Final answer:
The tort characterized by a threat of offensive contact is c)assault, which involves causing psychological harm through the threat, whereas battery involves physical harm through actual contact.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tort that is characterized by a threat of offensive contact is assault. Assault as a tort involves an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact. In other words, assault deals with psychological harm, as the threat itself creates fear or anxiety, even if no physical harm actually occurs.
Battery, on the other hand, refers to the actual infliction of the harmful or offensive contact that was threatened in an assault. Invasion of privacy encompasses a range of issues, generally related to the violation of a person's right to keep certain aspects of their life private. Defamation involves harm to a person's reputation through false statements.