CLAT PG question bank

International Law MCQs for CLAT PG

CLAT PG International Law questions 1-25 of 225, with answer keys and explanations covering sources, treaties, State responsibility, recognition, jurisdiction, law of the sea, the United Nations, use of force, and human rights.

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Revise core LLB subjects through CLAT PG MCQs, passage-led questions, answer keys, explanations, statutes, and exam-oriented legal principles.

  • Asylum and Extradition5
  • Diplomatic Protection and Treatment of Aliens5
  • Human Rights and Refugee Protection5
  • Human Rights Law5
  • Human Rights, Refugee Law, and IHL5
  • Immunities5
  • Immunities and Diplomatic Law5
  • International Court of Justice5
  • International Criminal Law20
  • International Economic and Environmental Law5
  • International Humanitarian Law10
  • Jurisdiction5
  • Jurisdiction and Immunities5
  • Jurisdiction, Extradition, and Asylum5
  • Law of the Sea10
  • Occupation Law5
  • Recent Developments15
  • Recognition and Statehood5
  • Refugee Law5
  • Sources of International Law20
  • State Responsibility10
  • State Responsibility and Use of Force5
  • State Succession and Nationality5
  • Statehood and Recognition10
  • Treaty Law20
  • United Nations5
  • United Nations and ICJ5
  • United Nations and the ICJ5
  • Use of Force10
Passage or principleMalcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

International law does not treat every public document alike. Some instruments are formally binding, such as treaties concluded with valid consent, while others are not binding in the same direct sense but still matter. General Assembly resolutions, declarations, guidelines, and other forms of soft law may influence state conduct, shape expectations, and provide evidence of opinio juris. A text may therefore matter legally without being legislation. The harder task is to identify whether states are merely expressing political aspiration or acknowledging a legal position. Custom does not arise from words alone, but state practice without any legal conviction is also insufficient. The relationship among practice, legal belief, and institutional expression is therefore central to contemporary source analysis.

Question 1MediumSources of International Law

The main point of the passage is that non-binding instruments may still matter because they can:

  1. A

    Override treaties automatically

  2. B

    Help show opinio juris and influence legal development

  3. C

    Replace custom in every case

  4. D

    Bind only domestic courts

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Help show opinio juris and influence legal development

The passage explains that soft law instruments may not be binding by themselves, yet they can still influence legal development and help evidence legal belief.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 2EasySources of International Law

According to the passage, custom requires:

  1. A

    State practice alone

  2. B

    Opinio juris alone

  3. C

    Both state practice and legal conviction

  4. D

    Judicial decisions only

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Both state practice and legal conviction

The passage is explicit that custom needs both observable practice and acceptance as law. Either element on its own is incomplete.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 3MediumSources of International Law

Which inference best follows from the passage?

  1. A

    Every General Assembly resolution is legally irrelevant

  2. B

    A text may be politically important but legally meaningless in every case

  3. C

    Legal relevance and binding force are not identical ideas

  4. D

    Soft law is superior to treaty law

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Legal relevance and binding force are not identical ideas

That is the central analytical distinction in the passage. A measure can have legal significance without being binding legislation.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 4HardSources of International Law

The passage treats the difference between political aspiration and legal position as important because it affects whether one is seeing:

  1. A

    A rule of sovereignty over outer space

  2. B

    Evidence of opinio juris or only political rhetoric

  3. C

    A criminal conviction

  4. D

    A rule of diplomatic asylum only

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Evidence of opinio juris or only political rhetoric

The passage says the hard task is distinguishing political aspiration from an acknowledgment of law. That goes directly to opinio juris.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 5MediumSources of International Law

Which of the following would the passage most likely reject?

  1. A

    Practice can contribute to custom

  2. B

    Institutional expression can be legally relevant

  3. C

    Words alone are always sufficient to create custom

  4. D

    Soft law may influence legal development

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Words alone are always sufficient to create custom

The passage expressly says that custom does not arise from words alone. Practice and legal conviction must interact.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Passage or principleMalcolm N Shaw, International Law

The persistent objector doctrine occupies a narrow corner of customary international law. If a state objects clearly and consistently from the beginning of a rule's emergence, it may in some circumstances avoid being bound by that rule as custom, at least as against itself. Yet this doctrine does not swallow the system. It applies only where the rule is truly customary in origin and where the state's objection is sufficiently early and sustained. Most importantly, it does not permit a state to opt out of peremptory norms. Jus cogens reflects a different idea: that some norms are accepted and recognised by the international community of states as norms from which no derogation is permitted. Agreement and objection alike stop short at that boundary.

