Which of the following describes a plea option at arraignment that is not admitting guilt but acknowledges evidence is sufficient to convict?

• A. Guilty
• B. Not guilty
• C. No contest (not admitting guilt but acknowledges evidence is sufficient to convict)
• D. Standing mute

Answer: (C)

No contest is a plea where the defendant does not admit guilt but concedes that the evidence would likely convict. This lets the court proceed to sentencing as if the defendant were guilty, while avoiding an explicit admission of guilt that could be used in related civil cases. The other options don’t fit because a guilty plea is an admission of guilt; a not guilty plea denies the charges; standing mute means choosing not to enter a plea, which typically results in the court entering a not guilty plea and moving toward trial.