Question 1

A student's exam performance improved significantly after joining a coaching institute. Which of the following is the MOST LIKELY cause of this improvement?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify the direct cause from a given effect (improved performance). The correct answer should be the most direct and logical cause.

Question 2

A factory's production decreased by 30% after the machinery broke down. What is the EFFECT in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to correctly identify the effect (consequence) versus the cause in a cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 3

Because of heavy rainfall, the river overflowed and flooded nearby villages. Which statement correctly describes the cause-and-effect chain?

Accepted Answer

This question tests understanding of sequential cause-and-effect relationships where one effect becomes the cause of another.

Question 4

A company's sales increased after launching a new advertising campaign. However, the company also reduced product prices by 20% during the same period. Which is the MOST LIKELY primary cause of the sales increase?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify the primary cause when multiple factors occur simultaneously, requiring logical reasoning about which is more directly responsible.

Question 5

A student's exam performance declined sharply after he started spending 6 hours daily on social media instead of studying. Which of the following is the EFFECT in this cause-and-effect relationship?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the student's ability to identify the effect (consequence) in a clearly stated cause-and-effect relationship. The cause is 'spending 6 hours daily on social media instead of studying' and the effect is 'exam performance declined sharply.'

Question 6

A student failed an exam because he did not study properly. Which of the following is a DIRECT EFFECT of not studying properly?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify direct consequences (effects) that logically follow from a stated cause.

Question 7

A study found that students who attended extra coaching classes scored 25% higher on average than those who did not. The coaching institute concluded that attending their classes is the PRIMARY CAUSE of higher scores. Which statement BEST challenges this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

This question tests critical evaluation of cause-effect claims by identifying confounding variables and alternative explanations. The conclusion assumes a direct causal link without considering other possible causes.

Question 8

After a city implemented stricter traffic laws with heavy fines, the number of traffic violations decreased by 40% within three months. However, the number of traffic accidents remained unchanged. Which explanation BEST accounts for both observations?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to recognize when a cause produces an expected effect in one domain but not in another, requiring analysis of mechanism and scope of causation.

Question 9

A company noticed that employees who worked from home had 30% fewer sick days than office workers. The HR director concluded that remote work CAUSES better health. Which of the following, if true, would MOST WEAKEN this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify alternative explanations and reverse causation in cause-effect reasoning, requiring evaluation of competing causal hypotheses.

Question 10

A school introduced a new curriculum emphasizing critical thinking. Test scores increased by 12% in the first year. However, the school also hired 15 new teachers, reduced class sizes from 45 to 30 students, and increased the budget for learning materials by 40%. Which conclusion is MOST JUSTIFIED based on this information?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to recognize multiple confounding variables and avoid attributing an effect to a single cause when multiple causes are present simultaneously.

Question 11

A factory's production output decreased by 20% after the manager implemented a new shift system. However, worker satisfaction scores increased by 15% during the same period. Which of the following is the MOST LOGICAL cause-effect relationship?

Accepted Answer

This question tests understanding of independent vs. dependent variables in cause-effect chains. The decrease in output and increase in satisfaction are presented as simultaneous outcomes, but the question asks which relationship is most logical. The new shift system is the cause; both effects stem from it, but they are not causally linked to each other.

Question 12

A city implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores. Three months later, data showed that overall plastic waste in the city increased by 15%. Environmental officials noted that consumers had shifted to purchasing thicker, multi-use plastic bags and plastic containers for storage. Which statement best explains this counterintuitive result?

Accepted Answer

This question tests understanding of unintended consequences and secondary effects in cause-effect relationships. Students must recognize that eliminating one cause (single-use bags) created conditions for a different cause (alternative plastic products) to produce an unexpected effect.

Question 13

A hospital reduced patient wait times from 4 hours to 1.5 hours by implementing an automated appointment scheduling system. However, patient satisfaction scores decreased by 22% in the same period. Staff interviews revealed that the system was inflexible: it could not accommodate last-minute cancellations, emergency rescheduling, or special medical needs. Which of the following is the most accurate cause-effect analysis?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify that a single intervention can have multiple, contradictory effects depending on which outcome variable is measured, and to recognize that the cause of decreased satisfaction is not the reduced wait time itself, but a constraint of the system implementing that reduction.

Question 14

A software company noticed that employees working from home had 35% higher productivity rates than office-based employees. However, the company's innovation metrics—measured by new product features developed—declined by 18% after the work-from-home policy was implemented. Which of the following best explains why increased individual productivity did not translate to increased innovation output?

Accepted Answer

This question tests understanding of how individual-level causes can produce different effects at the organizational level, and how missing a key mechanism (collaboration) can explain the disconnect between two related but distinct outcomes.

Question 15

A bank introduced a new loan approval system that reduced approval time from 15 days to 2 days. Simultaneously, the default rate on loans approved under the new system increased from 3% to 8% within the first year. An audit revealed that the new system prioritized speed over credit risk assessment—loan officers had only 30 minutes to evaluate each application instead of the previous 4 hours. Which statement most accurately identifies the causal relationship?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to trace a causal chain where an optimization for one variable (speed) inadvertently degrades another critical variable (risk assessment quality), and to recognize that the root cause is the constraint imposed by the system design, not external factors.

Question 16

A manufacturing plant's production output decreased by 40% last quarter. Investigation revealed that worker absenteeism had increased from 8% to 20% during the same period. The plant manager concluded that the rise in absenteeism was the primary cause of the production decline. However, further analysis showed that even when absenteeism was at 8%, a new automated system was installed that reduced the need for manual labor by 35%. Which of the following best describes the logical flaw in the manager's conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The manager identified a correlation (both absenteeism and production decline occurred together) but failed to account for an alternative cause (the automated system installation) that could independently explain the production output decrease. This is a classic case of confusing correlation with causation while ignoring a competing causal factor.

Question 17

A manufacturing plant's production output decreased by 40% after the introduction of new machinery. Investigation revealed that the new machinery required extensive recalibration, and workers needed 6 weeks of training before operating it efficiently. Which of the following best explains the cause of the initial production decline?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to distinguish between immediate mechanical causes and underlying systemic causes in a cause-effect chain. The correct answer identifies that the decline was caused by the implementation process (training and recalibration needs), not the machinery itself.

IBPS Clerk Cause & Effect

Cause & Effect— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Cause & Effect — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Cause & Effect