An exemption clause is construed by looking at the contract as a whole, including the exemption clause, and interpreting it according to the natural and ordinary meaning of the words. This is called the

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The question asks about the method used to interpret an exemption clause by examining the contract as a whole and interpreting it according to the natural and ordinary meaning of the words.
First, note that the excerpt describes a holistic or contextual approach to contract interpretation, rather than relying solely on a single isolated clause. This points toward the standard method of interpreting contracts by looking at the instrument in its entirety and giving terms their natural, ordinary meaning where possible.
Next, consider common interpretive tests in contract law. The plain meaning or literal approach focuses on the words themselves, but in many jurisdictions, courts also consider the contract as a whole, the surrounding circumstances, and commercial context to ascertain the parties’ intentions. This combination aligns with a "reasonable person" standard, where the interpretation should be understandable to a reasonable person reading the contract in context.
The phrase "reasonable person" test is typically invoked to describe the approach that a reasonable person would take when interpreting the contract, incorporating both ordinary language and the broader context of the agreement. It contrasts with more technical or rigid tests that ignore surrounding circumstances or broader contractual structure.
Mascaraed oppositions might try to label the method differently (for example, focusing solely on the four corners, or solely on strict literalism, or on contra proferentem), but these approaches fail to capture the description given in the question, which emphasizes the contract as a whole and the natural meaning in a real-world reading by a reasonable person.
Because the question explicitly states interpreting according to the natural and ordinary meaning of the words while looking at the contract as a whole, the most fitting label among standard doctrinal options is the reasonable person test. If options were provided, they would need to reflect that holistic, context-aware, ordinary-meaning interpretation rather than a purely literal, narrow, or vendor-biased approach.

An exemption clause is construed by looking at the contract as a whole, including the exemption clause, and interpreting it according to the natural and ordinary meaning of the words. This is called the

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Which intepretation rule states that the exemption clause is intended to cover only the matters contained in the contract.