In-Depth: Caselets (Text-based Data Interpretation)
CLAT Application & Relevance
Importance: VERY HIGH. Caselets are arguably the most authentic form of Data Interpretation for the CLAT exam. Unlike structured graphs or tables, data in a caselet is presented purely in textual format. This tests your ability to read critically, extract numerical information, identify relationships between different data points, and often organize the data yourself before calculations can begin. This format closely mirrors how a lawyer might analyze case facts or reports.
How it's tested: Deriving numerical values from descriptive text; combining multiple pieces of information to find missing data; applying percentages, ratios, and averages to information spread across a paragraph; creating your own data structure (e.g., a table) from the text.
Section 1: Core Concepts & Strategic Approach
A caselet is a paragraph or a short story that contains all the necessary numerical information required to answer a set of questions. The challenge lies in identifying, extracting, and organizing this scattered data effectively.
Strategic Approach to Solving Caselets:
- First Read-Through (Context): Read the entire paragraph once without focusing on numbers. Understand the overall context, the entities involved (e.g., companies, departments, years, male/female), and the general flow of information.
- Second Read-Through (Extraction & Structure): Read the passage again, but this time, actively extract numerical values and relationships.
- Identify Categories/Variables: What are the key entities or parameters? (e.g., A, B, C; Years 2020, 2021; Males, Females). These will form your table's rows and columns.
- Create a Table (or Chart): On your rough sheet, draw a blank table with appropriate rows and columns based on your identified categories. This is crucial for organizing data.
- Populate Known Values: Fill in all the explicitly given numbers into your table.
- Note Relationships: For indirect information (e.g., "A is 20% more than B," "Ratio of X to Y is 3:2"), write these relationships down or use variables (like 'x') in your table.
- Derive Unknown Values: This is often the most time-consuming step. Use the relationships and known values to calculate any missing data points. This might involve solving simple equations or applying percentage/ratio logic. Ensure your table is complete.
- Answer Questions: Once your data is organized and complete, answering the questions will be much faster and less prone to error.
Section 2: Solved CLAT-Style Examples
Example 1 (FINAL REVISED): Multi-Entity Data Derivation (Caselet)
Passage Context: "A law firm has 200 lawyers in three departments: Corporate Law, Litigation, and Arbitration. The Litigation department has 100 lawyers. The number of lawyers in the Corporate Law department is 40% of the number of lawyers in the Litigation department. The remaining lawyers are in the Arbitration department. In the Corporate Law department, the ratio of male to female lawyers is 3:2. In the Litigation department, there are 60 male lawyers. The Arbitration department has an equal number of male and female lawyers."
Question A: "How many lawyers are in the Litigation department?"
Question B: "What is the total number of female lawyers in the entire firm?"
Detailed Solution (with Tabulation Strategy):
1. Derive Department Totals:
Total Lawyers = 200.
Litigation (L) = 100.
Corporate Law (C) = 40% of Litigation = 0.40 * 100 = 40.
Arbitration (A) = Total - L - C = 200 - 100 - 40 = 60.
(Check: 40 + 100 + 60 = 200. Correct!)
2. Complete Gender Breakdown in Table:
| Department | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Law | 40 | ||
| Litigation | 60 | 100 | |
| Arbitration | 60 | ||
| Total Firm | 200 |
- Litigation: Total = 100, Male = 60. So, Female = 100 - 60 = 40.
- Corporate Law: Total = 40. Male:Female = 3:2. Total parts = 5.
Male =
(3/5) * 40 = 24. Female =(2/5) * 40 = 16. - Arbitration: Total = 60. Equal Male and Female. Male = 60 / 2 = 30. Female = 60 / 2 = 30.
3. Final Complete Table:
| Department | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Law | 24 | 16 | 40 |
| Litigation | 60 | 40 | 100 |
| Arbitration | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| Total Firm | 114 | 86 | 200 |
Answer A: From the table, there are 100 lawyers in the Litigation department.
Answer B: From the table, Total Female Lawyers = 16 + 40 + 30 = 86.
Example 2: Caselet with Percentage Changes Over Time
Passage Context: "A publishing house released a new legal journal, 'Lex Review', in 2021 with 500 subscribers. In 2022, the number of subscribers increased by 20% compared to 2021. In 2023, due to a highly publicized case study featured in the journal, the subscribers further increased by 25% over 2022. However, in 2024, the journal faced a major competitor, and its subscriber base decreased by 10% from the 2023 number. All subscribers pay an annual fee of ₹1200."
Question A: "What was the total number of subscribers at the end of 2024?"
Question B: "What was the total revenue generated from subscriptions in 2023?"
Detailed Solution (Step-by-Step Derivation):
1. Subscribers in 2021: 500
2. Subscribers in 2022: Increased by 20% from 2021.
= 500 * (1 + 20/100) = 500 * 1.20 = 600 subscribers.
3. Subscribers in 2023: Increased by 25% from 2022.
= 600 * (1 + 25/100) = 600 * 1.25 = 750 subscribers.
4. Subscribers in 2024: Decreased by 10% from 2023.
= 750 * (1 - 10/100) = 750 * 0.90 = 675 subscribers.
5. Revenue per subscriber: ₹1200.
Answer A: The total number of subscribers at the end of 2024 was 675.
Answer B: Total revenue in 2023 = Subscribers in 2023 × Annual Fee
= 750 * ₹1200 = ₹9,00,000.