📑 On this page
⚡ The short answer
“Author would most likely agree” questions ask which option fits inside the author's stated position. Find the author's stance, copy its hedges (may, not in itself, solely) and its scope, then pick the option that stays inside all three. The #1 trap: an option on the author's side that says it louder than the author did.
🎬 The 30-second story
The café review
1
““The cold coffee is not bad in itself. But at ₹280, it's hard to recommend to students.””
☕
Kabir
A blogger reviews Kabir's café.
2
“She hates your café, bro. Reply to her reel!”
😤
Aarav
Aarav hears half.
3
“No yaar, she loves the coffee. Best in town!”
🥤
Meher
Meher hears the other half.
4
“She'd sign one line: the coffee's fine, the price is the problem, for students.”
🖍️
Zoya
Zoya underlines three words.
Tara's verdict: Both boys argued with a review nobody wrote. Her view has a stance (price is the problem), a hedge (“not bad in itself”) and a scope (students). Agreeing means keeping all three; the boys each kept half, and shouted.
How does CLAT word “author would agree” questions?
| Stem in the paper | Seen in | What it really asks |
|---|---|---|
| Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with? | 2023 Q106, Q118; 2024 Q91 | Which option fits the whole position? |
| Which is correct expression of the author's opinion? | 2021 Q114; 2022 Q118 | Same test; the opinion must be on the page. |
| Based only on the author's statement that “…”, which would the author agree with? | 2023 Q132; 2024 Q93 | That line is your passage. One short step only. |
| Which does NOT correctly represent the author's view? | 2021 Q118; 2022 Q123 | Find the one option the passage contradicts. |
| Which is the author most likely to disagree with? | 2023 Q127 | Find the clash with the stance, not mere silence. |
→ scroll to see more
What does the author actually “agree” with?
An author's position is more than a side: a stance (what they think), hedges (how sure they are) and a scope (who it covers). “Agree” means the option stays inside that fence. Cross any wall and the author objects.
🧮 The formula
The author's fence
🧭
Stance
the side they take
+
🎚️
Hedges
may, not in itself, solely
+
📏
Scope
who and what it covers
=
🏡
What the author agrees with
🎚️ The scale
How far can an option drift from the review?
← Against the authorBeyond the author →
Opposite
Flips the stance.
e.g. “Price doesn't matter to students.”
Half the fence
e.g. “The coffee is good.”
Inside the fence
e.g. “Decent coffee, too pricey for students.”
Louder
Same side, bigger claim.
e.g. “No student should ever go there.”
New claim
e.g. “Open a campus branch.”
📌 Agree is a small step, never a leap
The right option is the author's position in fresh words, or one short step on. Need two leaps and outside knowledge? That's you talking, not the author.
How do you solve an author-agree question in 60 seconds?
- 1
StanceSay the author's position in one line before the options. It usually follows the turn word: but, however.
- 2
FenceUnderline every hedge and scope word: may, in itself, solely, some, for students.
- 3
SortTag each option: opposite, louder, half, borrowed, new, or inside.
- 4
PointFind the sentence that backs the survivor. Can't point? Don't pick. Two survivors? Take the milder.
Which wrong options does CLAT plant in author-agree questions?
🧩 At a glance
The five decoys
📢Louder than the author
Same side, bigger words: always, must, solely.
🔄The flip
Turns the stance around, often in the passage's own words.
🗣️Borrowed voice
A view the author reports (critics say…) passed off as theirs.
🌍True in the real world
Sounds right from the news, but the passage never says it.
✂️Half the fence
The first clause fits; the second adds a claim or drops a condition.
⚠️ The “solely” and “at all costs” alarm
If an option wants something done solely, always or at all costs, check whether the passage weighed trade-offs. Editorials almost always do, and a balanced author never signs an absolute.
Agree, disagree and NOT represent: one skill, flipped
⚔️ Side by side
Which option are you hunting?
✅Agree
the one inside the fence
- •Unmentioned options are wrong
❌Disagree / NOT represent
the one the author would reject
- •Silence is not a clash
VS
| Test | Agree | Disagree / NOT represent |
|---|---|---|
| What wins | Stated, or one step on | Contradicted by the text |
In a disagree question, pick what the author would argue against, not what they never said.
Can you see the method on fresh passages?
