Question 1

A student's exam performance declined sharply after he started spending 4 hours daily on social media instead of studying. Which of the following is the CAUSE in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify the cause (the event that produces an effect) in a cause-and-effect relationship. The cause is the action that happens first and leads to a consequence. Here, spending excessive time on social media is the action that precedes and directly leads to the decline in exam performance.

Question 2

A student's exam score dropped significantly after he stopped attending coaching classes. Which of the following is the CAUSE in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The cause is the action or event that produces an effect. Here, stopping coaching classes is the action that led to the drop in exam scores.

Question 3

A company's sales increased after launching a new advertising campaign on social media. Based on this information, which conclusion is logically valid?

Accepted Answer

A valid conclusion must follow directly from the stated cause-effect relationship without adding unsupported assumptions.

Question 4

The school's attendance policy became stricter, and as a result, student absenteeism decreased significantly. What is the logical relationship demonstrated here?

Accepted Answer

This question tests understanding of how a change in one factor (stricter policy) directly produces a measurable change in another factor (decreased absenteeism).

Question 5

The factory increased its production capacity, which resulted in more jobs being created in the region. What is the EFFECT in this relationship?

Accepted Answer

The effect is the result or consequence that follows from a cause. Here, job creation is what resulted from the increased production capacity.

Question 6

Because the monsoon rains were delayed this year, farmers faced severe water shortage in their fields. Which statement correctly identifies the cause-effect relationship?

Accepted Answer

A cause-effect relationship shows how one event directly leads to another. The cause must come before and directly lead to the effect.

Question 7

A manufacturing plant increased its production by 20% after installing new machinery. However, due to a subsequent shortage of raw materials, production dropped by 25% from the increased level. If the original production was 1000 units per day, what is the current production level?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to trace cause-and-effect chains through multiple sequential events and calculate compound percentage changes correctly.

Question 8

A bank's customer service complaints increased by 15% last quarter. Upon investigation, the bank found that 60% of these complaints were caused by a single software glitch in the online banking system. The bank fixed the glitch. Which of the following can be most reliably concluded?

Accepted Answer

This question tests critical reasoning about cause-and-effect relationships and the limits of causal inference when only partial causation is identified.

Question 9

A retail chain observed that sales of winter clothing dropped significantly in November this year compared to last year. The store manager attributed this to poor weather forecasting, which led to insufficient inventory. However, a data analyst noted that the competitor across the street opened a new outlet in October. Which of the following best describes the logical flaw in the manager's reasoning?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify competing causes and recognize when a causal explanation ignores alternative explanations for the same effect.

Question 10

A hospital implemented a new patient check-in system that reduced average check-in time from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Subsequently, patient satisfaction scores increased by 12%. The hospital administrator concluded that the faster check-in system directly caused the increase in satisfaction. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify confounding variables and recognize when a causal claim lacks sufficient evidence.

Question 11

A city implemented a new traffic signal system that reduced average commute time by 8 minutes during peak hours. Traffic accidents at signalized intersections decreased by 15% in the following month. However, the city also launched a major public awareness campaign about safe driving during the same period. A traffic engineer claims the new signal system caused the accident reduction. What additional information would be most critical to evaluate this claim?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify what evidence is needed to distinguish between competing causes and evaluate causal claims in the presence of confounding variables.

Question 12

A manufacturing plant increased its production output by 40% after installing new machinery. However, due to a subsequent shortage of raw materials, the production dropped by 25% from the increased level. If the original production was 1000 units per day, what is the current production level? Additionally, which of the following correctly identifies the cause-and-effect relationship?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to trace cause-and-effect chains and calculate cumulative effects. The new machinery (cause) led to increased production (effect). The raw material shortage (new cause) then led to a decrease from that elevated level (new effect). Students must recognize that the 25% drop applies to the increased amount (1400 units), not the original amount.

Question 13

A software company's employee turnover increased from 8% to 22% after implementing a new performance management system that introduced monthly evaluations and tied bonuses directly to individual metrics. Exit interviews revealed that 70% of departing employees cited 'lack of collaboration' and 'increased stress' as reasons. However, the company's revenue per employee increased by 18% during the same period. Which of the following is the MOST ACCURATE cause-effect relationship?

Accepted Answer

Tests the ability to recognize that a single policy can produce multiple effects—some positive (revenue) and some negative (turnover)—and that the stated cause (performance system) genuinely caused both effects, even though they seem contradictory.

Question 14

A manufacturing plant's production output decreased by 40% after the introduction of new machinery. Investigation revealed that the new machinery required a 3-month recalibration period, during which operators made frequent errors. After the recalibration period ended, output returned to 95% of the original level. Which of the following is the MOST LOGICAL cause of the initial 40% decrease?

Accepted Answer

The question tests understanding of direct vs. indirect causation in cause-effect chains. The machinery itself was not defective; the cause was the learning curve and calibration period, not the machinery's inherent capability.

Question 15

A bank noticed that loan default rates increased from 5% to 12% after implementing an automated approval system that reduced approval time from 10 days to 2 days. The bank's management concluded that faster approvals caused higher defaults. However, a detailed audit revealed that the automated system approved 60% more loan applications than the manual system, and the default rate among the NEW applicants (previously rejected by manual review) was 28%. What is the PRIMARY cause of the increase in overall default rate?

Accepted Answer

This question tests the ability to identify Simpson's Paradox—where an aggregate trend reverses when data is stratified. The cause of increased defaults is not faster approval speed, but a change in the applicant pool composition.

Question 16

A retail chain's customer satisfaction scores dropped from 8.2/10 to 6.8/10 after opening 15 new stores in rural areas. The company's operations director attributed this to the new stores' lower service quality. However, analysis showed that the original urban stores maintained a 8.1/10 satisfaction score, while the new rural stores averaged 5.2/10. The rural stores had 40% fewer staff per customer and served customers with different expectations. Which statement BEST explains the cause of the overall satisfaction decline?

Accepted Answer

Tests the ability to distinguish between a change in aggregate metrics caused by compositional shift (adding a new segment) versus a decline in existing operations. The cause is the inclusion of a new, lower-performing segment, not degradation of existing performance.

Question 17

A city's traffic congestion increased by 35% over two years despite a 12% increase in road capacity (new lanes added). During the same period, the city's population grew by 8%, and ride-sharing services expanded their market share from 15% to 40% of all trips. Traffic engineers initially blamed the road expansion for inducing more traffic. However, data showed that the number of vehicles on roads increased by 28%. Which of the following BEST explains the primary cause of increased congestion?

Accepted Answer

Tests the ability to identify the true cause among multiple correlated factors by analyzing the magnitude of changes and understanding induced demand. The cause is not the road expansion itself, but the growth in vehicle numbers (driven by ride-sharing expansion and population growth) that exceeded capacity growth.

IBPS RRB PO Cause & Effect

Cause & Effect— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Cause & Effect — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Cause & Effect