CLAT English Language Objective Test

CLAT English  Language Objective Test
English  Language  CLAT  Sample paper
CLAT  English Comprehension  Test Paper

Directions for questions 1 to 12 : Each of the passages given below is followed by questions. Choose the best answer for each question.

Passage -1
Biologists are often accused of taking a rigidly deterministic approach to behavior. Often this is in the context of reports of a “gene for this” or a “gene for that”. One example is the idea of an addictive personality, which some people have tried to link to versions of particular genes whose products are found in the brain. But genes do not act in isolation from the environment.

Rather genes and environments are locked together in complex loops that feed back on each other. A report in Nature Neurosdence illustrates this. Michael Nader and his colleagues at Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have been investigating cocaine addiction in macaque monkeys, with a view to testing out ideas about the drug’s effects on people. They wanted to examine whether there was any relationship between an animal’s social status and its tendency to get hooked. Is addiction the prerogative of the monkey equivalent of the executive washroom, the ghetto crack den, or both?

As the addictive-personality model would predict, there was indeed a difference between the addictive propensities of individuals. It seemed to be linked to the activity of a specific protein, derived from a specific gene. However, the cause of the difference was not, as the naive determinist might have supposed, genetic. It was, rather, environmental. Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as dopamine re-uptake inhibitors. Dopamine is one of the chemical messengers, known as neurotransrnitters, that allow signals to jump the gaps between nerve cells. The electrical impulses that conduct signals along nerve filaments stimulate the release of neurotransmittcr molecules when they reach the end of a filament. Those molecules are picked up by specialized receptor proteins on the surface of a cell on the other side of the gap, and the bind in between neurotransmitter and receptor triggers a sequence of events that sets off an electrical impulse in the second nerve cell. The receptor then lets go of the neurotransmitter.

In some cases, when the neurotransmitter has done its job, it is sucked back into the cell whence it came, by a process known as re-uptake. Dopamine is one of these cases. So a molecule that locks the protein channels through which re-uptake happens means that dopamine hangs around in the gap, and can re-stimulate the cell on the other side. Since the parts of the brain that control mood often rely on dopamine mediated nerve cells, dopamine re-uptake inhibitors can have a profound effect on mood, which is why some people are willing to spend large amounts of money baying cocaine. Monkeys like cocaine too, and for much the same reasons. But, unlike people, they can be experimented on. Dr Nader and his colleague were particularly interested in the relation between a monkey’s position in a group’s dominance hierarchy, how addicted it was to cocaine, and the activity of a dopamine receptor protein called D2. The experiment began with 20 male monkeys, which were housed individually for 18 months. During this time, their D2 activity was measured using a brain-scanning technique called positrons emission tomography (PET). Positrons are the antimatter equivalent of electrons, and are produced in a rare type of radioactive decay. PET works by introducing biologically active molecules containing positron-emitting atoms into the tissue to be studied, and seeing where the chemical concentrates by watching the effects of the positrons. Dr Nader’s group used a substance that has an affinity for D2 receptors and thus accumulates in tissues where they are found. Once their time in individual cages was over, the monkeys were housed in groups of four. Animals in such groups quickly establish who is in and who is out. Based on earlier work, Dr Nader suspected that such dominance and subordination would reflect D2 activity and it did but not in the way that genetic determinists might have predicted. Dominant animals had more D2 activity than subordinates, but that was a consequence of their dominance, and not its cause. Regardless of their D2 activity when “kept individually, monkeys that became subordinate showed little change in their PET responses after they had been put into company, in the animals that became dominant, by contrast D2 activity increased significantly. The other thing that Dr Nader did with his experimental, subjects was to introduce them ‘to cocaine. They were able to obtain the drug by pressing a lever. They could thus control their own intake. Like D2 activity, cocaine use was related to social status. Dominant animals found a preferred level, and then stuck to it. Subordinates, though, seemed to need bigger and bigger fixes as time went on. That is a classic symptom of addiction — and it may well be linked directly to D2 activity. This is because the over stimulation that cocaine causes makes the body behave as though too much of the neurotransmitter is being churned out. Production of dopamine drops in response, so that when the cocaine goes away, too little stimulation takes place. The quickest way to restore the situation is to take more cocaine — in\other words, to be addicted. Individuals with a higher base line of D2 activity might be expected to be less susceptible to this process, since the relative over-stimulation caused by a given dose of the drug will ‘be smaller. So dominants, which have more D2 activity as a result of their status, are less likely to become addicts. Propensity to addiction, in other words, is not a predisposition of the individual, but the result of social context. If these results translate to human experience,, they will be a sad example of the biblical adage that unto everyone that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, shall, be taken away even that which he hath. Not only are those at the bottom of the heap more likely to be convicted and locked up for using drugs than those at the top (which they are), they are more likely to have to carry using them, once they have started.

