General Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
Which loss generally would NOT be insurable because it fails the requirement that losses be fortuitous?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Insurance covers only fortuitous (accidental, chance) losses. An intentional loss — an insured deliberately setting fire to property to collect proceeds — lacks the element of chance and is excluded; it is also insurance fraud. Accidental events such as lightning, wind, and burglary are fortuitous and are exactly the losses insurance is designed to cover. The fortuity requirement keeps insurance from becoming a tool for gambling or deliberate loss-making.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Lightning is an accidental, uncontrollable event and is a classic fortuitous loss.
- C) Windstorm damage is accidental and beyond the insured's control, satisfying the fortuity requirement.
- D) Theft is a fortuitous event; the insured does not intend the loss when it occurs.
Memory hook
Fortuitous = accidental. Deliberate arson is not an accident; it is a crime, and no policy pays for it.