SBI PO Cause & Effect — Study Material, 12 PYQs & Practice MCQs | ZestExam
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SBI PO Cause & Effect
Study Material — 12 PYQs (2023–2023) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SBI PO Cause & Effect is a frequently tested subtopic — 12 previous year questions from 2023–2023 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
12 questions from actual SBI PO papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12023Previous Year Pattern
The government announced a ban on single-use plastics. As a result, many shops stopped using plastic bags and switched to paper alternatives. What is the relationship between these two events?
Heavy rainfall in the coastal region caused flooding in low-lying areas. As a result, several families were displaced and had to move to relief camps. Which of the following is the EFFECT in this scenario?
Exam Q 32023Previous Year Pattern
A factory installed modern pollution control equipment. Consequently, the air quality in the surrounding area improved significantly. What is the CAUSE in this cause-and-effect relationship?
Exam Q 42023Previous Year Pattern
Because the company reduced its product prices, sales volume increased by 40% in the first quarter. Which statement correctly identifies both the cause and effect?
Exam Q 52023Previous Year Pattern
A student studied for 8 hours before the exam and scored 95%. Which of the following is a valid inference based on cause and effect?
Exam Q 62023Previous Year Pattern
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 MOST DIRECT cause of the performance decline?
Exam Q 72023Previous Year Pattern
A company reduced working hours from 8 hours to 6 hours per day but maintained the same daily production targets. After one month, employee productivity (output per hour) increased by 20%, but total daily output remained the same. Which of the following best explains why total output did not increase despite the productivity gain?
Exam Q 82023Previous Year Pattern
A city implemented stricter traffic regulations and increased the number of traffic police on major roads. Within three months, the number of traffic violations decreased by 35%. However, the city's overall accident rate remained unchanged. Which of the following best explains this apparent contradiction?
Exam Q 92023Previous Year Pattern
A manufacturing plant increased its production capacity by 40% after installing new machinery. As a result, the plant was able to reduce per-unit production costs by 25%. Which of the following can be logically inferred as a direct effect of these changes?
Exam Q 102023Previous Year Pattern
A school introduced a mandatory homework policy requiring all students to submit assignments daily. After six months, the average test scores increased by 12%. The school concluded that the homework policy caused the score improvement. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?
Exam Q 112023Previous Year Pattern
A pharmaceutical company noticed that patients who took a new medication experienced a 40% reduction in symptoms within two weeks. The company claims the medication is highly effective. However, a control group that received a placebo also experienced a 30% reduction in symptoms. Which of the following is the most accurate conclusion?
Exam Q 122023Previous Year Pattern
A manufacturing plant's production output declined by 40% after the introduction of new automated machinery. The management initially attributed this to worker resistance. However, investigation revealed that the machinery was calibrated incorrectly, causing a 60% defect rate in the first month. After recalibration, the defect rate dropped to 5%, but production output remained 15% below the pre-automation baseline. Which of the following is the most logical explanation for the persistent 15% output decline despite successful recalibration?
Concept Notes
Cause & Effect— Rules & Concept
💡
Core Concept
Read this first — the foundation of the topic
→CORE CONCEPT
A cause is the reason something happens. An effect is what happens because of that reason
✏️Example
Rain (cause) makes the ground wet (effect)
💡KEY RULES
Cause always comes first in time. Effect comes after.
2. One event must directly lead to the other—there must be a real connection.
3. Correlation is NOT causation.
Just because two things happen together doesn't mean one caused the other.
4
→Look for trigger words
because, since, caused by, due to, as a result, therefore, consequently, led to.
5. A single cause can have multiple effects. A single effect can have multiple causes.
📊
Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL asks cause-effect questions in two main ways:
- Find the cause of a given effect
- Identify what effect follows from a given cause
- Distinguish between real cause-effect and mere coincidence
- Spot faulty cause-effect reasoning
SHORTCUT/TRICK:
Use the "IF-THEN" test: If [cause happens], then [effect should happen]. If this sounds logical and the connection is direct, it's likely correct. If the connection feels forced or needs extra steps, it's probably wrong.
✏️
Worked Example
Solve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Identify the claimed cause—new machinery installation.
2
Step 2
Identify the claimed effect—40% productivity increase.
3
Step 3
Check if cause came before effect—YES, machinery installed first, then productivity increased.
4
Step 4
Check if there's a direct connection—The passage assumes machinery automatically increases productivity, but doesn't prove it. Workers might be working harder due to new job expectations, or the month itself could be naturally busy.
5
Step 5
Look for alternative causes—Training on machinery, worker motivation, seasonal demand, management changes.
Conclusion: The reasoning is WEAK. It shows correlation but not proven causation. Other factors could explain the effect.
COMMON MISTAKE:
Students assume that because Event A happened before Event B, A caused B. This is wrong. Sequence alone doesn't prove causation. You need a logical, direct connection. Also, students miss alternative explanations. Always ask: "Could something else have caused this effect?"
Key Points to Remember
Cause is the reason something happens; effect is what happens as a result.
Cause must come BEFORE effect in time—this is essential.
Use trigger words (because, since, due to, therefore, as a result) to spot cause-effect statements.
Correlation ≠ Causation: Two things happening together doesn't prove one caused the other.
Apply the IF-THEN test: If [cause], then [effect] should logically follow.
Always look for alternative causes before accepting a cause-effect claim as proven.
Exam-Specific Tips
Cause-effect reasoning in SSC CGL focuses on identifying faulty logic and weak connections between events.
Trigger words for cause-effect: because, since, caused by, due to, as a result, therefore, consequently, led to.
Correlation means two things happen together; causation means one directly causes the other—they are NOT the same.
Valid cause-effect requires: (1) Cause occurs before effect in time, (2) Direct logical connection, (3) No better alternative explanation.
SSC CGL typically asks students to identify which statement represents a faulty cause-effect relationship in critical reasoning passages.
The IF-THEN test is a quick validation tool: If the claimed cause happens, does the claimed effect necessarily follow?
Multiple causes can produce one effect (overdetermined causation), and one cause can produce multiple effects (branching causation).
Temporal sequence alone (A before B) is insufficient to prove A caused B—you need evidence of direct connection.
60-Second Revision — Cause & Effect
Remember: Cause comes FIRST in time, effect comes AFTER. Always check this order.
Trap: Just because X happened before Y doesn't mean X caused Y. Look for direct logical connection.
Formula: Valid Cause-Effect = Temporal Order + Direct Connection + No Better Alternative Explanation.
Spot trigger words instantly: because, since, due to, therefore, as a result, consequently.
Use IF-THEN test in 10 seconds: If [cause], does [effect] HAVE to happen? If yes, likely valid; if no, likely faulty.
Watch for: Alternative causes hiding in the passage. Always ask 'What else could explain this effect?'
Correlation ≠ Causation—this is the #1 trick used in SSC CGL critical reasoning to trap students.