A person attempted to commit a robbery but did not complete the crime. What is the most appropriate charge?

• A. Robbery
• B. Attempted Robbery
• C. Larceny
• D. Burglary

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that a crime can be charged as an attempt when a person clearly intends to commit a crime and takes a substantial step toward completing it, but the crime is not finished. Here, the person had the intent to use force or intimidation to take property and did something toward carrying out that plan, yet the robbery never actually occurred. That combination—intent plus a substantial step toward the crime, with no completion—fits the charge of attempted robbery.

Robbery requires that the taking with force or intimidation be completed, which isn’t the case here. Larceny involves theft without force or intimidation, so it isn’t about an attempted act of robbery. Burglary involves unlawful entry into a structure with intent to commit a crime inside, and doesn’t describe an incomplete robbery itself.