CLAT 2022 Question Paper

I.                  Public speaking is a powerful real-life skill. Over the centuries, impressive speeches made by people from various walks of life have helped to change hearts, minds and shape the world as we see it today. Speeches that are delivered with intense emotions and conviction can infuse compassion and forgiveness; elevate levels of hatred and destruction; break or unite nations.

On October 5, in 1877 in the mountains of Montana Territory, when Chief Joseph surrendered to General Nelson A. miles, the former gave a Surrender Speech. The speech included these words: “It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. I want time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”

The heart-wrenching speech bared the grief and misery of the speaker, and those subjected to overwhelming hardships.

During World War II, the speech We Shall Fight on the Beaches delivered by Winston Churchill on June 4, 1940 is considered a high-powered speech that strengthened the determination of those present in the House of Commons. In the speech, he said, “Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills;”

In 1950, William Faulkner was honoured with a Nobel Prize for his significant contributions to the American novel. This was the time when the Soviet Union had found the possible implications of the use of the atomic bomb, and people had begun to live in the fear of annihilation. In his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, Faulkner urged writers of various genres to think and write beyond the fear of destruction, and instead write materials that would lift the human spirit. The powerful message included: “I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glories of his past. The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.”

Undoubtedly, effective speeches have a long-lasting impact on the minds of the listeners, and they elevate the levels of awareness or actions the speaker intends to raise or catalyze.

1. The main idea of the passage is that

(A)         All leaders should be accomplished public speakers.

(B)         An impactful speech can convey a strong message to the listeners.

(C)         A speech should sound pleasing to the ears of the listeners.

(D)         Public speakers should be bold and argumentative.

2. The tone of the Surrender Speech is

(A)         Satiric

(B)         Optimistic

(C)         Poignant

(D)         Narcissistic

3. It is evident that through his speech, Churchill wished to his countrymen     .

(A)         Inform, about the challenges that arise in a war-torn country.

(B)         Warn, against the futility of war.

(C)         Remind, how their endeavours to fight against the Nazi rule had failed miserably.

(D)         Reassure, that they would combat fiercely against their enemy under all circumstances.

4. Which one of the following is the least likely to be used to describe Churchill?

(A)         Resolute

(B)         Undaunted

(C)         Complacent

(D)        Unwavering

5. In the sentence: ‘The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail’ Faulkner has used to convey the power of a poet’s writings.

(A)         A metaphor

(B)         A simile

(C)         An onomatopoeia

(D)         A transferred epithet

II.                   As a six-year-old child-beggar, Saroo slept off in a stationary train in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh; however, when he woke up, he found himself in an empty compartment of a train thundering towards Kolkata where he spent a couple of weeks in a state of panic and hopelessness. Finally, he ended up in a local government adoption centre from where he was adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, Saroo felt the urge to trace his biological mother and see in what state she lived. Relentlessly, he used Google’s satellite feature to map the parts of the country that could have possibly been his own hometown. The search was a long and arduous one; nevertheless, the perseverance did pay. One eventful day, he met his mother; thereafter, he continued to keep in touch with her.

If technology can unite people with their loved ones, it can also make them distant. The unlimited variety of applications (apps) available to toddlers, teenagers and adults might have revolutionized their lives for the better, but these very apps have snatched away the joys of long nature-walks; they have encroached upon the time and space that people earlier used for physical interaction; they have drilled deep chasms of loneliness in the lives of countless numbers of people.

Simple pleasures of life include visiting friends and relatives, playing matches in open spaces, interacting with people in markets, public libraries and clubs. However, with the escalating rage of using apps like those for social media, playing virtual games, and home-delivery services, these joyous moments are fading into oblivion, and the pall of loneliness is getting heavier by the day.

Where are we heading to? Are we going to allow ourselves to be swamped by apps? Are we going to allow social-media to engulf us in a deluge of loneliness and isolation? Are we going to drive ourselves to situations that will ultimately demand mental and physical therapies to regain normalcy? Do we not know that physical interaction is as essential for mental health as food and water is for physical health?

 Earlier, social isolation was mostly experienced by some of the elderly people who were devoid of an occupation, and bereft of company of their loved ones. Unfortunately today, an unhealthy solitude prevails among numerous children, teenagers and adults too; subsequently, there is an alarming increase in the demand for mental health therapy practitioners.