✍️ Worked example
Warm-up
⏱ 30 sec
The coaching line
“Coaching is not useless in itself. But for students who already study on their own, its main value is a timed mock every week.” Which would the author most likely agree with?
(A) Coaching is a waste.
(B) Every aspirant needs coaching.
(C) Self-study beats coaching.
(D) For self-studiers, coaching's chief benefit may be timed practice.
(A) Coaching is a waste.
(B) Every aspirant needs coaching.
(C) Self-study beats coaching.
(D) For self-studiers, coaching's chief benefit may be timed practice.
- 1Stance: some value; for self-studiers, mostly the mock.
- 2Fence: “not useless in itself”; scope: self-studiers.
- 3Sort: A flips. B is louder (every aspirant). C ranks what the author never ranks.
- 4Point: “its main value is a timed mock every week” backs D.
Answer: (D)
⚡ The exam-hall shortcut
Scope check alone: only D talks about the author's self-studiers.
✍️ Worked example
CLAT level
⏱ 75 sec
The phone-ban editorial
Banning phones in classrooms is fashionable, and the evidence for it is not nothing: studies link a phone on the desk to weaker recall. But a ban is a blunt tool. Students who need phones for a sick parent or a late bus lose something real, and teachers become guards. The better question is not whether phones belong in class but whether schools can teach students to put them away. A school that pairs a lockable pouch with a short lesson on attention may get most of the benefit of a ban without its costs.
Which is the author most likely to agree with?
(A) Phones don't affect learning.
(B) Schools should ban phones outright.
(C) Phone bans have some basis, but gentler measures may achieve much of their benefit at lower cost.
(D) Teachers hate phone bans more than any other rule.
Which is the author most likely to agree with?
(A) Phones don't affect learning.
(B) Schools should ban phones outright.
(C) Phone bans have some basis, but gentler measures may achieve much of their benefit at lower cost.
(D) Teachers hate phone bans more than any other rule.
- 1Stance (after “But”): a ban is blunt; teaching restraint may work almost as well.
- 2Fence: “not nothing”, “may get most of the benefit”.
- 3Sort: A flips the evidence. B drops the “but”, so it's louder. D invents a ranking of teachers' dislikes.
- 4Point: the last sentence backs C.
Answer: (C)
⚡ The exam-hall shortcut
Two-sided passage, two-sided answer. Kill every option that keeps only one side.
✍️ Worked example
Tricky
⏱ 45 sec
Same passage, flipped stem
Same phone passage. Which would the author most likely disagree with?
(A) Students cannot be taught to manage their phone use.
(B) Some students genuinely need phones.
(C) A ban turns teachers into enforcers.
(D) Rural schools face more phone problems.
(A) Students cannot be taught to manage their phone use.
(B) Some students genuinely need phones.
(C) A ban turns teachers into enforcers.
(D) Rural schools face more phone problems.
- 1Hunt for a clash, not a gap.
- 2B and C are stated in the passage.
- 3D is never discussed: nothing to argue against.
- 4A attacks the author's solution, which assumes students can learn to put phones away.
Answer: (A)
⚡ The exam-hall shortcut
In a disagree question, find the author's proposal and pick the option that says it can't work.
How has CLAT asked author-agree questions?
📝 Asked in CLAT 2023
· Q106
The hedge “in itself”
The depreciation of an economy’s currency is not a matter of concern in itself. The decline in value against major currencies has to be viewed within a set of macroeconomic factors. … What are of concern now are the rate at which the depreciation is occurring and the underlying factors causing the change. … The challenge before the RBI is this: how much to let the rupee depreciate and how much to intervene to prop it up? … The Indian economy’s health is not exactly at its best.
Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with?
AIt is a major cause for concern if an economy’s currency is depreciating.
BCurrency depreciation is not a reason for worry in itself, but if macroeconomic factors are not good, there may be a cause for concern.
CThe fact that the Indian rupee is witnessing a decline in value against major currencies is very worrisome.
DA central bank must always do everything in its power to stem the slightest depreciation of an economy’s currency.
Reveal answer + reasoning
Answer: B
Stance: depreciation isn't a worry in itself; the rate and the underlying factors are. Only B keeps both the hedge and the condition, and the passage says the factors are poor (“not exactly at its best”). Answer B. Time: 50 seconds.
🔬 Option autopsy
Option autopsy: CLAT 2023 Q106
Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with?
