Master CLAT Critical Reasoning With Expert Preparation Tips

Critical reasoning is a vital component of the Logical Reasoning section of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). It tests your ability to analyse, interpret, and evaluate a set of statements or scenarios.

You must be able to recognize arguments, identify hidden assumptions, draw logical inferences and conclusions, and assess the validity and strength of the reasoning.

In this article, we will discuss some of the best strategies and tips to ace the critical reasoning questions for CLAT.

Types of Critical Reasoning Questions for CLAT

According to the CLAT paper pattern, the Logical Reasoning section of CLAT comprises around 24 questions, which is entirely comprised of Critical Reasoning. The critical reasoning questions for CLAT are based on a passage and can be broadly classified into the following types:

• Argument Evaluation: These questions ask you to assess an argument’s validity, identifying its flaws or assumptions. They may require you to identify missing premises or conclusions and assess the strength of the evidence provided in the passage.
• Drawing Inferences and Conclusions: These questions test your ability to draw logical inferences and conclusions from a set of statements or arguments. You may be asked to determine what could be true or must be true based on the information provided in the passage.
• Statement Assumption, Argument, and Conclusion: In these questions, you must identify the hidden assumption in the given passage or determine the most suitable argument or conclusion based on the given premises in the passage.
• Strengthening and Weakening Arguments: These questions ask you to identify the statement that would either strengthen or weaken the argument given in the passage. You must understand the impact of adding or removing evidence on the argument’s validity.
• Analogy and Paradox: These questions ask you to identify the similarity or difference between two situations or arguments. You must use your logical and analytical skills to find the best analogy or paradox for the given scenario related to a scenario or information in the passage.
• Others: There is some overlap with the English section and does tend to ask questions pertaining to title, theme, and heading on occasion.

Critical Reasoning Preparation Strategy for CLAT

To master the critical reasoning questions for CLAT, you need to follow a systematic and effective preparation strategy. Here are some of the key steps to prepare for critical reasoning for CLAT:

Improve Your Reading:

This is going to form the base of your preparation considering how all the questions are based off of passages. You must reach a position where you are not afraid of any particular genre or subject and are capable of reading and comprehending material from any subject and source. This helps you understand the core arguments and contentions better.

Understand the Basics of Critical Reasoning:

You must familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology of critical reasoning, such as arguments, premises, conclusions, assumptions, inferences, validity, strength, etc. You must also learn how to identify and differentiate between opinions and arguments, and how to recognize various types of arguments, such as causal, analogical, deductive, inductive, etc.

Practice With Previous Year Papers and Mock Tests:

One of the best ways to improve your critical reasoning skills is to practice with the previous year papers and mock tests of CLAT. This will help you to get familiar with the pattern, difficulty level, and types of questions asked in the exam. You will also be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses, and identify the areas where you need to improve.

Analyse the Passages and Questions Carefully:

Before you attempt any critical reasoning question, you must read and analyse the passage and the question carefully. You must identify the main argument, the premises, and the conclusion of the passage, and understand the logic and reasoning behind them. You must also understand what the question is asking you to do, and what kind of answer it is looking for.

Eliminate the Incorrect Options:

One of the best techniques to solve critical reasoning questions is to eliminate the incorrect options. You must use your logical and analytical skills to eliminate the options that are irrelevant, contradictory, or inconsistent with the passage or the question. This will help you to narrow down your choices and find the correct answer.

Avoid Common Mistakes and Traps:

While solving critical reasoning questions, you must avoid some of the common mistakes and traps that can lead you to the wrong answer. Some of these are:

Confusing Correlation with Causation:

You must not assume that just because two events or phenomena are correlated, they have a causal relationship. You must look for evidence that supports or refutes the causal claim.

Making Unwarranted Assumptions:

You must not make any assumptions that are not supported by the passage or the question. You must only use the information that is given or implied in the passage or the question.

Being Influenced by Personal Bias or Emotions:

You must not let your personal bias or emotions affect your judgement or reasoning. You must be objective and impartial while evaluating the arguments and the options.

Overlooking Important Details or Exceptions:

You must not overlook any important details or exceptions that may affect the validity or strength of the argument. You must pay attention to the words and phrases that indicate the scope, degree, or condition of the argument, such as all, some, none, always, never, sometimes, if, only if, unless, etc.

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