A child who would be considered delinquent if the child were an adult is described as a:

• A. Delinquent
• B. Dependent
• C. Ward of the state
• D. Status offender

Answer: (A)

In juvenile law, a delinquent is a juvenile who would be charged with a crime if the same conduct were committed by an adult. The description given—“a child who would be considered delinquent if the child were an adult”—fits this definition exactly, since the act would be illegal regardless of age.

A dependent is someone in need of care due to family circumstances; a ward of the state is a child under state guardianship; a status offender is a juvenile who commits acts that are illegal only because of their age (like truancy or running away). These do not match the idea of conduct that would be a crime for an adult, so they’re not the best fit.