1. The passage begins with
1. criticizing biologists and their efforts in testing drug effects on people.
2. Reinforcing the belief that addictive persons get sign from the brain to act in a particular fashion..
3. The suggestion that social influence rather than genetic influence have a role in addiction patterns.
4. Undermining the belief that solely genes have a role addiction patterns and tendencies.
Ans. (4)


2.  If the experiment on monkeys were to be true, then
1. Males who are dominant become pensive after a shot of cocaine.
2. Submissive individuals become aggressive and violent where they take cocaine.
3. The D2 has pronounced effect on submissive animals.
4. Men who are addicts are those with lower level of D2 activity.
Ans. (4)

3. In the experiment with monkeys, the key factors that scientists were looking at were all the following except
1. The extent of a monkey’s addiction to cocaine.
2. The monkeys behavior, when left in a group of monkeys.
3. How dominant a monkey is in a group.
4. The activity of D2, a dopamine receptor protein.
Ans. (3)

4. The style of the passage can best be described as
1. Factual
2. Analytical
3. Argumentative
4. Descriptive
Ans. (2)

Passage -2

Have you ever come across a painting by Picasso, Mondrian, Miro, or any other modern abstract painter of this century, and found yourself engulfed in a brightly- colored canvas which your senses cannot interpret? Many people would tend to denounce abstractionism as senseless trash. These people are disoriented by Miro’s bright, fanciful creatures and two-dimensional canvases. They click their tongues and shake their heads at Mondrian‘s grid Works, declaring that the poor guy played too many scrabble games. They silently shake their heads in sympathy for Picasso, whose gruesome, distorted figures must be a reflection of his mental health. Then, standing in front of a work by Charlie Russell, the famous western artist, they’ll declare it a work of God. People feel more comfortable with something they can relate to and understand immediately without too much thought. This is the case with the work of Charlie Russell. Being able to recognize the elements in his paintings — trees, horses and cowboys — gives people a safety line to their world of ‘reality. There are some who would disagree when I say abstract art requires more creativity and artistic talent to produce a good piece than doe’s representational art, but there are many weaknesses in their arguments.

People who look down on abstract art have several major arguments to support their beliefs. They feel that artists turn abstract because they are not capable of the technical drafting skills that appear in a Russell; therefore, such artists create an art form that anyone is capable of and that is less time consuming and then parade it as artistic progress. Secondly, they feel that the purpose of art is to create something of beauty in an orderly, logical composition. Russell’s compositions are balanced and rational; everything sits calmly on the canvas, leaving the viewer satisfied that he has seen all there is to see. The modern abstractionists, on the other hand, seem to - compose their pieces irrationally. For example, upon seeing Picasso’s Guernica. a friend of mine asked me, “What’s the point?” Finally, many people feel that art should portray the ideal and real. The exactness of detail in Charlie Russell’s work is an example of this. He has been called a great historian because his pieces depict the lifestyle, dress, and events o the times. His subject matter is derived from his own experiences on the trial, and reproduced to the smallest detail.

I agree in part with many of these arguments, and at one time even endorsed them. But now, I believe differently. Firstly, I object to the argument that abstract artists are not capable o drafting. Many abstract artists, such as Picasso, are excellent draftsmen. As his work matured, Picasso became more abstract in order to increase the expressive quality of his work. Guernica was meant as a protest against the bombing of that city by the Germans. To express the terror and suffering of the victims more vividly, he distorted the figures and presented them in a black and white journalistic manner. If he had used representational images and colour, much of the emotional content would have been lost and the piece would not have caused the demand for justice that it did. Secondly, I do not think that a piece must be logical and aesthetically pleasing to be art. The message it conveys to its viewers is more important. It should reflect the ideals and issues of its fine and be true to itself, not just a flowery, glossy surface. For example, through his work, Mondrian ‘as trying to present a system of simplicity, logic, and rational order. As a result, his pieces did end up looking like a scrabble board. He sees with his eyes. This is the reality he reproduces on canvas. To the abstract artist, reality is what he feels about what his eyes see. This is the reality he interprets on canvas. This can he illustrated by Mondrian’s Trees series. You can actually see the progression from the early recognizable, though abstracted trees, to his final solution, the grid system.