The necessity of engaging psychologists in schools and colleges is evidently on the rise. The psychologists are required to identify and address the learning and behavioral needs of students who approach them for guidance; moreover, if required, the professionals are expected to help them in strengthening their emotional, social and academic skills.

Regardless how alarming the situation might be, it is never too late. if people revert to the earlier trend of shopping off-line, going for naturewalks, playing outdoors games, and catching up with friends in their homes or cafes more frequently, they can keep their heads firmly well above the ocean of loneliness.

6. From the passage it is evident that Saroo’s desire to find his mother

(A)         Ended up being a distant dream.

(B)         Inspired him to use Google’s satellite feature intermittently.

(C)         Waned as time went by.

(D)         Did not slacken till he succeeded.

7. In the sentence ‘these very apps have snatched away the joys of long nature-walks;’ the author has

(A)         Satirized nature

(B)         Metaphorized apps

(C)         Personified apps

(D)         None of the above

8. From the passage one can conclude that

(A)         It is impossible for people to reduce the usage of apps.

(B)         There is a direct correlation between loneliness and excessive usage of social- media apps.

(C)         The usage of technology is as essential for mental-health as food and water is for physical health.

(D)         All senior citizens are lonely because they are not tech-savvy.

9. From the passage it can be inferred that presently in many educational institutions

(A)         The number of teachers who pass the buck to psychologists is on the rise.

(B)         Special emphasis is being laid on the mental and emotional health of the students.

(C)         The usage of educational apps is being discouraged significantly.

(D)         All the students feel the need to be counselled by psychologists.

10. In the concluding paragraph of the given passage, the writer’s tone can be best described as

(A)         Optimistic

(B)         Despairing

(C)         Laudatory

(D)         Apologetic

III.          “Wash! Wash! Wash your hands! ” That’s been the safety-mantra ever since the pandemic COViD-19 began swamping the world. Undoubtedly, washing hands has proven to be the best way to keep germs at bay. Unfortunately, the medical practitioner who first promoted the importance of this simple activity was subjected to intense humiliation, and ultimately declared insane!

Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian doctor. In 1847, as an obstetrician, he was disturbed that post-delivery, almost every third woman died of an unexpected malady. He observed that as a part of the set routine, medical students and doctors would examine and study the corpses in the mortuary, and then come for rounds to the maternity wards. Here, without washing their hands, they would examine expectant mothers. After making numerous hypothesis and observations, he was convinced that when doctors washed their hands before examining the women in the ward, the number of deaths due to serious infection declined. He shared his observations with his colleagues and many others working in the field of medicine, but unfortunately he could not provide any concrete evidence to his theory. Sadly, due to the vehement criticism that he received, he went into depression. Furthermore, Ignaz strived to prove his point so relentlessly that it led to the belief that he had lost his mind. In 1865, a doctor deceptively lured him into an asylum for the insane, and two weeks of the brutal treatment that was meted out to him by the attendants led to his untimely death. About twenty years later, when the world became more receptive to the works of scientists like Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister, awareness regarding germs that cause diseases began to spread. This is the time when Ignaz was honoured with titles like Father of Hand Hygiene and Saviour of Mothers- an honour much too late!

Some of the most celebrated artists have earned fame much after their deaths. It is tragic that Vincent Van Gogh’s awe-inspiring work was labelled as strange and amateur by most of the critics of his time. it is believed that he sold only one or two painting in his lifetime, and that too for a meager amount. Today, every single painting of Vincent Van Gogh paintings is worth millions of dollars.

Franz Kafka was a proficient writer, but when he published a few pieces of his writings, he received immense criticism. Before his death in 1924, he handed over his unpublished novels and short stories to his friend Max Brod, and urged him to destroy them; however, Brod got the manuscripts published. Today, Franz is acclaimed as one of the major fiction writers of the twentieth century; the novels titled The Trial published in 1925, and The Castle published in 1926 are considered two of his masterpieces.

Perhaps, if humans were more tolerant and amenable to change, innovative concepts, theories and creations, the deserving would live to experience the glory and honour they rightfully deserve.

11. The main idea of the passage is that

(A)         All original theories and works should receive unreserved acceptance.

(B)         Many undeserving innovators have been honoured after their demise.

(C)         Creativity must never be inhibited.

(D)         Numerous innovators have found recognition and appreciation of their works posthumously.

