The relevance of SLAT legal reasoning section lies in the fact that students who take SLAT exam have no prior exposure to law as a subject. Hence, doing well in SLAT legal reasoning section is essential for getting a good overall score.
The SLAT legal reasoning section broadly consists of questions from 3 major areas i.e. Principle-Fact, Legal G.K. and Legal Facts. Let us take up each question type separately along with sample questions and tips to effectively solve such question types:
(I) Principle-Fact
Q.Legal Principle : A contract that is caused by coercion is voidable at the option of the person whose consent is so caused. Coercion is committing or threatening to commit any act forbidden by the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Factual Situation : Gopal threatened that if Suresh does not sell his land to him, he will torture his sister who is Gopal's wife Suresh sold the land to Gopal for a meager sum of amount. After a few days his sister (Gopal's wife) dies of natural death. Suresh sued Gopal for the recovery of land.
Decision:
- Suresh will succeed as the contract is void ab initio.
- Suresh will succeed as the contract was caused by coercion.
- Suresh will succeed as the consideration for sale is for a meager sum of amount.
- Suresh will not succeed as the contract is executed and Suresh's wife was not tortured.
Answer: (b)
While attempting these questions the following pointers should be kept in mind:
- Strict application of the principle: This section aims to judge a student's legal aptitude. Rather than testing the legal knowledge of a student this section will test a student's logical skills. This section helps in determining a student's clarity of thought. Just apply the principle o the factual situation
- Do not let prejudices, knowledge of law outside the principle or anything else affect your choice of answer. Hence, no assumptions should be made.
- Understand the principle: Familiarity with the principle as well as good comprehension will reduce the time spent on reading as well as understanding the principle
- Choosing the correct option: Read the options first instead of following the conventional approach of reading the principle and fact first, as it will be easier to select the incorrect options. By following this approach you will be able to eliminate at least 2 options in one go.
(II) Legal Fact
In this part direct law based questions will be asked. The focus areas for this section are preamble, fundamental rights and duties, directive principles, etc. under the Constitutional Law of India. A good knowledge of the landmark judgements and amendments will go a long way in ensuring an effective attempt.
Q. Theft is an offence relating to......
Decision:
- Movable property
- Immovable property
- Movable and Immovable property
- Intellectual Property only
Answer: (a)
While attempting these questions the following pointers should be kept in mind:
- Make a list and memorize the following:
- Important Fundamental rights and other articles under the Indian Constitution
- Important amendments
- Landmark Judgments
- Recommendations & Chairpersons of law commissions
(III) Legal G.K
Q. Which of the following has not been held by the Supreme Court of India to be an integral part of "Right to Life & Personal Liberty" under Article 21 of the Constitution of India?
Decision:
- Right to livelihood
- Right to Active Euthanasia
- Right to sleep
- Right to privacy
Answer: (b)
While attempting these questions the following pointers should be kept in mind:
- Identify one newspaper for regular reading: The Hindu, Indian Express. Etc. This will also be beneficial for the General Knowledge section which carries 30 marks
- Identify the relevant news columns which require a complete reading
- The Legal G.K section consists of questions from current and static legal G.K.
Key Learnings:
- Get familiar with the frequently asked questions.
- Learn to comprehensively apply multiple principles in a single question.
- Comprehension of the legal principle in one reading is very essential.
- Quickly eliminate incorrect options by reading the principle after reading the options.
- Principle-Fact questions are a hit and trial exercise hence, practice is the key.
- In order to increase accuracy you should aim at practicing the previous year papers for CLAT, AILET and SET-Law.
- If you have any question, suggestion or feedback, feel free to post it in the discussion box given below.