonies for the more serious ones. This major/minor distinction shapes penalties, procedures, and long-term consequences, such as longer jail terms for felonies and shorter or no jail time for misdemeanors.

Other terms like infractions or petty offenses refer to minor punishments, often fines without jail time, and civil penalties are non-criminal remedies imposed in civil matters. These don’t fit the primary criminal law framework of major versus minor, which is defined by felonies and misdemeanors.