Comprehension
If anything, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has taught us to rethink our lifestyles and question our need to travel to work every day. After all, in the age of internet, zoom meetings and webinars can be virtually conducted and physical distancing is possible. A large nature of work in cities is of tertiary nature, a major part of which can be done from home. This can affect the way offices function and reduce the need for all employees to be physically present every day. Information Technology companies are already contemplating a move of making many of its employees work from home and make this a ‗new normal‘. If more firms follow suit, the need for huge office buildings and central business districts would change. Apartments cannot get bigger at the same rate, and people may not have the space or atmosphere to work from home. This would mean that more people would opt for co-working spaces close to their homes. This could be a game changer, for it would provide the cities to better distribute their activities throughout the spaces and rid themselves of the idea of zoning. Only a handful of professionals are allowed to function from residential zones, including doctors, lawyers, architects, etc. This needs serious rethinking. Many more professions of similar nature that do not disturb surrounding residence and have no requirements of special services should be added to the list. This new work culture would bring associated demand for food joints, cafés, stationary shops, etc.
[Excerpt from „Down to Earth‟ Magazine, Blog authored by Sugeet Grover, August 17, 2020]
[Excerpt from „Down to Earth‟ Magazine, Blog authored by Sugeet Grover, August 17, 2020]
Question: 1
Which of the following is the main idea behind the passage?
Which of the following is the main idea behind the passage?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Work from home is the new normal.
- Work from home will result in shutting down of big buildings.
- Work from home culture will result in systematization of City planning and development.
- More professionals should be included in the 'work from home‘ list.
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The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
The correct option is (C): Work from home culture will result in systematization of City planning and development.
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Approach Solution -2
This question asks for the main idea of the passage on remote work and its impact on cities. Let's weigh each option against what the passage actually focuses on:
- Option (A): Work from home being the new normal is mentioned in the passage, but it is only a starting observation, not the overall point the passage is building towards. It is too narrow to be the main idea.
- Option (B): The passage does mention that huge office buildings and central business districts may see reduced need, but this is presented as one specific consequence among several, not the central theme that ties the whole passage together.
- Option (C): The passage discusses co-working spaces near homes, better distribution of activities across the city, moving away from strict zoning, and expanding which professions can work from residential areas. All of these threads point towards one larger idea, that remote work culture reshapes how cities are planned and how activities are distributed and organised within them.
- Option (D): The suggestion to add more professions to the work from home list is one specific recommendation made near the end of the passage, not the passage's overarching theme.
Options (A), (B) and (D) each capture only a fragment or a supporting detail of the passage, while (C) is broad enough to encompass zoning, distribution of activities, and city planning, which are the threads running through the entire passage.
Therefore, the correct answer is (C) Work from home culture will result in systematization of City planning and development.
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Question: 2
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage above?
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage above?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- The 'work from home‘ culture is a no-chaos culture.
- There is lack of distribution of activities in the 'work from home‘ scenario.
- The routine culture as opposed to 'work from home‘ does not benefit the society in any way.
- All of the above.
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The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
The correct option is (A): The 'work from home‘ culture is a no-chaos culture.
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Approach Solution -2
The question asks what can be inferred from the passage about the work from home culture. Let's examine each option:
- Option (A): The passage describes work from home culture as enabling better distribution of activities, safer streets and public spaces, and a move away from rigid zoning that concentrates offices in one area. All of these point towards a more organised, less congested and less chaotic pattern of city life, which supports the idea that this culture is a no-chaos culture.
- Option (B): The passage actually argues the opposite, that work from home culture leads to a better distribution of activities across spaces, not a lack of distribution. This option contradicts the passage rather than following from it.
- Option (C): The passage does not claim that the routine, office based culture has absolutely no benefits to society. Such a sweeping, absolute claim is not supported anywhere in the passage.
- Option (D): Since (B) and (C) are not supported by the passage, and only (A) can be inferred, all of the above cannot be correct.
Only option (A) aligns with what the passage actually describes, better distribution of activities, safer public spaces, and reduced concentration in central business districts, all pointing to less chaos overall.
Therefore, the correct answer is (A) The 'work from home' culture is a no-chaos culture.
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Question: 3
Which of the following can be associated benefits of the new culture ?
Which of the following can be associated benefits of the new culture ?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- It will save commute time.
- The city‘s land can be used more efficiently
- Better distribution of activities would be associated with safer streets and public spaces as they would not go unused and hence have less likelihood of being used for unlawful activities.
- All of the above.
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The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
The correct option is (D): All of the above.
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Approach Solution -2
The question asks which of the listed points are genuine benefits of the new work from home culture described in the passage. Let's look at each one:
- Option (A): Working from home removes the daily commute, which is a direct and obvious time saving benefit for employees.