A cycle of abstract and, representational art began with the first scratching of prehistoric man. From the abstractions of ancient Egypt to representational, classical Rome. Returning to abstractionism in early Christian art and, so on up to the present day, the cycle has been going on. But this day and age may witness its death through the camera. With film, there is no need to produce finely detailed, historical records manually; the camera does this for us more efficiently. May be, representational art would cease to exist. With abstractionism as the victor of the first battle, may be, a different kind of cycle will be touched off. Possibly, sometime in the distant future, thousands of years from now, art itself will be physically non-existent Some artists today believe that once they have planned and constructed a piece in their mind, there is no sense in finishing it with their hands; it has already been done and can never be duplicated.

3. The author acknowledges that Mondrian’s pieces may have ended up looking like scrabble board because
I. Mondrian was trying to convey the message of simplicity and rational order.
2. Mondrian learned from his Trees series to evolve a grid system.
3. Mondrian believed in ‘grid works’ approach to abstractionist painting.
4. Many people declared that he played too many scrabble games.
Ans. (1)

4. The author argues that many people look down upon abstract art because they feel that
1. Modern abstract art does not portray.
2. Abstract artists are unskilled in matters of technical drafting.
3. Abstractionists compose irrationally.
4. All the above.
Ans. (4)

5. In the author’s opinion, Picasso’s Guernica created a strong demand for justice since
1. It was a protest against the German bombing of Guernica.
2. It was a mature work of Picasso, painted when the artist’s drafting skills were excellent.
3. Picasso managed to express the emotional content well with his abstract depiction.
4. It depicts the terror and suffering of the victims in a distorted manner.
Ans. (4)

6. The main difference between the abstract artist and the representational artist in matter of the ‘ideal’ and the ‘real’, according to the author, is
1. How each chooses to deal with ‘reality’ on his or her canvas.
2. The superiority of interpretation of reality over production of reality.
3. The different values attached by each to being a historian.
4. The varying levels of drafting skills and logical thinking abilities.
Ans. (2)

7. According to the author people feel comfortable with representational art because
1. They are not engulfed in brightly-colored canvases.
2. They understand the art without putting too much strain on their minds.
3. Paintings like Guernica do not have a point.
4. They do not have to click their tongues and shake their heads in sympathy.
Ans. (2)



Passage -3
The term Job Enrichment designates techniques used by company managers to maximize in individual workers the internal motivation to work, which is the true source of ob satisfaction. The job enrichment concept is based on the premise that people are not motivated by what is externally done to them by management with rewards, privileges or punishment, nor by the environment or context in which they perform their work. People develop lasting motivation only through their experience with the content of their jobs —the work itself.

Such factors as pay, fringe benefits, the work environment, working conditions, and the quality of supervision cannot be ignored or given only token attention. Dissatisfaction with these factors can have a severely debilitating effect on a workforce. But generating motivation in workers requires doing something with what they do in their work. Managers in recent years have been witnessing high-velocity change and turmoil in the patterns of employee behaviour, and are forced to cope with a host of problems including high turnover or quit rates, absenteeism, tardiness, union grievances and work stoppages, high training costs, poor production quality, and low rates of production. Job enrichment was designed to eliminate such problems, thereby benefiting both the employee and the employer. In attempting to enrich an employee’s job, management often merely succeeds in reducing the man’s personal contribution, rather than giving him an opportunity for growth in his existing job. For example: Washing dishes for a while, then washing silverware. ‘The arithmetic is substituting one zero for another zero. If the job is already zero in motivation, multiplying zero by anything still equals zero.’ N. Ford has aptly described the job enrichment process as ‘the art of reshaping jobs’. Quantitative measures of production rates, quality and job attitude have been carefully made in many applications. Improvements have amply demonstrated the validity of changing job content to effect increased motivation. The chasm between conceptual generalities and job ch4nges can be bridged through the process of brainstorming in a group, or so-called ‘green lighting. When the green light condition is announced, the group begins tossing out ideas for getting motivators into each job as fast as possible. Everyone is warned that no red lights’ or negative comments are permitted. A job enrichment specialist or project director should assist in accomplishing changes, which require higher approval.


