CSEET - Cause and Effect MCQs with explanations

Identifying Cause and Effect Reasoning is a key skill in logical reasoning, often tested by presenting two statements and asking you to determine the relationship between them.

Here are 15 questions and answers with explanations, covering the common scenarios in this type of problem:

Cause and Effect Questions and Answers

For each pair of statements, choose the correct relationship:

1. Statement I is the cause, and Statement II is its effect.

2. Statement II is the cause, and Statement I is its effect.

3. Both Statement I and Statement II are independent causes.

4. Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.

5. Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of some common cause.

Set 1: Direct Cause and Effect

Q1.Statement I: The prices of vegetables have increased sharply in the local markets.

Statement II: Heavy rains have caused water logging in several areas, disrupting the supply of vegetables.

Answer: 2 (Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.) 

Explanation: The disruption of supply due to heavy rain (Cause, Statement II) is the logical precursor that would lead to a sharp increase in prices (Effect, Statement I) due to scarcity.

Q2.Statement I: The school management decided to increase the class size by 10% next academic year.

Statement II: A large number of teachers resigned from the school recently.

Answer: 4 (Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.) 

Explanation: The decision to increase class size is a management decision (perhaps for financial reasons) and is an independent cause of a future effect. The teacher resignations are also an effect of some other cause (e.g., poor working conditions, low pay) and are an independent event from the class size decision. There's no direct cause-effect link between I and II.

Q3.Statement I: A major accident occurred near the railway crossing at 10 a.m.

Statement II: The express train passing at that time was delayed by two hours.

Answer: 1 (Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.) 

Explanation: The accident (Cause, Statement I) would naturally force a temporary stoppage or delay of the train (Effect, Statement II). The accident happened first and directly led to the train delay.

Set 2: Common Cause and Independent Causes

Q4.Statement I: All commercial flights operating out of the city's main airport were delayed by over an hour.

Statement II: Most private schools in the city declared an unexpected holiday.

Answer: 5 (Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of some common cause.) 

Explanation: Both delayed flights (Statement I) and an unexpected holiday (Statement II) can be effects of a common, unstated cause, such as extremely dense fog or a severe weather alert in the city, which affects both air travel and public safety/school attendance

.

Q5.Statement I: The new company policy mandates two days of work from the office per week.

Statement II: The local coffee shop near the company headquarters saw a significant rise in morning sales.

Answer: 1 (Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.) 

Explanation: The imposition of the in-office work policy (Cause, Statement I) directly led to more employees being near the local coffee shop, resulting in increased sales (Effect, Statement II).

Q6.Statement I: The government has been working on a new policy to reduce the price of cooking gas.

Statement II: Global crude oil prices have dropped significantly in the last six months.

Answer: 3 (Both Statement I and Statement II are independent causes.) 

Explanation: A government working on a policy (Statement I) is an action but not a result of falling global crude oil prices (Statement II). The drop in global prices is an independent economic event. Both are actions/events that are not directly caused by each other.

Set 3: Logical Sequence and Principal Cause

Q7.Statement I: The literacy rate in the district has risen sharply over the last decade.

Statement II: The district administration has launched a door-to-door campaign for primary education enrollment.

Answer: 2 (Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.) 

Explanation: The effort by the district administration (Cause, Statement II) is an action specifically designed to improve literacy, and the rise in the literacy rate (Effect, Statement I) is the expected, resulting outcome of this effort.

Q8.Statement I: The city's public bus transport system experienced a major breakdown, with buses stopping midway.

Statement II: A city-wide maintenance strike by mechanics was called off after two days.

Answer: 4 (Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.) 

Explanation: A bus breakdown (Statement I) is an effect (of poor maintenance, old buses, etc.). A strike being called off (Statement II) is also an effect (of negotiations, demands being met, etc.). They are effects of two separate chains of events, making them effects of independent causes.

Q9.Statement I: The company introduced a generous bonus structure for all its sales employees.

Statement II: The company recorded its highest-ever quarterly sales.

Answer: 1 (Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.)

 Explanation: The introduction of a financial incentive like a bonus structure (Cause, Statement I) is a motivator that logically precedes and is intended to drive the result of increased sales (Effect, Statement II).

Set 4: Scenario-Based Relationships

Q10.Statement I: The local municipality enforced a strict ban on single-use plastic bags.

Statement II: The amount of non-recyclable waste collected from households decreased by 30%.

Answer: 1 (Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.) 

Explanation: The ban on single-use plastic (Cause, Statement I) is a direct action intended to reduce waste, and the decrease in non-recyclable waste (Effect, Statement II) is the measurable consequence of that policy.

Q11.Statement I: The two major political parties in the state decided to form a coalition.

Statement II: The Chief Minister announced his resignation from his post.

Answer: 4 (Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.) \

Explanation: A coalition formation (Statement I) is an effect (of an election result, a hung assembly, etc.). A Chief Minister's resignation (Statement II) is also an effect (of a loss of support, a scandal, etc.). They are separate events/effects, possibly related to overall political instability, but I is not the cause of II, and II is not the cause of I.

Q12.Statement I: The consumption of bottled mineral water has risen considerably in the city.

Statement II: The quality of drinking water supplied through the main pipelines has deteriorated significantly.

Answer: 2 (Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.) 

Explanation: The poor quality of tap water (Cause, Statement II) is the fundamental problem that drives people to seek a safer alternative, leading to the increased consumption of bottled water (Effect, Statement I).

Set 5: Distinguishing Cause Types

Q13.Statement I: Many farmers reported damage to their winter crops.

Statement II: The region experienced an unusually early and harsh cold wave.

Answer: 2 (Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.) 

Explanation: The harsh weather event (Cause, Statement II) is the natural phenomenon that directly resulted in the adverse outcome of crop damage (Effect, Statement I).

Q14.Statement I: The local university decided to discontinue its undergraduate course in Ancient History.

Statement II: The university faced a financial deficit in the current academic year.

Answer: 4 (Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.) 

Explanation: While a financial deficit (II) might lead to cutting costs, closing a specific program (I) is an effect that could be caused by low enrollment or lack of faculty. The financial deficit itself could be due to poor investment or reduced grants. Neither is directly causing the other; they are two separate effects of two different, unstated independent causes.

Q15.Statement I: The municipal authority ordered the closure of a major illegal industrial unit.

Statement II: The pollution levels in the nearby residential area dropped to a 5-year low.

Answer: 1 (Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.) 

Explanation: The closure of the illegal industrial unit (Cause, Statement I), which was likely a major polluter, is the direct action that led to the significant and measurable reduction in pollution levels (Effect, Statement II).