I. The government announced a steep hike in fuel taxes. II. Prices of transportation and goods across the country rose sharply soon after.

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

I. A severe cold wave hit the northern region. II. Sales of woolen clothing increased sharply in that region.

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

I. The company's quarterly profits fell by 40%. II. The company's stock price dropped sharply on the day the results were announced.

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

I. Heavy rainfall caused a river to overflow its banks. II. Several low-lying villages near the river were flooded.

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

I. The city's air quality index reached hazardous levels this week. II. Hospitals reported a rise in patients with respiratory complaints.

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

I. Ice cream sales rose sharply in June. II. Cases of heatstroke also rose sharply in June.

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect

I. The local cricket team won the regional championship. II. The city's municipal corporation launched a new waste collection drive the same week.

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

I. A new highway bypass was constructed around the town. II. Traffic congestion in the town's main market reduced significantly.

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

I. The airline cancelled several flights on Tuesday. II. Dense fog reduced visibility at the airport on Tuesday morning.

Both are effects of a common underlying cause

Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

I. Enrollment in online coding courses surged this year. II. Demand for laptops and webcams also surged this year.

Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect

Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect

Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect

Logical Reasoning · Micro-test

Causation Reasoning

Two events happening close together in a CLAT passage almost never announce their real relationship outright, and this topic tests whether you can tell a true cause from a coincidence or a shared trigger.

10 questions · 5 minutes · instant scoring

Updated 10 September 2026

What this topic actually tests

A causation reasoning question presents two statements, labelled I and II, describing events, and asks you to classify the relationship between them: does one directly cause the other, does the causation run in the opposite direction from what seems obvious, are both merely independent effects of some third, unstated common cause, or are the two events simply unrelated and independent of each other. The reliable method is to ask three questions in order. First, could statement II plausibly happen even if statement I had never occurred, and vice versa - if removing one event leaves no reason for the other to change, they are likely independent. Second, does the timing and content make more sense as I producing II, or as II actually producing I, since passages sometimes state the effect first and the cause second to mislead a hurried reader relying purely on sentence order. Third, if both statements look like plausible effects of the same underlying trigger - a policy change, a season, an economic shift - rather than one causing the other directly, they should be classified as common-cause effects rather than a direct cause-and-effect pair. Worked example: 'Ice cream sales rose sharply in June' and 'Cases of heatstroke also rose sharply in June' are not in a direct cause-and-effect relationship with each other - rising ice cream sales do not cause heatstroke, nor does heatstroke cause ice cream sales - both are separately driven by the same underlying summer heat, making this a textbook common-cause pair rather than a direct causal link between the two stated events.

The common trap on this topic

The most frequent CLAT error is defaulting to 'statement I causes statement II' purely because I is listed first and II second, without checking whether the actual content supports that direction - some passages deliberately state the effect before the cause, such as listing flight cancellations before the fog that caused them. A second common trap is missing genuine common-cause pairs and instead forcing one statement to cause the other simply because both mention the same time period or location, when in fact a third unstated factor is driving both independently. A third trap is the reverse error - treating two statements as an unrelated, independent pair when they are actually connected through a plausible and specific causal chain that the student failed to trace because the connection required one intermediate inferential step rather than being stated outright.

Causation Reasoning: answers and explanations

I. The government announced a steep hike in fuel taxes. II. Prices of transportation and goods across the country rose sharply soon after.
Answer: B. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
A fuel tax hike directly raises transport costs, which feed into the price of goods that must be transported, making I a direct and plausible cause of II.
I. A severe cold wave hit the northern region. II. Sales of woolen clothing increased sharply in that region.
Answer: B. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
A sudden cold wave directly increases demand for warm clothing as people respond to the weather, making the cold wave a direct cause of higher woolen clothing sales.
I. The company's quarterly profits fell by 40%. II. The company's stock price dropped sharply on the day the results were announced.
Answer: C. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
A sharp profit decline directly triggers a negative market reaction once announced, since investors reprice the stock based on the disappointing results, making I the cause of II.
I. Heavy rainfall caused a river to overflow its banks. II. Several low-lying villages near the river were flooded.
Answer: B. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
The river overflowing its banks directly leads to nearby low-lying villages being flooded, making I a direct physical cause of II.
I. The city's air quality index reached hazardous levels this week. II. Hospitals reported a rise in patients with respiratory complaints.
Answer: C. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
Hazardous air quality directly aggravates respiratory conditions, so a rise in patients with such complaints is a plausible direct effect of the polluted air, making I the cause of II.
I. Ice cream sales rose sharply in June. II. Cases of heatstroke also rose sharply in June.
Answer: C. Both are effects of a common underlying cause
Neither statement causes the other - buying ice cream does not cause heatstroke, nor does heatstroke cause ice cream purchases. Both are separately driven by the same underlying summer heat, making this a common-cause pair.
I. The local cricket team won the regional championship. II. The city's municipal corporation launched a new waste collection drive the same week.
Answer: C. Both are independent events, unrelated by cause and effect
There is no plausible causal link between a cricket team's championship win and a municipal waste collection drive, nor any obvious shared trigger connecting the two, so they are independent events that merely coincide in timing.
I. A new highway bypass was constructed around the town. II. Traffic congestion in the town's main market reduced significantly.
Answer: B. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect
Constructing a bypass directly diverts through-traffic away from the town's main market, so reduced congestion there is a direct effect of the new highway, making I the cause of II.
I. The airline cancelled several flights on Tuesday. II. Dense fog reduced visibility at the airport on Tuesday morning.
Answer: C. Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect
Although listed second, the fog is the actual cause - poor visibility from fog is what forces an airline to cancel flights for safety, so II is the true cause and I is its effect, even though I appears first in the passage.
I. Enrollment in online coding courses surged this year. II. Demand for laptops and webcams also surged this year.
Answer: A. Both are effects of a common underlying cause
Rising course enrollment does not directly cause laptop and webcam demand, nor the reverse; both are more plausibly driven together by a broader shift toward remote work and study, making this a common-cause pair rather than direct causation.

FAQ

How do I distinguish a direct cause-effect pair from a common-cause pair?

Ask whether one statement's event could plausibly make the other happen on its own. If yes, it is direct causation. If instead both statements look like separate consequences of some third, unstated factor - like a season or a policy - and neither directly produces the other, classify them as effects of a common cause.

Can the statement listed second actually be the cause of the statement listed first?

Yes. Some CLAT passages deliberately present the effect first and the cause second, so you must judge the relationship by its logical content and typical real-world sequence of events, not by which statement appears first in the passage.

When should I mark two statements as completely unrelated?

Only when there is no plausible causal link in either direction and no obvious shared trigger connecting them - for instance, two events that merely happen to occur in the same week but concern entirely separate people, places, or subject matter.

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