Question 6EasySources of International Law

The passage presents the persistent objector doctrine as:

  1. A

    A broad escape route from all international obligations

  2. B

    A narrow custom-related exception

  3. C

    A doctrine of treaty interpretation only

  4. D

    A method of terminating UN membership

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. A narrow custom-related exception

The passage repeatedly describes the doctrine as narrow and limited to the custom context.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 7MediumSources of International Law

A state claiming to be a persistent objector must generally show objection that is:

  1. A

    Late and secret

  2. B

    Early and sustained

  3. C

    Only oral

  4. D

    Approved by the Security Council

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Early and sustained

The passage says the objection must be sufficiently early and sustained. That is what makes it persistent rather than opportunistic.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 8MediumSources of International Law

The relationship between the persistent objector doctrine and jus cogens is that:

  1. A

    Both allow free opt-outs

  2. B

    Jus cogens stands beyond the doctrine

  3. C

    Persistent objection creates jus cogens

  4. D

    Jus cogens applies only to treaties

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Jus cogens stands beyond the doctrine

The passage clearly marks jus cogens as a limit that objection cannot overcome.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 9HardSources of International Law

Which statement is most consistent with the passage?

  1. A

    A state may avoid a peremptory norm by protesting loudly enough

  2. B

    A state may avoid a treaty by persistent objection

  3. C

    A state may in some cases avoid a customary rule through persistent objection, but not a peremptory norm

  4. D

    Persistent objector doctrine applies to all legal sources equally

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. A state may in some cases avoid a customary rule through persistent objection, but not a peremptory norm

The passage draws that exact distinction between custom and peremptory norms.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 10HardSources of International Law

The final sentence of the passage suggests that the law imposes a substantive boundary on state consent and objection in the form of:

  1. A

    Domestic statute

  2. B

    Jus cogens

  3. C

    Advisory jurisdiction

  4. D

    Diplomatic immunity

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Jus cogens

The substantive boundary identified is jus cogens, which neither consent nor objection may undercut.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Passage or principleMalcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Statehood and recognition are linked but not identical. The declaratory view treats statehood as a fact that recognition merely acknowledges, while the constitutive view gives legal weight to recognition by existing states. Practice reveals elements of both. An entity may possess territory, population, and organised authority, yet lack broad recognition and therefore face significant practical difficulty in entering ordinary international relations. Recognition can also be de facto or de jure, provisional or more stable. The legal debate matters because it shapes how one explains the relation between factual control and legal personality. It also matters politically, because recognition decisions often carry diplomatic and strategic consequences well beyond doctrinal description.

Question 11EasyStatehood and Recognition

The declaratory theory treats recognition as:

  1. A

    Creating statehood by itself

  2. B

    Acknowledging an already existing fact

  3. C

    A criminal penalty

  4. D

    A voting system

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Acknowledging an already existing fact

That is the classic declaratory position described in the passage.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 12EasyStatehood and Recognition

The constitutive theory gives special legal significance to:

  1. A

    Recognition by existing states

  2. B

    Population size alone

  3. C

    Coastal length only

  4. D

    Trade volume with neighbours

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Recognition by existing states

The passage states that the constitutive approach gives legal significance to recognition itself.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 13MediumStatehood and Recognition

The passage implies that practice reflects elements of both theories because:

  1. A

    Recognition questions are never political

  2. B

    Entities may satisfy factual criteria yet still face serious practical obstacles without recognition

  3. C

    Recognition has no effect on diplomacy

  4. D

    Statehood depends only on constitutions

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Entities may satisfy factual criteria yet still face serious practical obstacles without recognition

The passage highlights the tension between factual statehood and practical external acceptance.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 14MediumStatehood and Recognition

Recognition being de facto or de jure mainly shows that recognition can be:

  1. A

    Only military

  2. B

    More provisional or more complete in legal character

  3. C

    Completely irrelevant

  4. D

    Only economic

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. More provisional or more complete in legal character

The passage uses these terms to show gradation and difference in recognition practice.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Question 15HardStatehood and Recognition

The broader implication of the passage is that recognition decisions often carry:

  1. A

    Only linguistic consequences

  2. B

    Diplomatic and strategic consequences beyond pure doctrine

  3. C

    No legal or political effect

  4. D

    Automatic treaty succession

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Diplomatic and strategic consequences beyond pure doctrine

The passage ends by stressing the broader political consequences of recognition choices.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law; JP International Law notes

Passage or principleMalcolm N Shaw, International Law

State succession is often introduced through treaties, public property, archives, and debts, but the individual dimension is equally important. When sovereignty over territory changes or a new state emerges, affected persons may face uncertainty about nationality, residence, political participation, and protection against statelessness. International law does not solve every such question through one rigid formula. Instead, it tries to reconcile continuity, consent, territorial connection, and basic fairness. The result is often a framework of principles rather than a complete code. That complexity explains why succession law remains one of the most fact-sensitive areas of public international law.

