CLAT Exam  >  CLAT Questions  >  Direction: Read the following passage careful... Start Learning for Free
Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:
In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries.  The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.
These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.
Q. What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?
  • a)
    Increased government funding for these countries
  • b)
    Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populations
  • c)
    The creation of a unified creditor community
  • d)
    A decrease in global economic power
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questio...
According to the passage, the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries is the imposition of austerity measures on vulnerable populations. These countries have accumulated excessive debt during the period when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international financial system. As a result, they are now facing debt-related stress and widespread defaults. To address these issues, austerity measures, which involve cutting public spending and reducing government services, are being imposed. Unfortunately, these measures often have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable members of society.
View all questions of this test
Most Upvoted Answer
Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questio...
Consequence of Debt Stress
The passage highlights the severe consequences of debt stress and widespread default faced by low- and middle-income countries. The correct answer is option 'B', which states that austerity measures are imposed on vulnerable populations. Below is a detailed explanation of this consequence:
Understanding Debt Stress
- Low- and middle-income countries have accumulated excess debt, exacerbated by factors such as:
- Cheap liquidity injected into the international system by high-income countries.
- Economic shocks from the COVID pandemic.
- Rising food and fuel prices.
Outcome of Debt Stress
- As a result of the overwhelming debt, these countries experience:
- Debt Stress: An inability to manage or repay their debts, leading to defaults.
- Fragmented Creditor Community: The lack of a cohesive group of creditors makes it difficult to find solutions for these debts.
Austerity Measures
- In response to the debt crisis, governments in these nations are forced to implement:
- Austerity Measures: These are cuts in government spending, which often include reductions in public services, social welfare, and other essential programs.
- Impact on Vulnerable Populations: Austerity disproportionately affects those least able to bear additional burdens, resulting in increased poverty and social unrest.
Conclusion
The passage underscores that the urgent need for multilateral action contrasts sharply with the realities faced by these countries. The imposition of austerity measures on vulnerable populations is a direct consequence of the current debt stress and defaults, highlighting the dire economic situation they find themselves in.
Explore Courses for CLAT exam

Top Courses for CLAT

Question Description
Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for CLAT 2025 is part of CLAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the CLAT exam syllabus. Information about Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for CLAT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for CLAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for CLAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:In the run-up to the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in the second week of April, there was much talk that the two organisations were on the cusp of change. Multiple crises are demanding attention from the international community. But these institutions, once central players in the management of the international economic order, seem to have little to offer as effective managers in the current conjuncture. Hence the need for change. Two factors account for their loss of significance or even descent into irrelevance. The first is that these dominant multilateral bodies once accounted for a significant share of the cross-border flows of finance from the capitalist North to the Global South but are now minor players in the global movement of capital. The share of yield-seeking or even predatory private capital in total flows has increased enormously as the distribution of the surpluses generated globally concentrate in the hands of these private players rather than in the hands of governments, including those in high-income countries. The second is that even the surpluses that remain in the hands of public players are no more concentrated with G7 governments but are spread across governments of countries outside the North, varying from the oil exporters to the now dominant or newly emerging global-manufacturing hubs, especially an increasingly combative China. The Bretton Woods twins, established at a time when the international order looked very different, have a structure of governance and decision-making (dominated by the G7, especially the US) that does not correspond to the current distribution of global economic (even if not military) power.These dissonant features have developed at a time when the need for multilateral action is urgent, given multiple global challenges. External debt crises overwhelm a large number of low- and middle-income countries that accumulated excess debt during the years when high-income-country governments and central banks injected cheap liquidity into the international system and the COVID pandemic and the spike in food and fuel prices pushed poorer countries into soaking up that liquidity. The result is debt stress and widespread default. With a fragmented creditor community unable to offer viable paths to resolution, adjustment in countries overwhelmed by debt is forcing austerity on populations least able to bear more burdens.Q.What is the consequence of the current debt stress and widespread default in low- and middle-income countries, as per the passage?a)Increased government funding for these countriesb)Austerity measures imposed on vulnerable populationsc)The creation of a unified creditor communityd)A decrease in global economic powerCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice CLAT tests.
Explore Courses for CLAT exam

Top Courses for CLAT

Explore Courses
Signup for Free!
Signup to see your scores go up within 7 days! Learn & Practice with 1000+ FREE Notes, Videos & Tests.
10M+ students study on EduRev