English Language Questions for CLAT | QB Set 35

Over the past dec­ade, India’s response to extreme heat has settled into a famil­iar cho­reo­graphy. Sum­mer comes and the National Dis­aster Man­age­ment Author­ity (NDMA) regur­git­ates its tally of rising pre­pared­ness. The 16th Fin­ance Com­mis­sion has gone fur­ther, recom­mend­ing that heat­waves be noti­fied as a national dis­aster — a des­ig­na­tion that would unbolt the door to ded­ic­ated cent­ral fund­ing. But the heat action plan, as cur­rently con­ceived, has reached the lim­its of what it can do. Even the NDMA con­cedes that the qual­ity of these plans is uneven — sev­eral are imit­a­tions of plans draf­ted else­where. Where imple­ment­a­tion hap­pens at all, it leans heav­ily on short­term pal­li­at­ives such as water kiosks, pub­lic advisor­ies, and shaded wait­ing areas at bus stops. While these meas­ures save lives at the mar­gins, they do not alter the under­ly­ing expos­ure of the tens of mil­lions of Indi­ans who work, com­mute and sleep in con­di­tions that are becom­ing, in the most clin­ical sense of the word, bio­lo­gic­ally unten­able.

What India needs is something lar­ger and more ambi­tious — a national cool­ing doc­trine; a scal­able frame­work that treats sus­tained access to safe indoor tem­per­at­ures as a pub­lic­health enti­tle­ment to be guar­an­teed. The doc­trine must begin where the harm is most acute: man­dat­ory min­imum cool­ing stand­ards for indoor work­places — factor­ies, ware­houses, com­mer­cial kit­chens, call centres, deliv­ery hubs — backed by an hon­est and fair inspec­tion regime. Tech­no­logy will have to do the heavy lift­ing by deploy­ing pass­ive cool­ing mater­i­als, reflect­ive roof­ing deployed at scale, dis­trict cool­ing sys­tems for dense urban zones, and cheaper, more effi­cient air con­di­tion­ing cal­ib­rated for the pecu­li­ar­it­ies of Indian grids. But the prob­lem can­not be solved by import­ing solu­tions designed for the tem­per­ate, wealthy eco­nom­ies of the global North. India’s heat is wet­ter, longer and more humid than the dry European sum­mers that pro­duced much of the exist­ing cool­ing lit­er­at­ure. Most Indi­ans can­not afford the energy bills that west­ern­style mech­an­ical cool­ing impli­citly assumes, as the grid in India, even on its best days, can sup­ply at most 60% of its installed capa­city. There is no quick fix on offer but to keep print­ing heat action plans while indoor tem­per­at­ures climb is no longer a ser­i­ous answer — it is theatre.

(Source: The Hindu)

Questions

Question 1

Which of the following best captures the central argument of the passage?

A. Heatwaves should only be treated as temporary seasonal emergencies requiring disaster funding.
B. India should adopt western cooling systems without modifications to address rising temperatures.
C. India’s current heat action plans are inadequate, and a broader long-term cooling framework is necessary.
D. Public advisories and shaded bus stops are sufficient to manage the effects of extreme heat.

Question 2

Why does the author criticise the present heat action plans in India?

A. They focus excessively on technological innovation.
B. They rely largely on short-term relief measures without addressing structural exposure to heat.
C. They are too expensive for state governments to implement effectively.
D. They prioritise rural areas over urban populations.

Question 3

According to the passage, why would importing cooling solutions from western countries be problematic for India?

A. Western countries refuse to share their cooling technologies with developing nations.
B. India’s climate conditions and energy realities differ significantly from those of western economies.
C. Indian citizens prefer traditional methods of cooling over technological alternatives.
D. Cooling systems designed in Europe are environmentally illegal in India.

Question 4

What does the author most likely mean by describing continued reliance on heat action plans as “theatre”?

A. The plans are carefully designed and professionally executed.
B. The government is intentionally misleading the public about climate change.
C. The plans are experimental and still in an early stage of development.
D. The plans create an appearance of action without solving the actual problem.

Question 5

Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage?

A. Long-term policy reforms and technological adaptation are necessary to address India’s heat crisis effectively.
B. The NDMA believes that heat action plans have completely solved the issue of heatwaves.
C. Mechanical air conditioning alone can eliminate India’s heat-related problems.
D. Urban areas are unaffected by rising indoor temperatures compared to rural regions.

Answers with Detailed Explanations

Question 1 — Correct Answer: C

The passage consistently argues that India’s current approach toward heatwaves is insufficient and overly dependent on temporary measures. The author calls for a “national cooling doctrine” that guarantees safe indoor temperatures as a public-health entitlement. This clearly supports option C.

• Option A is incorrect because the author criticises the limited disaster-management approach.
• Option B is incorrect because the passage specifically warns against blindly importing western solutions.
• Option D is incorrect because the author states that such measures save lives only “at the margins” and do not solve the deeper issue.

Question 2 — Correct Answer: A

The correct answer is A because the passage explains that the current plans rely heavily on temporary relief measures like water kiosks, public advisories, and shaded waiting areas. These measures do not change the underlying exposure to dangerous heat conditions.

• Option B appears attractive but is broader; however, the criticism specifically centres on dependence on temporary measures rather than technological innovation.
• Option C is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.
• Option D is also unsupported since there is no rural-urban comparison regarding priority.

Question 3 — Correct Answer: B

The passage clearly states that India’s heat conditions are “wetter, longer and more humid” than European summers. It also highlights India’s energy limitations and affordability concerns. Therefore, western solutions may not suit Indian realities.

• Option A is factually unsupported.
• Option C is not discussed in the passage.
• Option D introduces legal concerns never mentioned by the author.

Question 4 — Correct Answer: D

By calling the continued printing of heat action plans “theatre,” the author implies that these plans merely create a performance or illusion of meaningful action while failing to address the real structural problem.

• Option A misunderstands the negative tone of the statement.
• Option B exaggerates the argument because the author never accuses the government of intentional deception.
• Option C is incorrect because the criticism is about ineffectiveness, not experimentation.

Question 5 — Correct Answer: A

The passage strongly suggests that India requires deeper policy reforms and technological adaptation suited to local conditions. The proposed “national cooling doctrine” and references to passive cooling materials, reflective roofing, and district cooling systems support this inference.

• Option B is incorrect because the NDMA itself admits that the quality of plans is uneven.
• Option C is incorrect because the author argues that mechanical cooling alone is neither affordable nor practical.
• Option D is incorrect because urban areas are specifically mentioned as requiring district cooling systems.