An appearance ticket serves in lieu of an arrest for minor offenses.

• A. It is a warrant
• B. It is a summons for traffic violations only
• C. It serves in lieu of an arrest for minor offenses
• D. It is a full arrest

Answer: (C)

An appearance ticket is a notice issued by police directing a person charged with a minor offense to appear in court on a specified date, instead of being taken to jail right away. This lets someone handle a minor matter without an immediate arrest, while still requiring court accountability for the charge.

The statement that it serves in lieu of an arrest for minor offenses is the best description because the ticket functions exactly that way—substituting an arrest with a court appearance requirement. It is not a warrant, which is a court-issued order to arrest someone; it is not limited to traffic violations, since appearance tickets can be issued for a range of minor offenses; and it is not a full arrest, because the accused is not physically taken into custody at issuance.