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Statement and Argument Questions with Solutions

A strong argument gives a specific, weighty reason that directly addresses the question — a weak argument is vague, trivial, or beside the point, even if it sounds reasonable on first read. Here’s the approach, four fully worked examples covering each possible pattern, and a few to try yourself.

The approach, quickly

  • A strong argument must be both relevant to the question and important/weighty — a real, practical consequence or reason, not a passing preference or a superficial point.
  • An argument that states a general truism, a vague preference ("people like X"), or a throwaway comparison to something unrelated is weak, even if it isn’t factually wrong.
  • An argument that doesn’t actually address the specific question asked — or answers a different, broader question — is weak, however reasonable it sounds standing alone.
  • Judge "yes" and "no" arguments independently of each other — a question can have a strong case on both sides, on neither side, or on only one.

Worked examples

1. Statement: Should voting be made mandatory for all eligible citizens? Arguments: I. Yes, mandatory voting would increase voter turnout and ensure governments better reflect the will of the majority. II. No, people should be free to do whatever they want.

Solution

  1. I: Gives a specific, weighty reason — better representation through higher turnout. Strong.
  2. II: A vague generalization about freedom that doesn’t engage with the specific tradeoffs of mandatory voting. Weak.

Answer: Only argument I is strong

2. Statement: Should smoking be banned in all public places? Arguments: I. No, people have been smoking for centuries, so it should continue. II. Yes, passive smoking harms the health of non-smokers who have no choice in the matter.

Solution

  1. I: Tradition alone isn’t a reason to continue something with proven harms — this doesn’t engage with the actual issue. Weak.
  2. II: A specific, weighty harm to non-consenting third parties — directly relevant to why a ban might be justified. Strong.

Answer: Only argument II is strong

3. Statement: Should schools introduce compulsory computer education from an early age? Arguments: I. Yes, early exposure to technology will better prepare students for a digital economy. II. No, it would require significant investment in infrastructure and teacher training that many schools cannot currently afford.

Solution

  1. I: A specific, weighty future benefit directly tied to the proposal. Strong.
  2. II: A specific, weighty practical constraint directly tied to the proposal. Strong.

Answer: Both arguments are strong

4. Statement: Should the government increase funding for space research? Arguments: I. Yes, because space is vast and interesting. II. No, because other countries also fund space research.

Solution

  1. I: "Interesting" isn’t a weighty justification for a funding priority — too vague. Weak.
  2. II: Other countries’ funding choices don’t address whether this government should increase its own funding. Weak.

Answer: Neither argument is strong

Try these yourself

Judge each argument on relevance and weight, then check against the answer.

1. Statement: Should plastic bags be banned in retail stores? Arguments: I. Yes, plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose and cause significant environmental harm. II. No, people like using plastic bags.

Answer: Only argument I is strong

2. Statement: Should employees be allowed to work from home permanently? Arguments: I. Yes, it reduces commuting time and increases work-life balance for employees. II. No, it can reduce spontaneous collaboration and weaken team cohesion over time.

Answer: Both arguments are strong

3. Statement: Should the city build a new stadium? Arguments: I. Yes, because sports are fun. II. No, because the old stadium already exists.

Answer: Neither argument is strong

Where this comes up

Statement and Argument is a regular topic in the Reasoning/General Intelligence section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk.

Practice more Statement and Argument questions

This page covers the approach and a handful of worked examples. Pariksha Saathi has full topic-wise practice sets for Statement and Argument (and every other Reasoning/Quant/English topic) with instant scoring and explanations — free, no account required.

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