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SSC CGL Reasoning · Statement-Based Reasoning

Cause, Effect and Courses of Action

Decide which of two events caused the other, which courses of action sensibly address a problem, or what a responsible person should do in a given situation.

All Statement-Based Reasoning notes

Why this matters

Eighteen questions in the bank, all from the 2025 shifts, and 17 of them EASY. Eight are "what should you do" situations, seven ask for courses of action and three for cause and effect, and in all of them the answer is the practical, fair and lawful step.

Concept 1 of 3: Which event caused the other

Two statements describe two events. Ask which one would explain the other: the cause comes first and the effect follows from it. A surge in break-ins leads a shop to fit locks, not the other way round.

Definition

  • Cause: the event that makes the other happen. Effect: the event that follows from it.
  • Test both directions: "Did II happen because of I?" and "Did I happen because of II?" Usually only one sounds sensible.
  • A step taken in response (a training programme, a new rule) is usually the effect of the problem that prompted it.
  • Two events can also be effects of one common cause, or unrelated; some options offer these.
  • Fast route: find the statement that describes a response or a result. It is usually the effect.

Worked example

Statements: I. The river flooded the village. II. It rained heavily for three days. Which is the cause and which the effect?
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 18 Sep 2025, Shift 2 · Q5Easy

Example 1 · Statement-Based Reasoning · Cause, Effect and Courses of Action

Consider the following statement and choose the option that follows. Statements: I. Banks have increased staff training on cyber security. II. There has been a surge in cyber attacks.

Taking the order of the statements for cause and effect

Statement I is not always the cause. Read both events and decide which explains the other, whatever order they are printed in.
Drill 2 more on which event caused the other

Concept 2 of 3: Courses of action for a problem

A course of action follows if it is practical and deals with the problem directly. Extreme steps that stop the activity altogether, punish everyone, or do not touch the cause of the problem do not follow.

Definition

  • Follows: practical, within reach of the people concerned, and aimed at the problem or its cause.
  • Does not follow: extreme (shut it down, ban it completely), unrelated to the problem, or impossible to carry out.
  • Two actions can both follow when each tackles the problem from a different side (enforcement and awareness).
  • Fast route: strike any action that ends the activity instead of fixing it, then check that each remaining action really reduces the problem.

Worked example

Problem: Patients wait for hours at a government hospital. Actions: 1. Open more registration counters. 2. Close the hospital. Which actions follow?
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 26 Sep 2025, Shift 3 · Q11Easy

Example 2 · Statement-Based Reasoning · Cause, Effect and Courses of Action

Read the following statement carefully and identify the action that follows. Statement: A company is facing frequent data breaches. Course of Action: 1. Hire a cybersecurity team. 2. Shut down the IT infrastructure.

Choosing the strongest action

Banning online classes would end distraction in them, but it also ends the classes. The right course fixes the problem and keeps the useful activity going.

Rejecting a sensible action because another is better

Each action is judged on its own. If both are practical and both help, both follow, even if one helps more.
Drill 6 more on courses of action for a problem

Concept 3 of 3: What should you do

These questions put you in a role (an officer, a doctor, a team lead) and ask for the best response. The right answer is the one a responsible, fair person in that role would choose: deal with the problem, through proper channels, without harming anyone.

Definition

  • Choose: the option that solves the problem, follows the rules of your role, and treats people fairly.
  • Avoid: doing nothing, passing the problem on, punishing without reason, quitting, or breaking a rule to save time.
  • When someone needs help (a citizen, a patient, a junior), the right answer helps them and keeps to the rules.
  • When you see wrongdoing, report it through the proper channel, with evidence.
  • Fast route: strike the options that ignore the problem or make it worse; the one left is usually the answer.

Worked example

You are a shopkeeper, and a customer pays you 100 rupees too much by mistake and walks away. What should you do?
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 22 Sep 2025, Shift 3 · Q6Easy

Example 3 · Statement-Based Reasoning · Cause, Effect and Courses of Action

You are a government clerk and receive an incomplete application from a poor villager who doesn't understand the procedure. What should you do?

Picking the quick step over the right one

Turning away a complaint that arrives as the counter closes is quick, but the responsible step is to take it down or tell the person when to come back. The answer is the responsible step, not the fastest.

Choosing an extreme reaction

Resigning, punishing a whole team or going straight to the media are rarely the best first steps. Look for the measured action that deals with the problem through proper channels.
Drill 7 more on what should you do

Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance

A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.

Watch out for (5)

Test yourself on Statement-Based Reasoning

20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.

Take the Statement-Based Reasoning chapter testDrill all 18 questions