Question 16EasyState Succession and Nationality

The passage emphasises that state succession affects not only states but also:

  1. A

    Weather systems

  2. B

    Individuals

  3. C

    Only corporations

  4. D

    Only military commands

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Individuals

The individual dimension is one of the central points of the passage.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 17EasyState Succession and Nationality

One recurring issue for persons affected by succession is uncertainty about:

  1. A

    Nationality and residence

  2. B

    Only sports law

  3. C

    Ocean currents

  4. D

    Parliamentary seating order abroad

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Nationality and residence

The passage specifically lists nationality and residence among the concerns that arise.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 18MediumState Succession and Nationality

The passage suggests that international law resolves nationality questions in succession through:

  1. A

    One rigid and universal formula

  2. B

    A set of principles rather than a complete code

  3. C

    No rules at all

  4. D

    Automatic retention of every prior nationality

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. A set of principles rather than a complete code

The passage says the area is guided more by principles than by one fully complete code.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 19MediumState Succession and Nationality

Which value is not mentioned as part of the balancing exercise in the passage?

  1. A

    Continuity

  2. B

    Consent

  3. C

    Territorial connection

  4. D

    Criminal retribution

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Criminal retribution

The passage mentions continuity, consent, territorial connection, and fairness, but not criminal retribution.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 20HardState Succession and Nationality

The final sentence portrays succession law as highly:

  1. A

    Mechanical and fixed

  2. B

    Fact-sensitive

  3. C

    Detached from human consequences

  4. D

    Limited to naval law

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Fact-sensitive

The passage characterises state succession as one of the most fact-sensitive fields in public international law.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Passage or principleMalcolm N Shaw, International Law

Jurisdiction is one of the clearest expressions of state sovereignty, but cross-border conduct makes the issue difficult. A state may legislate, adjudicate, and enforce within its territory, yet modern disputes often involve conduct beginning in one place, producing effects in another, and involving nationals of several states. International law has therefore developed principles such as territoriality, nationality, passive personality, the protective principle, and in limited contexts universal jurisdiction. These principles are not equal in scope, nor do they apply automatically in every case. The real question is whether the asserted connection between the dispute and the forum is recognised as sufficiently close and lawful.

Question 21EasyJurisdiction

The passage begins from the proposition that jurisdiction is closely tied to:

  1. A

    State sovereignty

  2. B

    Private contracts

  3. C

    Religious law

  4. D

    Trade fairs

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. State sovereignty

Jurisdiction is introduced as a core expression of sovereignty.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 22EasyJurisdiction

Which of the following is listed as a jurisdictional principle in the passage?

  1. A

    Passive personality

  2. B

    Agricultural necessity

  3. C

    Ecclesiastical privilege

  4. D

    Judicial estoppel only

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Passive personality

Passive personality appears expressly in the list of jurisdictional principles.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 23MediumJurisdiction

The passage treats modern cross-border disputes as difficult because conduct may:

  1. A

    Occur entirely within one village

  2. B

    Begin, produce effects, and involve persons across several states

  3. C

    Always be resolved by one police officer

  4. D

    Never involve online activity

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Begin, produce effects, and involve persons across several states

That multi-state structure is what makes jurisdiction difficult in the passage.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 24MediumJurisdiction

The final sentence suggests that the core legal question is whether the forum has a connection that is:

  1. A

    Emotionally compelling

  2. B

    Sufficiently close and lawful

  3. C

    Historically ancient

  4. D

    Economically dominant

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Sufficiently close and lawful

That is exactly how the passage frames the legitimacy of asserted jurisdiction.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

Question 25HardJurisdiction

Which inference best fits the passage?

  1. A

    All jurisdictional principles are equal and interchangeable

  2. B

    Extraterritorial jurisdiction is always unlawful

  3. C

    Different principles have different reach and cannot be applied mechanically

  4. D

    Only territoriality exists in international law

View answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Different principles have different reach and cannot be applied mechanically

The passage explicitly notes that the various principles are not equal in scope and do not apply automatically.

Source note: Malcolm N Shaw, International Law

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