8. According to the passage, the workers can best be motivated by
1. Giving economic incentives.
2. Forgiving the workers for absenteeism and tardiness.
3. Allowing them to fix their work schedule.
4. Making the work experience meaningful for the people.
Ans. (4)

8. An example of ‘red light’ would be
1. Reduction of duties.
2. Substituting a useless task for another equally useless one.
3. Workers being motivated with loaded perks.
4. Comments like ‘that would not work’ or his is not a good time for it.’
Ans. (4)

9. The author argues for ‘green lighting’. That can be inferred to
1. favor free thinking and presentation of ideas.
2. Discourage free thinking as it tends to dissatisfaction.
3. Mean that working environments must be complied with the choice of colour.
4. Allow provision of sufficient time to change the way of working to the workers.
Ans. (1)

10. The quote ‘the arithmetic is substituting one zero for another zero’ implies which of the following?
1. The rotation of jobs on the basis of pay.
2. Provision of rewarding the person as per his skill.
3. Rotating the assignments of a number of jobs, that really should be enriched.
4. The rotation of jobs between the workers and the managers.
Ans. (3)


Passage -4

Few had heard of tsunami before last December’s Black Sunday when what is turning out to be the world’s biggest natural disaster n living memory hit South and South East Asia. A tsunami is normally a fall out of an earthquake on the ocean floor. An earthquake as massive as the one that occurred on December26 results in sudden caving or rising of the ocean floor. And the slosh on the ocean floor sets off the tsunami. A tsunami is not a single wave but a series of traveling ocean waves generated by the geological changes near or below the ocean floor Tremors under the sea displace the ground surface, sending the water radially outward in circles from the epicentre. The result is a deep wave, stretching from the sea’s surface to the floor that travels horizontally at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour and reaches heights of 50 - 100 ft. In the deep, the waves travel faster and as they approach the shore, they rise further. After hitting a coastline with enormous power, they recede as quickly as they had surfaced. In the December 26 quake, the seismic fault lines ran north to south beneath the ocean floor off Sumatra, while the tsunami waves shot out west and eastward. Although Indonesia was closest to the earthquake’s epicentre, Sri Lanka was also badly hit. This is because of the earthquake’s mechanism and the fact that Sri Lanka was in the direct path of the generated waves. So was the Andaman archipelago with its chain of 572 islands, of which 38 are inhabited. It is these islands that bore the brunt of the tsunami. A 26-nation Tsunami Warning System (TWS) covering Pacific Ocean nations that face the fury frequently is designed to warn about potentially destructive waves that may hit coastlines in three to 14 hours. The Pacific TWS, set up in Hawaii in 1965, has almost mastered the art of forecasting the destructive waves. All 26 member nations of the system receive specific early warnings with exhaustive data on tsunamis and can bank on an extensive network of seismic stations to locate potential tsunami inducing earthquakes in near real time. The system is connected via satellite and telephone to neat 100 water level stations throughout the Pacific that can be used verify the generation and possible severity of a tsunami. Had any the Indian Ocean nations been members of the TWS, they would have got the advisory and India would have had at least three hours before the tsunami actually struck its coast to order evacuation or sign people to move to safety. The perception among India’s science bureaucrats so far had been that there was no need for India to harbour tsunami worries. But now, there is acknowledgement that Indian Ocean nations face a significant threat from both local and distant tsunamis. And this disaster may trigger an initiative for warning network for the region. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology said last week that India would soon join the TWS. The main shock on December 26 was followed by 36 aftershocks over the next 44 hours in the Nicobar Islands, which magnitudes ranging from 4.7 to 7.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake occurred at the triple junction of the Indian, Australian and Burmese plates. The earthquake started at a point where the Indian plate sub ducts below the Burmese plate due to the northward movement of the Indian plate. Seismologists have noted a 15 m slip in the vertical direction along the crack that is about 1,000 km long, extending up to Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the northern direction. Seismologists now say that it will be useful to keep vigil on any abnormal seismic activity in the already seismically active North-East India. Otherwise the word that few in this country had heard of until last Sunday may well be the latest addition to its dictionary of disasters.


11. A futuristic constructive outcome of this disaster is that
1. India may now join the 26-nation Tsunami Warning System.
2. A warning network for Indian Ocean nations may be initiated.
3. All abnormal seismic activity will be monitored.
4. None of these.
Ans. (1)


12. As per the passage, which one of the following areas is seismically active and hence to be constantly monitored?
1. Pacific Ocean
2. Indian Ocean
3. North-East India
4. All the above
Ans. (4)

Directions for questions 13 to 17: In each of the sentences there are two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. There are four alternatives given. Choose the one that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
13. She was a/an ____________ liar who had mastered the art of making untrue statements in a manner that sounded ____________.
1. Congenial — creditable
2. Incorrigible—plausible
3. Convincing— illogical
4. Blatant— incongruous
Ans. (2)


14. When listening to the chanting of the scriptures, the listener does not encounter the musician’s individual personality. ______________ , the chant merely ______________ both the musical and religious rules of the period.
1. However — represents
2. Rather communicates
3. Moreover — reflects
4. In addition — conveys
Ans. (3)