- Option (B): With fewer large offices needed and activities spread across the city rather than concentrated in business districts, land in cities can be put to more varied and efficient use.
- Option (C): When activities are distributed across neighbourhoods instead of being confined to business hours in central districts, streets and public spaces stay in use throughout the day, which the passage links to safer spaces that are less likely to be misused when left empty.
- Option (D): Since (A), (B) and (C) each describe a distinct benefit that follows directly from the passage's description of the new culture, none of them is exclusive of the others.
All three individual benefits, saved commute time, more efficient use of city land, and safer, better used public spaces, are each separately supported by the passage's discussion of redistributed activity and reduced zoning rigidity.
Therefore, the correct answer is (D) All of the above.
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Question: 4
Consider the following statement: “Work from home culture is a sustainable method of business and should be extended to all professions.”
Which of the following weakens the Author‘s argument?
Consider the following statement: “Work from home culture is a sustainable method of business and should be extended to all professions.”
Which of the following weakens the Author‘s argument?
Which of the following weakens the Author‘s argument?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Not every type of profession fits in the 'work from home‘ culture as different professions have different requirements and need different environmental and work space settings.
- 'Work from home‘ impacts a person‘s mental health.
- Both a) and b)
- Neither a) nor b)
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The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
The correct option is (C): Both a) and b)
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Approach Solution -2
The statement under scrutiny claims that work from home is a sustainable method of business that should be extended to all professions. We need an option that weakens this broad, generalised claim. Let's assess each:
- Option (A): Different professions have very different requirements, some need specialised equipment, physical presence, or specific environments that cannot be replicated at home. This directly weakens the claim that work from home is suitable for all professions.
- Option (B): If working from home negatively affects a person's mental health, that undercuts the claim that it is a broadly sustainable method of business over the long term, since sustainability includes the wellbeing of the workforce, not just operational continuity.
- Option (C): Both (A) and (B) attack the argument from different but equally valid angles, one questions whether the model is practically applicable to all professions, and the other questions whether it is sustainable even where it is applicable. Since both weaknesses are real and independent of each other, combining them gives the fullest weakening of the argument.
- Option (D): Since both (A) and (B) genuinely undermine the claim, saying neither of them does so would be incorrect.
Because the original claim is a strong, universal one, sustainable and extended to all professions, and both (A) and (B) independently expose real gaps in that universality, the argument is weakened most effectively when both objections are taken together.
Therefore, the correct answer is (C) Both a) and b).
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Question: 5
Which of the following weakens the author‘s argument that 'Work from home‘ culture will enable better city planning?
Which of the following weakens the author‘s argument that 'Work from home‘ culture will enable better city planning?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Development of Co-working spaces will further create chaos in terms of land planning.
- City planning is not only about reducing spaces.
- Work from home will also reduce the flow of money in the economy.
- All of the above.
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The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
The correct option is (D): All of the above.
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The claim being tested is that work from home culture will enable better city planning. We need to find statements that weaken this claim. Let's evaluate each:
- Option (A): If the growth of co-working spaces itself creates fresh disorganisation in how land gets used, then the very mechanism meant to improve planning could end up creating a new kind of planning problem, which weakens the claim.
- Option (B): Good city planning involves much more than simply freeing up office space, things like infrastructure, transport, public services and housing also matter. Pointing this out weakens the claim by showing it addresses only a narrow slice of what planning actually requires.
- Option (C): If remote work reduces overall economic activity or the circulation of money within a city, that is a genuine downside that competes with any planning benefits, weakening the overall claim that the shift is a net positive for the city.
- Option (D): Since (A), (B) and (C) each raise a distinct, valid concern, about new chaos, about the narrowness of the claim's scope, and about economic side effects, they can all weaken the argument simultaneously without contradicting one another.
Each of the three statements attacks the better-city-planning claim from a different direction, so taken together they weaken it more comprehensively than any single statement alone.
Therefore, the correct answer is (D) All of the above.
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Top CLAT Questions
- In the realm of contemporary literature, the interplay between character and setting is a nuanced dance that shapes the narrative’s essence. The setting, often described with painstaking detail, becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes a character, influencing the plot and character development.
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[Extracted, with edits, from “Justice and the Two Ideas of India”, by G. Mohan Gopal, Frontline] - Everything she wanted was here, at Carignano, in Kasauli. Here, on the ridge of the mountain, in this quiet house. It was the place, and the time of life, that she had wanted and prepared for all her life-as she realized on the first day at Carignano, with a great, cool flowering of relief - and at last she had it. She wanted no one and nothing else. Whatever else came, or happened here, would be an unwelcome intrusion and distraction. This she tried to convey to the plodding postman with a cold and piercing stare from the height of the ridge onto his honest bull back. Unfortunately, he did not look up at her on the hilltop but stared stolidly down at the dust piling onto his shoes as he plodded on. A bullock-man, an oafish ox, she thought bitterly. She stepped backwards into the garden and the wind suddenly billowed up and threw the pine branches about as though to curtain her. She was grey, tall and thin and her silk sari made a sweeping, shivering sound and she fancied she could merge with the pine trees and be mistaken for one. To be a tree, no more and no less, was all she was prepared to undertake.
