Question

'Jus cogens' means:

• A. Norms
• B. Negotiable norms
• C. Non-derogable norms
• D. Legal norms

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The Correct Option is (C): Non-derogable norms.

Answer 2

This question tests the meaning of jus cogens, a term of art in Public International Law describing a special category of norms.

1. Norms: This is too generic. Jus cogens does not just mean "norms" in the plain sense, it refers to a specific, elevated category of norms with a defined legal character.
2. Negotiable norms: This is the opposite of what jus cogens means, these norms are not negotiable at all, states cannot contract out of them by treaty or agreement.
3. Non-derogable norms: Jus cogens, or peremptory norms, are norms of general international law accepted and recognised by the international community of states as a whole, from which no derogation is permitted, and which can be modified only by a subsequent norm of the same character, as codified in Article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. This is exactly what the term means.
4. Legal norms: Like the first option, this is too broad, it does not capture the defining, non-derogable feature that distinguishes jus cogens from ordinary legal norms.

The defining feature of jus cogens is that no state or treaty can lawfully override it, which is precisely what "non-derogable" means, so this term captures the concept exactly, unlike the vaguer or contradictory alternatives.

So the correct answer is Non-derogable norms.