Under the majority rule, which statement best describes how a revocable trust may be terminated?

• A. Only methods expressly specified in the instrument can be used.
• B. Any method that indicates the settlor's intention to revoke, unless the instrument provides an exclusive method.
• C. A revocable trust cannot be terminated.
• D. Termination requires court order.

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is how a revocable trust can be terminated under the majority rule: termination occurs by any method that clearly shows the settlor’s intent to revoke, unless the trust instrument says to use an exclusive method. This means you can revoke through a variety of actions or expressions—destruction of the instrument, a clear revocation in writing, or any act that demonstrates the intent to end the trust—as long as the instrument doesn’t set out a single, exclusive way to revoke. If the instrument does specify an exclusive method, that method must be followed, but otherwise the broad approach applies.

This explains why the best option is correct: it captures the permissive, intent-based approach that doesn’t restrict revocation to only what the instrument expressly provides, while still respecting any exclusive method the document imposes. The idea that only expressly stated methods can be used is too narrow for the majority rule, and the notions that a revocable trust cannot be terminated or that termination requires a court order are simply incorrect in this context.