Are you an aspirant of CLAT 2021? Then, practicing critical reasoning questions will help improve your critical thinking skills and score good marks in the reasoning section. To ease out your preparation, we have provided a few expected critical reasoning questions for CLAT here.

Also, solving previous year CLAT Question Papers will help you know the difficulty level of the paper and the type of questions asked.

CLAT Critical Reasoning Questions

Check out the critical reasoning questions for CLAT provided below and enhance your preparation by practicing these questions.

Read the comprehension carefully and answer the questions based on it.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, signed in 1987 by more than 150 nations, has attained its short-term goals: it has decreased the rate of increase in amounts of most ozone-depleting chemicals reaching the atmosphere and has even reduced the atmospheric levels of some of them. The projection that the ozone layer will substantially recover from ozone depletion by 2050 is based on the assumption that the protocol’s regulations will be strictly followed. Yet there is considerable evidence of violations, particularly in the form of the release of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), which are commonly used in the refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning industries. These violations reflect industry attitudes; for example, in the United States, 48 percent of respondents in a recent survey of subscribers to Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration News, an industry trade journal, said that they did not believe that CFC’s damage the ozone layer. Moreover, some in the industry apparently do not want to pay for CFC substitutes, which can run five times the cost of CFC’s. Consequently, a black market in imported illicit CFC’s has grown. Estimates of the contraband CFC trade range from 10,000 to 22,000 tons a year, with most of the CFC’s originating in India and China, whose agreements under the Protocol still allow them to produce CFC’s. In fact, the United States Customs Service reports that CFC-12 is a contraband problem second only to illicit drugs.

Q) According to the passage, which of the following best describes most ozone-depleting chemicals in 1996 as compared to those in 1987?

A. The levels of such chemicals in the atmosphere had decreased.

B. The number of such chemicals that reached the atmosphere had declined.

C. The amounts of such chemicals released had increased but the amounts that reached the atmosphere had decreased.

D. The rate of increase in amounts of such chemicals reaching the atmosphere had decreased.

Q) The author of the passage compares the smuggling of CFC’s to the illicit drug trade most likely for which of the following reasons?

A. To qualify a previous claim

B. To emphasize the extent of a problem

C. To provide an explanation for an earlier assertion

D. To suggest that the illicit CFC trade, likely the illicit drug trade, will continue to increase

Today's developing economies use much less energy per capita than developed countries such as the United States did at similar incomes, showing the potential for lower-carbon growth. Adaptation and mitigation need to be integrated into a climate-smart development strategy that increases resilience, reduces the threat of further global warming, and improves development outcomes. Adaptation and mitigation measures can advance development and prosperity can raise incomes and foster better institutions. A healthier population living in better-built houses and with access to bank loans and social security is better equipped to deal with a changing climate and its consequences. Advancing robust, resilient development policies that promote adaptation is needed today because changes in the climate, already begun, will increase even in the short-term. 

The spread of economic prosperity has always been intertwined with adaptation to changing ecological conditions. But as growth has altered the environment and as environmental changes has accelerated, sustaining growth and adaptability demands the greater capacity to understand our environment, generate new adaptive technologies and practices and diffuse them widely. As economic historians have explained, much of humankind's creative potential has been directed at adapting to the changing world. But adaptation cannot cope with all the impacts related to climate change, especially as larger changes unfold in the long-term. Countries cannot grow out of harm's way fast enough to match the changing climate. And some growth strategies, whether driven by the government or the market, can also add to vulnerability, particularly, if they overexploit natural resources. Under the Soviet development plan, irrigated cotton cultivation expanded in water-stressed Central Asia and led to the near disappearance of the Aral Sea, threatening the livelihoods of fisherman, herders and farmers. And clearing mangroves — the natural coastal buffers against storm surges to make way for intensive farming or housing development, increases the physical vulnerability of coastal settlements, whether in Guinea or in Louisiana. 

Q1) Which of the following conditions of growth can add to vulnerability? 

1. When the growth occurs due to excessive exploitation of mineral resources and forests. 

2. When the growth brings about a change in humankind's creative potential. 

3. When the growth is envisaged only for providing houses and social security to the people. 

4. When the growth occurs due to emphasis on farming only. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below 

A. Only 1

B. 2, 3 and 4 

C. 1 and 4 

D. All of these 

Q2) What does low-carbon growth imply in the present context? 

1. More emphasis on the use of renewable sources of energy. 

2. Less emphasis on the manufacturing sector and more emphasis on the agricultural sector. 

3. Switching over from monoculture practices to mixed farming. 

4. Less demand for goods and services. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below 

A. Only 1 

B. 2, 3 and 4 

C. 1 and 4 

D. None of these

Q3) Which of the following conditions is/are necessary for sustainable economic growth? 

1. Spreading of economic prosperity more. 

2. Popularising/spreading of adaptive technologies widely. 

3. Investing on research in adaptation and mitigation technologies. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below 

A. Only 1 

B. 2 and 3 

C. 1 and 3 

D. All of these

Q4) Which of the following inferences can be made from the passage? 

