CLAT Legal Reasoning & Aptitude 4

Question 1

Principle: An agreement to do an act impossible in itself is void. Fact: Arun agrees to pay Bina ₹1 lakh if she can fly without any mechanical aid within a week. Bina trains hard and fails. Can she sue Arun?

Accepted Answer

No, because the agreement was void for physical impossibility

Answer

An agreement whose subject matter is physically impossible at formation is void under Section 56 of the Indian Contract Act, so Bina has no enforceable claim.

Question 2

The rule in Rylands v Fletcher imposes strict liability when:

Accepted Answer

A defendant brings onto land a non-natural thing likely to do mischief if it escapes, and it escapes

Answer

Rylands v Fletcher established strict liability for non-natural use of land where a dangerous thing escapes and causes foreseeable damage, regardless of negligence.

Question 3

Principle: A minor's agreement is void ab initio. Fact: 15-year-old Priya represents herself as an adult and obtains a laptop on credit from a shopkeeper who reasonably believed her. The shopkeeper sues for payment.

Accepted Answer

The shopkeeper cannot recover payment as a minor's contract is void

Answer

Since a minor's contract is void ab initio in India, the shopkeeper cannot enforce it for payment even when the minor misrepresented her age (Mohori Bibee v Dharmodas Ghose).

Question 4

Which of the following scenarios involves the tort of 'conversion'?

Accepted Answer

A borrower sells a friend's car that was lent to them for a week

Answer

Conversion is an intentional dealing with another's chattel inconsistent with their right, such as selling property one does not own.

Question 5

Under the Indian Evidence Act, a 'dying declaration' is admissible because:

Accepted Answer

The declarant has no motive to lie when facing imminent death

Answer

The admissibility of dying declarations rests on the presumption that a person facing death has no reason to make a false statement.

(CLAT) Common Law Admission Test Practice Test

(CLAT) Common Law Admission Test Practice Test

CLAT Legal Reasoning & Aptitude 4