In this guide
CLAT does not test whether you have memorised a word list. It asks what a word or phrase means as used in the passage. That sounds easier, but it creates a specific trap: the option that gives the word's most familiar meaning. Examiners pick words with more than one meaning precisely so that the familiar one is wrong.
The good news is that the passage almost always contains the clues you need. This guide shows you how to find them.
Passage meaning, not dictionary meaning
The judge tempered the sentence in view of the accused person's age.
"Tempered" here means softened or moderated. The familiar sense, as in "tempered steel" or "tempered glass", describes metal or glass that has been treated to make it tougher. A candidate who sees "tempered" and thinks "made hard" chooses the opposite of the right answer.
Context clues
| Clue | Example | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | "The policy was ephemeral: it lasted barely a month." | The sentence explains the word: short-lived |
| Contrast | "Unlike the verbose first draft, the final report was concise." | "Unlike" tells you verbose is the opposite of concise: wordy |
| Example | "Perennial problems, such as floods every monsoon, return year after year." | The example shows the meaning: recurring |
| Tone | "The critic's scathing review left no room for praise." | The rest of the sentence shows the strength: harshly critical |
| Cause and effect | "Because the evidence was tenuous, the court dismissed the case." | A case dismissed for this reason had weak evidence |
The method: predict, then substitute
- Cover the word and reread the sentence, plus the one before and after.
- Predict a simple word or phrase that fits. Say it to yourself.
- Substitute each option into the sentence in place of the original word.
- Check tone and logic. The correct option keeps both the meaning and the direction of the passage. If a substitution makes the sentence say something odd or opposite, reject it.
A worked passage
The court's order was greeted with qualified relief by the residents. It barred the factory from discharging untreated water into the river, but it stopped short of ordering the plant to close. The company said it would appeal, arguing that the order was arbitrary. Environmental groups called it a novel step, because the court had also set a timetable for testing the water and required the results to be made public. Whether the order will arrest the river's decline depends on how strictly it is enforced.
Q1. As used in the passage, "qualified" most nearly means:
(a) professionally trained
(b) great
(c) limited, not complete
(d) officially certified
Answer: (c). The residents got part of what they wanted: the discharge was barred, but the plant was not closed. So their relief was partial.
- (a) and (d) are the familiar meaning of "qualified", as in a qualified doctor. They make no sense applied to relief.
- (b) is the opposite. "Stopped short of" tells you something was held back.
Q2. "Discharging" most nearly means:
(a) releasing or letting out
(b) dismissing from a job
(c) paying off a debt
(d) firing a gun
Answer: (a). Water is being let out into the river. (b), (c) and (d) are real meanings of "discharge", but none of them fits water and a river.
Q3. "Novel" most nearly means:
(a) a long work of fiction
(b) new and unusual
(c) unlawful
(d) minor
Answer: (b). The groups explain why: the court "also" set a timetable and required public results, which goes beyond a usual order. (a) is the noun, not the adjective. (c) contradicts the groups' approving tone. (d) contradicts "because" the step went further than usual.
Q4. "Arrest" most nearly means:
(a) take into police custody
(b) record officially
(c) speed up
(d) stop or halt
Answer: (d). A decline is something you want to stop. (a) is the familiar meaning and makes no sense with "decline". (b) does not fit. (c) is the opposite of what an anti-pollution order aims for.
Everyday words with second meanings
Legal and formal passages, which CLAT favours, use many ordinary words in a second sense. Learn both meanings of each.
| Word | Familiar meaning | Second meaning, common in formal writing |
|---|---|---|
| Sanction | Approval ("sanctioned funds") | Penalty ("trade sanctions") |
| Qualified | Having the right training | Limited, with reservations ("qualified support") |
| Entertain | Amuse | Consider ("entertain a petition") |
| Hold | Grasp | Decide, of a court ("the court held that…") |
| Discharge | Let out or release | Perform ("discharge one's duties"); pay off ("discharge a debt") |
| Consideration | Careful thought | Something of value given in return, in a contract |
| Instrument | Tool, musical instrument | A formal legal document |
| Relief | Ease from worry | A remedy granted by a court |
| Bar | Rod, counter | Prevent ("barred from entering"); the legal profession ("called to the bar") |
| Execute | Carry out | Sign and complete a legal document ("execute a deed") |
| Arrest | Take into custody | Stop ("arrest the decline") |
| Novel | A work of fiction | New and original |
| Appreciate | Value | Increase in value ("the rupee appreciated") |
Phrases and idioms
Some questions ask about a phrase rather than a single word. The same predict-and-substitute method works.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cut both ways | Has both good and bad effects |
| Pay lip service to | Express support without acting on it |
| The jury is still out | It has not yet been decided |
| A tall order | Something very difficult to achieve |
| Stop short of | Not go as far as |
Building vocabulary that lasts
Lists memorised without context fade within weeks. A small, steady system works better.
- Collect from your reading. Write each new word with the full sentence you found it in.
- Guess first. Write your guess from context, then check the dictionary. The guess trains exactly the skill CLAT tests.
- Note second meanings. When a familiar word is used oddly, look it up. That is the word CLAT would ask about.
- Revise weekly. Ten minutes each weekend: cover the meanings and test yourself on the sentences.
- Use it. Write one sentence of your own with each new word.
The guide to word power for CLAT adds word roots and a spaced revision schedule.
Practice set
Choose the meaning as used in each sentence.
P1. "The government has sanctioned funds for the new bridge." Sanctioned:
(a) penalised (b) delayed (c) approved
P2. "Several countries imposed sanctions on the regime." Sanctions:
(a) penalties (b) approvals (c) negotiations
P3. "The court refused to entertain the petition, as it had been filed too late." Entertain:
(a) amuse (b) consider (c) reject
P4. "The committee's findings were damning." Damning:
(a) religious (b) uncertain (c) strongly critical
P5. "Lower prices cut both ways: shoppers gain, but small producers may lose." Cut both ways:
(a) have both good and bad effects (b) are unfair to everyone (c) are reduced twice
P6. "The treaty was ratified by both countries." Ratified:
(a) rejected (b) formally approved (c) discussed
Answers:
- (c). Funds are provided for a bridge, so approval. (a) is the other meaning of "sanction", and it does not fit funds for a project.
- (a). Countries impose sanctions on a regime to punish or pressure it. The same word can mean approval, which is why context decides.
- (b). The petition was late, so the court would not consider it. (c) looks tempting, but substitute it: "refused to reject the petition" says the opposite. (a) is the familiar meaning.
- (c). Findings that condemn. (a) confuses it with a religious sense of "damn". (b) is the wrong strength.
- (a). The sentence itself gives one gain and one loss. (b) and (c) ignore that clue.
- (b). Ratification is a country's formal approval of a treaty, by which it agrees to be bound. (a) is the opposite; (c) comes before ratification.
What to do next
- Start a vocabulary notebook this week: word, sentence, your guess, the real meaning.
- Learn the second-meanings table, and add every new one you meet in legal passages.
- Revisit tone and attitude questions, since one word's exact sense often sets the tone, and the English plan for CLAT.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Consortium of National Law Universities website .
Get the next CLAT guide by email
New guides every week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.