CLAT PG question bank
CLAT PG International Law questions 76-100 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.
Coverage
Revise core LLB subjects through CLAT PG MCQs, passage-led questions, answer keys, explanations, statutes, and exam-oriented legal principles.
Refugee law is centred on protection from return to danger. Its core principle of non-refoulement has become influential well beyond the text of the Refugee Convention itself. At the same time, refugee status involves definitional elements that must still be satisfied, and exclusion clauses remind us that protection is not framed without limit. Human rights law has deepened the protective structure by preventing removal to places of torture or other serious prohibited harm even outside classical refugee categories. This interaction has made the field both richer and more complex.
Non-refoulement
Universal civil jurisdiction
State immunity
Complementarity
Correct answer: A. Non-refoulement
The passage begins from protection against return to danger, identifying non-refoulement as central.
Source note: Refugee law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
No definitional requirements at all
Definitional elements that must be satisfied
Only diplomatic approval
Automatic nationality
Correct answer: B. Definitional elements that must be satisfied
The passage makes clear that protective principle and status definition are related but distinct issues.
Source note: Refugee law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Framed without any limit
Structured and not limitless
Available only to citizens
Dependent on trade agreements
Correct answer: B. Structured and not limitless
That is the function of the exclusion-clause reference in the passage.
Source note: Refugee law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Bad weather
Torture or other serious prohibited harm
High taxation
Weak infrastructure
Correct answer: B. Torture or other serious prohibited harm
The passage specifically mentions torture and serious prohibited harm.
Source note: Refugee law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Simpler and narrower
Richer and more complex
Purely domestic
Detached from protection
Correct answer: B. Richer and more complex
That is the final description given in the passage.
Source note: Refugee law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
International humanitarian law does not prohibit all violence in war. It regulates violence through principles such as distinction, proportionality, and precautions. Civilians and civilian objects may not be directly targeted. Incidental civilian harm is assessed against the anticipated military advantage. The law also requires practical precautions to minimise harm where feasible. These standards are intensely fact-dependent and often contested in application, but the structure remains stable: military necessity never operates as an unlimited defence.
Precautions
Recognition
State succession
Nationality
Correct answer: A. Precautions
Precautions are named alongside distinction and proportionality.
Source note: Geneva law and customary IHL; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Relocated
Directly targeted
Discussed in treaty bodies
Protected by law
Correct answer: B. Directly targeted
That is one of the most basic protections set out in the passage.
Source note: Geneva law and customary IHL; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
The anticipated military advantage
The domestic popularity of the operation
The size of the state alone
The existence of a treaty preamble
Correct answer: A. The anticipated military advantage
The passage states the proportionality test in that form.
Source note: Geneva law and customary IHL; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Because they are fact-dependent
Because law is absent in war
Because courts refuse to discuss them
Because only treaties matter
Correct answer: A. Because they are fact-dependent
The passage explains that the standards are heavily dependent on facts and circumstances.
Source note: Geneva law and customary IHL; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Military necessity is relevant
Military necessity is an unlimited defence
Precautions matter
Distinction matters
Correct answer: B. Military necessity is an unlimited defence
The passage expressly rejects any idea that military necessity wipes out legal limits.
Source note: Geneva law and customary IHL; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Occupation law applies when territory is actually placed under the authority of hostile armed forces. Formal annexation is not required. The key is effective control. Once occupation exists in law, the occupying power acquires duties as well as powers. It does not become sovereign in the full sense. It must administer the territory within the constraints of occupation law, preserve public life as far as possible, and respect protected persons. The regime is therefore practical, factual, and deeply linked to civilian protection.
Friendly police advisers
Hostile armed forces
A trade union
A treaty depositary
Correct answer: B. Hostile armed forces
The passage defines occupation through authority of hostile armed forces.
Source note: Occupation law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Necessary to create occupation
Not required
The only test
A judicial remedy
Correct answer: B. Not required
The passage expressly says occupation does not require formal annexation.