A Depreciation is a major concern. Tag it
🔄 Opposite direction
Flips the first sentence.
B No worry in itself; a concern if macro factors are bad. Tag it
✅ Correct
Keeps the hedge and the condition.
C The rupee's decline is very worrisome. Tag it
🌗 Half right
Concern, yes, but about the rate and causes, not the bare decline.
D Always stem the slightest depreciation. Tag it
📢 Too strong / extreme
“Always”, “slightest”: the author describes a trade-off.
🔄 Opposite direction✅ Correct🌗 Half right📢 Too strong / extreme
Guess the trap behind each option, then tap to check. Wrong options fail in a handful of predictable ways.
📝 Asked in CLAT 2023
· Q118
Reading behaviour, not just worry
…developed countries… are faced with a real energy conundrum… ordinary people in these countries are worried, not just because of climate change but because of the lack of energy to heat their homes this coming winter. In the US, gas prices went up in summer, so much so that people travelled less and consumption of fuel dropped. But now prices are down and it is business as usual…
Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with?
APeople in the US are not worried at all about climate change.
BPeople in the US are worried about climate change, and these concerns affect their energy consumption habits more than anything else.
CClimate change has resulted in the increase of energy prices across the world, and as a result, governments have had to invest in finding newer sources of renewable energy.
DChanges in the energy consumption habits of people in the US are affected more by energy prices than concerns of climate change.
Reveal answer + reasoning
Answer: D
Prices up, people travelled less; prices down, “business as usual”. Behaviour tracked price, not climate worry. D says exactly that, as a modest comparison. Answer D. Time: 45 seconds.
Why the others fail
- A — Against the text: they worry “not just because of climate change”, so about it too.
- B — Half the fence: price, not climate concern, drove fuel use.
- C — A chain the passage never draws: climate change isn't blamed for prices.
📝 Asked in CLAT 2024
· Q93
One line, one step
…a proactive government role is key, rather than just waiting on some large corporation to do the needful… This does not let other institutions off the hook. … Indian courts should start engaging with the broader issue of non-human agency rather than wait for precedence to be set elsewhere. … Let us lead instead of only being led.
Based only on the author’s statement that “Indian courts should start engaging with the broader issue of non-human agency rather than wait for precedence to be set elsewhere”, which of the following would the author be most likely to agree with?
ACourts should take the initiative by being innovative and laying down rules where no precedents exist.
BCourts should wait for precedents and in the meantime refrain from engaging with the challenges presented by generative AI.
CCourts should stop relying on precedents and decide cases on the basis of judicial wisdom.
DPrecedents are the best possible safeguard against arbitrary decision-making.
Reveal answer + reasoning
Answer: A
One line, one step. The author wants courts to engage now, not wait for others' precedent. A is that idea one short step on, and “Let us lead instead of only being led” confirms it. Answer A. Time: 35 seconds.
Why the others fail
- B — The flip: the author says don't wait.
- C — Louder: the line covers new questions, not dropping precedent everywhere.
- D — A new claim the line never makes.
Also asked: 2023 Q111 (not solely the rupee), 2023 Q131–132, 2024 Q91, 2021 Q114, and the NOT twins 2021 Q118 and 2022 Q123.
Which myths cost marks on author-agree questions?
💥 Myth vs fact
Traps students fall for
🙅 Myth
If an option is true, the author agrees with it.
Tap to bust it →
✅ Fact
Real-world truth isn't the test. The author must have said it, or be one step from it.
🙅 Myth
Pick the option that backs the author's side most strongly.
Tap to bust it →
✅ Fact
The winner matches the author's volume, not just the side.
🙅 Myth
In a disagree question, pick whatever the passage never mentions.
Tap to bust it →
✅ Fact
Silence isn't disagreement. Pick the option the author would actively argue against.
Test yourself: five author-agree questions
🎯 Quick quiz
Inside the fence or not?
0 / 5
Online classes are not, by their nature, worse than offline ones. A recorded lecture can be paused and replayed. What online learning lacks is the push of a classroom: nobody notices when you skip. Students who build that push themselves, with a fixed timetable or a study partner who checks in daily, often do as well online as anyone does offline.
Q1. The author would most likely agree that:
Stance plus scope: it works for those who build their own push. A and B are louder; D invents a number.“Tourism is not the enemy of the hills. Unplanned tourism is.”