12. From the passage it is evident that Dr. Ignaz’s theory was rejected because

(A)         He could not substantiate it

(B)         The doctors did not want him to regulate their work ethics

(C)         He had been declared insane

(D)         Joseph Lister and Louis Pasteur had already discovered germs

13. From the passage one can conclude that the art critics who_____Van Gogh’s works were ________.

(A)         Applauded, pessimistic.

(B)         Censured, hypercritical.

(C)         Denounced, tolerant.

(D)         Acclaimed, rigid.

14. From the passage it can be inferred that Max Brod

(A)         Was of the opinion that Franz had not reached out to the right critics

(B)         Decried Franz’s writings

(C)         Considered it unsacred to destroy any manuscript

(D)         Appreciated and valued Franz’s works

15. The word relentlessly in the passage can be best replaced by the word

(A)         irresolutely

(B)         Recklessly

(C)         Unabatedly

(D)         Unabashedly

IV.                  Cryptocurrencies are a terrible thing. They are the essence of a Ponzi scheme whose value is based entirely on a greater fool prepared to buy it. The promise of alchemy-turning lead into gold has bewitched humanity throughout the ages and cryptocurrencies are just the latest alchemy. Do not get me wrong, if rich people want to lose their money, in this or any other way, they should be allowed to do so. The rich should be the vanguards of new things in case something unforeseen and good falls out of them. But we need to protect those vulnerable consumers whose lives are such that almost any get-rich-quick schemes will be seductive, and seven out of 10 times, they will lose their life savings. Cryptocurrencies are today’s South Sea Bubble – one of the earliest recorded financial bubbles that took place in the 1720s’ Britain. Meme-based currencies like Dogecoin, Dogelon Mars and Doge Dash remind me of the infamous plan of one company during the South Sea Bubble to raise money “for carrying on an undertaking of great advantage; but nobody to know what it is.”

The cryptocurrency bubble is worse than tulip mania. Through the veil of technology, cryptocurrency enthusiasts are leaning on policy-makers to permit them to be exempt from regulation, privatize money, and make money so disconnected from the economy that it would reap financial disaster. There are many reasons to avoid financial disasters, but one of them is that they ratchet up poverty and inequality. The current money-credit system is not perfect, but like democracy, it is the worst system barring all the others. It has evolved from the ashes of the system cryptocurrency enthusiasts are trying to resurrect.

The current system is vulnerable to attack because money is little understood. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have attracted a following based on the fiction that the central bank or government creates money and are busy debasing it in their self-interest. This is not the case, but then again, there is some overlap between cryptocurrency advocates, conspiracy theorists, and anti-vaxxers. The time has come for someone to stand up for the current fiat money system and explain that while it could be better still, it has been associated with far more growth, much more distributed, and has responded better to economic crisis than what came before.

In today’s money-credit system, banks create money when they issue a loan and place the loan’s proceeds into the account of their customers, creating a deposit. Money is, in fact, a tradable debt. The bank’s deposit can be used as cash because the bank is a regulated issuer of loans and deposit-taker, which gives the deposit credibility and convertibility. The central bank only influences the creation of money indirectly by its regulatory requirement that a proportion of the loans need to be funded by shareholder’s profits. They need to have skin in the game. Money creation then is based on thousands of separate decisions by loan officers and is more distributed than a centralized algorithm like Bitcoin. And its supply is determined by the private demand for loans, which means it is closely aligned to the economy.

16. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards rich people?

(A)         Concerned

(B)         Assiduous

(C)         Indifferent

(D)         Sympathetic

17. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?

(A)         The author defends the current money-credit system.

(B)         The author rejects the idea that the central bank or government creates money and is busy debasing it in their self-interest.

(C)         The author backs the protection of the poor from the menace of cryptocurrencies.

(D)         All the above

18. Which rhetorical device is employed in ‘cryptocurrencies are just the latest alchemy’?

(A)         Antithesis

(B)         Metaphor

(C)         Personification

(D)         Synecdoche

19. Which of the following does best describe the passage?

(A)         Argumentative and explanatory

(B)         Descriptive and argumentative

(C)         Narrative and explanatory

(D)         Expository and argumentative

20. What do cryptocurrency enthusiasts rely on?

(A)         Exemption from regulation

(B)         Privatization of money

(C)         Disconnection of money from the economy

(D)         All the above