1. Rainfed crops should not be cultivated in irrigated areas. 

2. Farming under water-deficient areas should not be a part of the development strategy. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below 

A. Only2 

B. Both land 2 

C. Neither 1 nor 2 

D. None of the above 

Q5) Consider the following assumptions 

1. Sustainable economic growth demands the use of the creative potential of men. 

2. Intensive agriculture can lead to an ecological backlash. 

3. Spread of economic prosperity can adversely affect the ecology and environment. 

With reference to the passage, which of the above assumption (s) is/are valid?

A. Only 1 

B. 2 and 3 

C. 1 and 3 

D. All of these 

Critical Reasoning Solved Questions in CLAT

Invasions of exotic species into new geographic areas sometimes occur naturally and without human agency. However, human actions have increased this trickle to a flood. Human-caused introductions may occur either accidentally as a consequence of human transport, or intentionally but illegally to serve some private purpose or legitimately to procure some hoped-for public benefit by bringing a pest under control, producing new agricultural products or providing novel recreational opportunities. Many introduced species are assimilated into communities without much obvious effect. However, some have been responsible for dramatic changes to native species and natural communities e.g. the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake Boigairregularis into Guam, an island in the Pacific, has through nest predation reduced 10 endemic forest bird species to the point of extinction. 

One of the major reasons for the world's great biodiversity is the occurrence of centers of endemism so that similar habitats in different parts of the world are occupied by different groups of species that happen to have evolved there. If every species naturally had access to everywhere on the globe, we might expect a relatively small number of successful species to become dominant in each biome. The extent to which this homogenization can happen naturally is restricted by the limited powers of dispersal of most species in the face of the physical barriers that exist to dispersal. By virtue of the transport opportunities offered by humans, these barriers have been breached by an ever-increasing number of exotic species. The effects of introductions have been to convert a hugely diverse range of local community compositions into something much more homogeneous. 

It would be wrong, however, to conclude that introducing species to a region will inevitably cause a decline in species richness there e.g. there are numerous species of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates found in continental Europe but absent from the British Isles(many because they have so far failed to recolonize after the last glaciation). Their introduction would be likely to augment British biodiversity. The significant detrimental effect noted above arises where aggressive species provide a novel challenge to endemic biota ill-equipped to deal with them. 

Q)  With reference to the passage, which of the following statements is correct? 

• A. Introduction of exotic species into new geographical areas always leads to reduced biodiversity 
• B. Exotic species introduced by man into new areas have always greatly altered the native ecosystems
• C. Man is the only reason to convert a hugely diverse range of local community compositions into more homogeneous ones 
• D. None of the above

Answer: D

It is mentioned in the passage that, "it would be wrong to conclude that introducing species to a region will cause a decline in species richness." So, options (a) and (b) are ruled out. "The effects of introductions have been to convert a hugely diverse range of local community compositions into something much more homogeneous" is mentioned in the second paragraph. So, none of the statements is correct in this context

Q) Why does man introduce exotic species into new geographical areas?  1. To breed exotic species with local varieties; 2. To increase agricultural productivity. 3. For beautification and landscaping.  Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct? 

• A. Only 1 
• B. 2 and 3 
• C. 1 and 3 
• D. All of these 

Answer: B

Statements 2 and 3 are mentioned in the passage. Statement 1 is not a reason behind introducing exotic species into new geographical areas. So, option (b) is correct

Q) How is homogenization prevented under natural conditions? 

A. Evolution of groups of species-specific to local habitats 

B. Presence of oceans and mountain ranges 

C. Strong adaptation of groups of species to local physical and climatic conditions 

D. All of the above

Answer: B

Oceans and mountains comprise physical features that can act as barriers

Q) How have human beings influenced the biodiversity? 

1. By smuggling live organisms. 

2. By building highways. 

3. By making ecosystem sensitive so that new species are not allowed. 

4. By ensuring that new species do not have major impact on local species. 

Which of the statements given above are correct? 

A. 1 and 2

B. 2 and 3 

C. 1 and 3 

D. 2 and 4 

Answer: A

The first paragraph states, "Human-caused introductions may occur either accidentally as a consequence of human transport, or intentionally but illegally to serve some private purpose. Thus, Statement 1 smuggling (illegal) and Statement 2 building highways (transport) are correct. Hence option (a) is correct.

Q) What can be the impact of the invasion of exotic species on an ecosystem? 

1. Erosion of endemic species. 

2. Change in the species composition of the community of the ecosystem. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below 

A. Only 1 

B. Only 2

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Both Statements 1 and 2 are correct

How to Solve Critical Reasoning Questions for CLAT?

According to the experts, solving critical reasoning questions CLAT requires an in-depth understanding of concepts and their application. Following the CLAT Preparation Tips will help you know to solve critical reasoning questions easily in the upcoming exam.

• Break the passage into various parts if you are having difficulty understanding the passage
• Make sure to read the question carefully to better understand what is being asked
• Use your own words to simplify the language used in the question
• Try to understand the question carefully before choosing the answer