Source note: Occupation law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Population density
Effective control
Religious affiliation
Historical alliance
Correct answer: B. Effective control
The passage identifies effective control as the key criterion.
Source note: Occupation law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Because occupation gives duties as well as powers
Because occupation is a private contract
Because sovereignty belongs to the UN
Because annexation always follows
Correct answer: A. Because occupation gives duties as well as powers
The passage stresses the limited and duty-bearing nature of occupation authority.
Source note: Occupation law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Civilian protection
Only boundary surveys
Tax exemptions
Corporate mergers
Correct answer: A. Civilian protection
Civilian protection is the practical human significance the passage emphasises.
Source note: Occupation law; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
International criminal law draws careful distinctions among genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Genocide is marked by a special intent to destroy a protected group in whole or in part. Crimes against humanity require a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. War crimes are tied to armed conflict and serious violations of humanitarian law. These categories overlap in moral gravity, but not in legal elements. Precision is essential because a failure to separate the categories leads to analytical error.
Specific intent to destroy a protected group in whole or in part
Any unlawful killing
Any wartime detention
Only destruction of property
Correct answer: A. Specific intent to destroy a protected group in whole or in part
The passage identifies special intent as the distinguishing feature of genocide.
Source note: Rome Statute; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
A civilian population
Only military aircraft
Only diplomats
Only corporations
Correct answer: A. A civilian population
That is the element given in the passage.
Source note: Rome Statute; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Armed conflict and serious violations of humanitarian law
All domestic crimes
Recognition of governments
Refugee definition alone
Correct answer: A. Armed conflict and serious violations of humanitarian law
The passage expressly links war crimes to armed conflict and serious IHL violations.
Source note: Rome Statute; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
Media visibility
Legal elements
Geographic location
Economic value
Correct answer: B. Legal elements
The passage says analytical precision matters because the legal elements differ.
Source note: Rome Statute; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
All atrocity crimes have identical elements
Precision is unnecessary where moral gravity is obvious
Failure to separate categories leads to legal error
War crimes require genocidal intent
Correct answer: C. Failure to separate categories leads to legal error
That is the exact concluding caution of the passage.
Source note: Rome Statute; Malcolm N Shaw, International Law
The International Criminal Court was designed as a complementary court rather than a universal first-instance tribunal. Its jurisdiction and practical effectiveness depend not only on the Rome Statute but also on state cooperation. Complementarity asks whether national systems are genuinely willing and able to investigate or prosecute. Cooperation questions arise in relation to arrest, surrender, evidence, and official resistance. Recent practice shows that the Court's authority is legal, but its practical reach remains closely tied to the response of states and institutions around it.
A court of last resort
A universal first-instance tribunal
An international institution
A treaty-based court
Correct answer: B. A universal first-instance tribunal
The passage contrasts complementarity with the idea of a universal first-instance tribunal.
Source note: Rome Statute; recent ICC practice
Investigate or prosecute
Negotiate maritime boundaries
Interpret every treaty
Declare wars
Correct answer: A. Investigate or prosecute
That is the core test identified in the passage.
Source note: Rome Statute; recent ICC practice
Arrest and surrender
Voting rights in the General Assembly only
Recognition of statehood only
Extradition treaties alone
Correct answer: A. Arrest and surrender
Arrest and surrender are specifically mentioned among cooperation issues.
Source note: Rome Statute; recent ICC practice
Its legal authority alone guarantees practical effectiveness
Its practical reach depends heavily on state and institutional response
It can function without cooperation of any kind
It replaces all national systems
Correct answer: B. Its practical reach depends heavily on state and institutional response
The passage expressly links practical reach to the response of states and institutions.
Source note: Rome Statute; recent ICC practice
Complementarity and cooperation are separate but deeply connected issues
Cooperation matters only after conviction
The ICC has no legal authority
National proceedings are irrelevant once the Rome Statute exists
Correct answer: A. Complementarity and cooperation are separate but deeply connected issues
The passage treats complementarity and cooperation as distinct but closely linked dimensions of the Court's operation.
Source note: Rome Statute; recent ICC practice