15. Even though the region was prone to hurricanes, the ____________ of the tornado last year was ____________.
1. Levity—lethal
2. Portent — poignant
3. Inevitability— mercurial
4. Ferocity — unprecedented
Ans. (4)

16. After listening to the pleas for ______________ the judge was _____________ and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.
1. Activity — abrasive
2. Fortitude — formidable
3. Clemency—unmoved
4. Multiplicity— noisome
Ans. (3)


17. They refused to ___________ any more evasive replies and decided to resolve the issue within the _________ of the major.
1. Notice ——eccentricity
2. Brook—jurisdiction
3. Bloom — indulgence
4. Suffer—fortitude
Ans. (2)

DIRECTIONS for questions 18 to 22  : Critically examine the statements given in italics against each question.
18. Rich, hot gaudy, apparel proclaim the man.

Which of the following sentences explains the above statement?
1. Well-dressed men are always impressive and welcome.
2. We should wear clothes according to the occasion and place because our clothes show what we are.
3. The kind of clothes we wear always speak about our personality and attitude to life
4. We should always dress elegantly to please others and win friends.
Ans. (3)

19. The circumstances of birth are irrelevant. What you do with the gift of flie, determines what you are.

Which statement best explains this?
1. One may be born rich or poor. But how he lives speaks of his real self.
2. Misfortunes come even if we are born rich. But success in life depends on our own efforts to live a good life.
3. Birth alone does not contribute to success in life. Life is precious and is a free gift of God and we should make it worth living.
4. Great qualities are given by God as gifts. We should make good use of them to achieve success in life.
Ans. (1)

20. The world is a great book, one who does not travel reads only one page.

Which statement best elucidates the above?

1. There are many truths connected with life. Traveling outside will teach us some of them.

2. If we consider the world as a book we have to read all the pages to understand the contents. One page deals with travel.
3. Compare the world to a big book that has all the aspects of learning about life. Traveling is one of the aspects that complete our learning.
4. We can learn many things from our parents, teachers and books. But traveling is a unique means of education that helps us to learn about the world and life.
Ans. (3)


21. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

What does this mean?
1. The crown worn by the king does not mean that he is a happy man.
2. The king wears a crown of gold and gems but his responsibilities make him restless and unhappy.
3. People who are rich and powerful are generally restless and worried.
4. Those who are in high positions and wealthy are mostly restless because of their responsibilities, like kings.
Ans. (4)


22. Your mind is like a parachute; it works best when it is open.

What does the statement imply?
1. Parachutes are meant for saving lives and you haw to open them to do that.
2. Open mindedness is what is essential. We should share with others our joys, sorrows, fears and hopes to make life meaningful.
3. We should never close our minds to others. When we share we become happier and contented.
4. Our minds are like parachutes, closed. We must open them to share-happiness.
Ans. (2)

DIRECTIONS for questions 23 to 27: Each sentence against these questions has four underlined parts numbered (1), (2,), (3,) and (4). Choose the part of the sentence which contains an error


23. Most students of the college union rejects the          chairman’s demand

                1                              2                                                         3          
      they return to classes.
                4
Ans. (3)


24. To make drink and drive a  criminal offence, is an approach directed
                        1                                  2                                  3
only to intoxicated drivers.
                  4
Ans. (1)


25. The energy, intelligence and, compassion              of the volunteers who   
                                    1                                                                 2
aided in the search effort       was remarkable.
                 3                                       4
                                                             
Ans. (4)


26. By making it a crime to take any life, even one’s own, we
                        1                                              2         
make a public announcement that each person was unique, and valuable.
3                                                                                                                    4
Ans. (4)


27. Terrible as it sound, most of us will
                    1
       support a death penalty system
                    2
       which is perfect in which only
                    3
       the guilty is executed.
                    4
Ans. (1)


DIRECTIONS for questions 28 to 30: Pick out the most effective pair of word’s to make the sentence meaningful.

28. The problem of housing shortage ______________ with the population explosion has also been ___________ by this policy.
1. projected, discussed
2. threatened, manifested
3. dispensed, acknowledged
4. compounded, addressed
Ans. (4)


29. Handicrafts constitute an important ___________ of the decentralized sector of India’s economy and ____________ employment to over six million artisans.
1. Factor, aims
2. Segment, provides
3. Extension, plants
4. Period, projects
Ans. (2)

30. Part of the confusion in our society _______________ from our pursuit of efficiency and economic growth, in the _________________ that these are: the necessary ingredients of progress’
1. Stems, conviction
2. Emerges, consideration
3. Derives, evaluation
4. Extends, planning
Ans. (1)