CLAT UG Current Affairs, including General Knowledge: Preparation Strategies and Exam Format

In CLAT UG Current Affairs and G.K is a time saver section since the questions are static and direct. This section does not require reasoning or analysis since the questions are pretty straightforward and fact-based. Although the section does not comprise of very difficult questions and requires the candidate to have a reasonable awareness of the events happening around the world, the candidate should be familiar with the pattern of questions asked in the exams in order to have an efficient time management strategy. Given below are the format of the paper and some tips and tricks which will help the aspirant sail through the section.

Forms of Questions

You can expect Current Affairs and General Knowledge section to include questions that ask you to:

1. 1. Fill in missing information in the blanks.
   2. Identify the causes and consequences of the events described in the passages.
   3. Answer questions about personalities and events associated with the passage.
   4. Answer questions about awards, recognition, CLAT, and other events of significance associated with persons mentioned in the passage.
   5. Ask about laws and other events of legal significance (such as judgments) associated with the events mentioned in the passage.

Exam Format

• Passages are about 450 words each.
• Passages may be from news, journalistic sources, and other non-fiction writing.
• Questions are intended to test the depth of understanding of issues and events of significance, rather than mere fact- or trivia-based superficial knowledge.

Preparation Strategies

• While the focus is on more recent and current events, questions may test you on historical information related to such events and significance, in order to better gauge your understanding of the causes of such current events.
• Questions may also relate to matters associated with the events mentioned in the passage – for a passage about a natural calamity, for example, you may face questions not only about that natural calamity, but similar events in other parts of the world.
• The purpose of this section is to test not individual standalone facts, which by themselves have no value but to be able to be curious about and see the universe of facts within which an individual situation manifest. For instance: If there is a question on forest fires in the Amazon the CLAT will like you to be curious about forest fires, about the Amazons, about international climate change policy, about Brazil, and so on. All of these to see how facts come together to construct the world around us, a fundamental skill for any lawyer.
• Make sure you read the entire passage before you attempt the questions – while the answers to some questions may seem apparent to you, you would be able to pick up valuable clues about the answers to other questions by ensuring you read the entire passage first.
• Don’t worry about whether you will remember all the elements of the passage when you come to the questions – the idea is not to test your ability to memorize the passage and answer questions that test your recollection – but do make sure you have a good idea of the overall theme or point of focus of the passage, as this may help jog your memory about any related information you may have read or come across in your preparations.
• In line with the overall theme of the UG CLAT 2021, the focus is on comprehension, and your ability to understand and decode the information set out in the passage. While you may not be asked vocabulary questions in this section of the paper, you may be asked the meaning of certain statements made in the passage, insofar as they relate to information associated with such statements – for example, a passage relating to cyclones may ask you what the difference is between a cyclone, typhoon, and hurricane.
• As with all the other sections of the UG CLAT 2021, make sure you pay close attention to the wording of the questions – the question setters may be examining your ability to read and follow text closely, and so, may frame questions in a negative manner (e.g., Which of the following is not an example of x?) or may use a double negative as well (e.g., Instead of asking which of the following is an efficient way to do x, the question may be framed as Which of the following is not an inefficient way to do x.)
• The best way to prepare for this section of the UG CLAT 2021 is to have a long-term habit of reading a good set of newspapers and periodicals; in particular, it would help to read the editorial and opinion sections of newspapers and periodicals, as these often provide historical, associated, and ancillary information related to the main subject discussed in the piece. Now that you have an idea of what sources the question setters typically refer to, try and read through similar sources on a regular basis.
• If you have not developed a long-term habit of reading newspapers and periodicals, all is not lost! Now that many good sources of news and information are also available online, you can also visit their websites, and go through their archive of editorial and opinion pieces. In this way, you can try and catch up for some lost time.
• It may not be possible for you to read all the information covered in this section of the UG CLAT 2021 in the time you have. A good way to try and address this is to form a small group of people with whom you can discuss the topics and areas that are covered in this section. That way, you can not only take the advantage of the fact that other people may have covered the topics you have not been able to, you will also be able to dive into greater depth by questioning each other about each topic, so as to ensure you know more about that topic than you may otherwise have been able to.
• We do not encourage nor discourage the use of fact compendiums to assist in your preparation for this section. If you find these useful, please feel free to use them – but make sure you do not fall into the trap of meaninglessly memorizing long lists of facts without understanding their wider context, and how they relate to other information.

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Source: Official Website – Consortium of National Law Universities, Available Here

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