Sample Questions for CLAT 2023 : English

Indrasish Majumder10 November 20227 min read

Questions 1-6: Answer based on the following passage

The Artist co-operates with God in making increasingly larger numbers of people see the beauty of the world which these people could never see for themselves, The world is, of course, God’s artistic masterpiece; but it is the artist who lends people eyes to see it with. Browning’s Fra Lippo has the last word on the subject:- For, don’t you mark, we’re made so that we love

First, when we see them painted, things we have passed Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see?

In this sense, Oscar Wilde’s paradox is perfectly true : that Nature imitates Art; for the majority of men see in Nature what Art has taught them to see in Nature. The fogs of London, said Wilde, were the invention of Whistler. To love beauty therefore becomes to the artist, as an artist, his first duty. To love beauty, that is, to see it for himself first, and then to communicate it to others; for love implies at once vision and reproduction. It must be the first article in an artist’s creed, as an artist, that beauty is the best interpreter of God to man; that; when he has got hold of beauty, he has got hold of the surest key to the knowledge of God. Keats has said that Beauty is Truth.

Now, this is not true. But to us here, Beauty is, as Plato said, the splendour of Truth. The artist, as an artist, must be content with the splendour and, through this splendour strive to convey the truth. Tie has no business with truth as such as the philosopher, for instance, has. He has no concern with conduct as such, as the moralist, for instance, has. It is not his function to exhort men to good works, or to prove things; but merely to exhibit them. Plato thought a picture, for instance, was just a copy of an object – a copy of the idea.

It was Aristotle, Plato’s pupil, who pointed out that, though a picture was in one sense certainly a copy and therefore something less than the object, in another sense it was something more than the object. It was, briefly, the idea of the object made visible to the eye. Art, therefore, does not consist merely in line and colour, sound and image; but primarily in ideas. Beauty may not be useful. Beauty may not improve our minds. But beauty must please.

Indeed, such is the inherent delightfulness of beauty that, by its magic touch, not only the ugly becomes pleasurable, but even sorrow becomes a joy. That is the explanation of the pleasure we feel in tragedy. What would shock us in actual life gives us pleasure in a tragedy. For tragedy makes experience significant; and by making it significant, it makes it beautiful; and by making it beautiful, it makes it pleasant. And yet, it does not aim at pleasing; it only aims at exhibiting. Pleasure is not its aim; it is its effect.

1. Which of the following propositions is the author most likely to disagree with?

a) The world is God’s artistic masterpiece

b) Nature imitates Art

c) The artist must be content with the splendor and strive to convey the truth through it

d) Beauty is Truth

2. Which of the following is farthest in meaning to the word ‘inherent’?

a) Immanent

b) Intrinsic

c) Innate

d) Acquired

3. Which of the following personalities has the author not mentioned?

a) Browning

b) Wilde

c) Socrates

d) Keats

4. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word ‘creed’?

a) Belief

b) Abjuration

c) Disbelief

d) God

5. According to the passage, what does the artist do for most of us?

a) The Artist co-operates with God in making increasingly larger numbers of people see the beauty of the world which these people could never see for themselves

b) The artist must not be content with splendor

c) It is the function of the artist to exhort men to good work

d) To provide pleasure through art

6. Which of the following is not a paradox?

a) Nature imitates art

b) Less is more

c) The beginning of the end

d) Loving beauty is an artist’s first duty

Questions 7-10: For each question, choose the correct sentence/s

7. (I) They still think that women are inferior to men.

(II) The process should be completed as far as possible within a week, following which the matter should be brought to the notice of the officer concerned.

(III) So far as material comforts are concerned, science has been profuse in bestowing them on mankind.

(IV) The party leader did expect some criticism of his decision, but he was taken aback by the near unanimity of the members.

I, II
II, III
I, III, IV
III, IV

8. (I) It is arrogant of you to assume that you’ll win every match.

(II) If I was the Prime Minister of the country, I would work

(III) The reason why he could not come and attend the meeting was because his car had broken down on the way and he had to wait inordinately before it was set right.

(IV) There is a good British Library in the city and anyone interested in books can avail of it.

III, IV
I
I, III, IV
II, IV

9. a) The children were disappointed because their father, on his retirement, sold the old house and set them up in a small flat in a far off suburb.

b) The children were disappointed because their father, on his retirement, sold the old house and put them down in a small flat in a far off suburb.

c) The children were disappointed because their father, on his retirement, sold the old house and set them down in a small flat in a far off suburb.

d) The children were disappointed because their father, on his retirement, sold the old house and put them up in a small flat in a far off suburb.

10. a) He often appears not to care about his work, but appearances can be deceitful.

b) He often appears not to care about his work, but appearances can be deceptive.

c) He often appears not to care for his work, but appearances can be deceitful.

d) He often appears not to care for his work, but appearances can be deceptive.

Answers

Explanation: The author is most likely to disagree with Option (d). The author would agree with the rest of the options

Explanation: Inherent is an adjective that means existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute. Options (a), (b), and (c) are synonyms of the word inherent. Option (d) is an antonym.

Explanation: The author has mentioned all the other personalities throughout the passage, except Socrates.

Explanation: ‘Creed’ means a system of religious beliefs or faith. Hence, option (a) is the answer.

Explanation: As per the passage, the artist does option (a) for most of us. The rest of the options would not be right according to the passage.

Explanation: A paradox is a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition.

Options (a), (b) and (c) would be considered examples of paradoxical statements. Less and more and beginning and end are opposites of each other and therefore put together in a sentence would be considered a paradox. Similarly, the sentence ‘nature imitates art’ is also a seemingly absurd statement. On the other hand, option (d) is not contradictory in nature and therefore, would not be considered a paradox.

Explanation: (I) is incorrect as the correct usage would be “women are inferior to men”. (II) is incorrect as the sentence should be “The process should be completed as far as possible within a week, failing which the matter should be brought to the notice of the officer concerned”. While following might also be correct, failing is the better alternative in the context of the sentence. (III) and (IV) are grammatically correct.

Hence, option (d) is the answer.

Explanation: (II) is incorrect as the correct usage is “If I were Prime Minister…” (IV) is incorrect as the correct sentence should be “… anyone interested in books can avail of the facility”. (I) and (III) are grammatically correct. Hence, option (c) is the answer.

9. (a)

Explanation: “set up” in this context means to settle into a new house where one is going to live. Hence, option (a) is the answer.

Explanation: “deceitful” generally is a label only applied to a person or a person’s actions (not to an object). It has a meaning similar to “dishonest” or “fraudulent”. “Deceptive” basically means “misleading” or “not as it appears”. It can apply to a person, a person’s actions, and sometimes to objects or concepts. Similarly “care for” is usually used in relation to a person rather than an object or concept. Here, the subject being referred to is “appearances” and not a specific person. Hence, (b) is the answer.

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Indrasish Majumder

Contributing author

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