Final answer:
The term 'corpus delicti' refers to the principle that proof a crime has occurred is required before one can be convicted, and it is the correct answer to what is called the 'total body of the crime'. So, the correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "total body of the crime," often referred to as the elements of the crime, which is the definition of the crime, is called corpus delicti. This Latin term, which means 'the body of the crime,' refers to the principle that there must be proof that a crime has occurred before a person can be convicted of the crime.
It forms a fundamental part of Western legal systems whereby before anyone can be tried for committing a crime, there must be some certain evidence that a crime has occurred.
The other options, 'modus operandi' refers to the patterns and techniques of the criminal behavior, 'habeas corpus' is the legal principle concerning unlawful detention or imprisonment, and 'res ipsa loquitur' is a doctrine that infers negligence from the very nature of an accident or injury, in the absence of direct evidence on how the defendant behaved.