Q2. The author would most likely disagree with:
A attacks the stance; B, C and D restate it.Q3. The author wrote that a policy “could help, if funded properly”. An option says the author believes it “will definitely succeed”. That option is:
“Could, if funded” became “will definitely”: louder.Critics say the college's new attendance rule gives the principal too much power to grant exemptions. That worry is overstated: exemptions are limited to medical and sports grounds, and a committee reviews every one. The rule's real weakness lies elsewhere. The fine for missing classes is so small that students who can afford it may treat it as a fee for bunking.
Q4. Which is the author most likely to agree with?
A is the critics' view, which the author calls “overstated”. The author's point follows “real weakness”.Based only on the statement “Exams measure preparation on one day, not ability over a year”.
Q5. Which would the author most likely agree with?
One short step. A and D are louder; B is a new claim.🎯 Author-agree questions in a nutshell
- Agree = inside the author's fence: stance, hedges, scope.
- Find the stance after the turn word (but, however, the real issue).
- Kill the flip, the louder twin, the borrowed voice, the real-world fact, the half-fence.
- In disagree and NOT questions, pick the clash, not the silence.
- Two survivors? The milder wins.
📎 Cheat sheet
- “Author most likely to agree” → author-agree → stance in one line, then sort by fence.
- “Correct expression of the author's opinion” → text-bound agree → find the sentence.
- “Based only on the author's statement…” → one-line agree → one step only.
- “NOT represent” / “disagree” → reversed agree → find the clash.
- “Can be inferred” / “must be true” → inference → combine sentences.
- “Most likely outcome” → outcome → run the cause forward.
Frequently asked questions
What does “the author would most likely agree” mean in CLAT?
It asks which option fits the position the author takes in the passage, not what is true in the world. The right option keeps the author's stance, their hedges such as “may” or “in itself”, and their scope. It is usually one short step from a sentence you can point to.
How is an author-agree question different from an inference question?
An inference can combine facts the author merely reports. An author-agree question is about the author's own view, so separate it from views the author quotes or rejects. Both reward the modest option you can back with a line from the passage.
Should I always pick the most moderate option?
No. Match the author's volume. If the author says something “must” change, an option saying it “might be worth considering” is too timid. Moderate options win often only because CLAT authors hedge. Copy the hedges you find, no more and no fewer.
How do I handle “which does NOT represent the author's view”?
Flip the hunt. Three options will be stated, implied, or facts the author reports. The answer is the one the passage contradicts. An option the passage never discusses is rarely the answer when another option openly clashes with the text.
Keep going
← Previous topic
Main Point, Central Idea and Best Title
Topic plus the author's stand: find the central idea and best title
Next topic →
“Must Be True” Questions: Valid vs Merely Likely
Valid vs merely likely: the counter-world test for “must be true”
📚
Part of the chapter
Inference & Conclusion in CLAT Logical Reasoning
See how this topic fits the whole of Inference & Conclusion →
Connected topics in other chapters
Main Point and Central Idea
Find the author's stance first; that is the main point.
“According to the Passage” Questions
The stated-fact cousin: no stance needed, just the line.
Extreme Words and Scope Traps
The “louder than the author” decoy, in depth.
What Does the Author Mean?
For the “based only on this statement” stems.
“Most Likely Outcome” Questions
Same modest-answer rule, applied to predictions.
Every topic in Inference & Conclusion
- 1.What Is an Inference? “Can Be Inferred” Questions in CLAT Logical Reasoning
- 2.“According to the Passage” and “Which Is NOT True” Questions
- 3.Main Point, Central Idea and Best Title
- 4.“The Author Would Most Likely Agree” Questions (you're here)
- 5.“Must Be True” Questions: Valid vs Merely Likely
- 6.Statement and Conclusion: Which Conclusion Follows?
- 7.Complete the Argument: Fill-in-the-Blank Conclusions
- 8.Extreme Words and Scope Traps: “All”, “Only”, “Always”
- 9.“What Does the Author Mean?” Reading One Line Right
- 10.Syllogisms: All, Some, No and the Venn Method
- 11.If, Only If, Unless, Either–Or: Conditional Statements
- 12.Seating Arrangement: Linear, Two-Row and Circular
- 13.Grid Puzzles: Matching People, Things and Days
- 14.Ordering, Ranking and Logical Sequence
- 15.“Most Likely Outcome” Questions: Applying the Argument