What pleased and satisfied her so, here at Carignano, was its barrenness. This was the chief virtue of all Kasauli of course-its starkness. It had rocks, it had pines, it had light and air. In every direction there was a sweeping view - to the north, of the mountains, to the south, of the plains. Occasionally an eagle swam through this clear unobstructed mass of light and air, that was all. And Carignano, her home on the ridge, had no more than that. Why should it? The sun shone on its white walls. Its windows were open the ones facing north opened on to the blue waves of the Himalayas flowing out and up to the line of ice and snow sketched upon the sky, while those that faced south looked down the plunging cliff to the plain stretching out, flat and sere to the blurred horizon.
Yes, there were some apricot trees close to the house. There were clumps of iris that had finished blooming. There was the kitchen with a wing of smoke lifting out of its chimney and a stack of wood outside its door. But these were incidental, almost unimportant.
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “Fire on the Mountain” by Anita Desai] - English literature is a vast and diverse field that has left an indelible mark on the world of letters. From the eloquent plays of William Shakespeare to the complex novels of Jane Austen and the profound poetry of William Wordsworth, English literature offers a window into the human experience. One of the luminaries of English literature is William Shakespeare, often hailed as the greatest playwright in the history of English language. His works, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, are celebrated for their exploration of human nature, love, ambition, and tragedy. His characters, such as the tormented Hamlet and the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, continue to captivate readers and audiences worldwide.
The 19th century ushered in a new era of literary giants. Jane Austen’s novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, provide incisive social commentary through the lens of wit and romance. Austen’s heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, remain beloved literary figures known for their intelligence and resilience. The Romantic era brought forth poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who celebrated * 8 UG the beauty of nature and the emotional intensity of the individual. Wordsworth’s ‘‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’’ and Coleridge’s ‘‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’’ are testament to the power of the written words to evoke profound emotions and imagery. Moving towards 20th century, English literature continued to evolve. Virginia Woolf’s ground-breaking novel Mrs. Dalloway explored the inner thoughts and lives of its characters with a modernist narrative style. Dystopian visions, as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four provided stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual freedom.
Today, English literature is a global phenomenon, transcending borders and languages. Indian authors like Arundhati Roy, with her novel The God of Small Things, have won prestigious international literary awards. The book not only explores intricate family dynamics but also delves into the broader socio-political landscape of India. In summary, English literature is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the written word. It encompasses an array of authors, themes, and styles that continue to captivate and inspire readers across the world. - On the evening of the 10th, General Dyer arrived at Amritsar, and the Deputy-Commissioner handed over the civil power to him. He issued a proclamation by word of mouth that no meetings should be held. Two days later, after there had been no sort of riot, nor murder, General Dyer heard that a meeting was to be held at the Jallianwala Bagh. He proceeded there with about fifty troops, half British, half Indian, and a certain number of Ghurkas, armed with their kukris. The Jallianwala Bagh is an open space, half a mile square, which has one entry wide enough for three persons. The troops got in and lined up on a mound of debris. The walls, seven feet high, and the surrounding houses enclosed the people. There were, too, three alleys through which the people might have been able to pass. Within thirty seconds of the troops getting in, General Dyer gave orders to fire, and the crowd of people, estimated at anything from 5,000 to 20,000, who were sitting on the ground peacefully listening to the mob oratory, were fired on. The result of the troops’ fire into the mass of people we do not know. But we do know that Dyer’s own estimate of the casualties resulting from ten minutes continual individual firing, was 400 to 500 killed and 1,500 wounded. The people were not able to escape. They were people who had not offered any violence and who had not been warned. These people were shot down. After ten minutes, the ammunition was exhausted and the troops marched off, and they left 1,500 wounded there. There were men lying there for two days, dying of thirst, eating the ground, bleeding to death and nobody to look after them. Those who lived nearby came and carried away some of the wounded from the heap of dead and dying, but the unfortunate country people died there miserably of their wounds. This is what is done in 1919 in British India…
Centuries hence you will find Indian children brought up to this spot, just as they visit now the Cawnpore Well, and you can imagine the feelings of these Indians for generations over this terrible business.
[Col. Wedgwood, MP, speaking in the British Parliament, 22 December 1919]
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