Reasoning

Syllogism: Practice Questions with Answers

115 practice questions on Syllogism, with answers; most also have an explanation or a worked solution. Try each one before you open its answer.

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1. Q.101

   Statements: No cooks are chefs. Some waiters are cooks. Conclusions: I. Some waiters are not chefs. II. All waiters are chefs. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Only conclusion I follows
   2. B Only conclusion II follows
   3. C Both conclusions follow
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (A) Only conclusion I follows

   The waiters who are cooks cannot be chefs (since no cooks are chefs), so 'some waiters are not chefs' is forced. 'All waiters are chefs' is not just unforced but contradicted.

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2. Q.102

   Statements: Some nurses are surgeons. All nurses are professionals. Conclusions: I. Some professionals are surgeons. II. Some surgeons are professionals. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Only conclusion I follows
   2. B Only conclusion II follows
   3. C Both conclusions follow
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (C) Both conclusions follow

   The nurses who are surgeons are also professionals, so 'some professionals are surgeons' is forced, and since this is a 'some...are' statement, it converts validly to 'some surgeons are professionals' too - both conclusions follow.

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3. Q.103

   Statements: All lawyers are graduates. Some judges are not graduates. Conclusions: I. Some judges are not lawyers. II. No judges are lawyers. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (B) Only conclusion I follows

   The judges who are not graduates cannot be lawyers (since every lawyer is a graduate) — so at least some judges are definitely not lawyers, which is Conclusion I. This says nothing about the OTHER judges (the ones who ARE graduates), so the stronger, blanket claim 'no judges are lawyers' in Conclusion II isn't forced.

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4. Q.104

   Statements: All dolphins are mammals. All dolphins are swimmers. Conclusions: I. Some mammals are swimmers. II. Some swimmers are mammals. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Only conclusion I follows
   2. B Only conclusion II follows
   3. C Both conclusions follow
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (C) Both conclusions follow

   Every dolphin is both a mammal and a swimmer, and these questions always assume that each category named has at least one member - so at least one dolphin exists, and that dolphin is a mammal who is a swimmer. That proves 'some mammals are swimmers' (Conclusion I) and, since 'some A are B' always converts to 'some B are A', 'some swimmers are mammals' (Conclusion II) too. Both conclusions follow.

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5. Q.105

   Statements: Some drivers are pilots. No pilots are sailors. Conclusions: I. All drivers are sailors. II. Some drivers are not sailors. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (C) Only conclusion II follows

   Statements: Some drivers are pilots. No pilots are sailors. Conclusion I (All drivers are sailors) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (Some drivers are not sailors) follows.

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6. Q.106

   Statements: Some hills are not valleys. Some valleys are not landforms. Conclusions: I. All landforms are hills. II. Some landforms are hills. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
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   Correct answer: (D) Neither conclusion follows

   Statements: Some hills are not valleys. Some valleys are not landforms. Conclusion I (All landforms are hills) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (Some landforms are hills) does not follow.

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7. Q.107

   Statements: No students are scholars. Some scholars are professors. Conclusions: I. Some professors are not students. II. No students are professors. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
   Show answer

   Correct answer: (B) Only conclusion I follows

   Statements: No students are scholars. Some scholars are professors. Conclusion I (Some professors are not students) follows in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (No students are professors) does not follow.

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8. Q.108

   Statements: Some markets are not shops. Some shops are stores. Conclusions: I. No markets are stores. II. All markets are stores. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
   Show answer

   Correct answer: (D) Neither conclusion follows

   Statements: Some markets are not shops. Some shops are stores. Conclusion I (No markets are stores) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (All markets are stores) does not follow.

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9. Q.109

   Statements: Some phones are laptops. No laptops are gadgets. Conclusions: I. No gadgets are phones. II. Some phones are not gadgets. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

   1. A Both conclusions follow
   2. B Only conclusion I follows
   3. C Only conclusion II follows
   4. D Neither conclusion follows
   Show answer

   Correct answer: (C) Only conclusion II follows

   Statements: Some phones are laptops. No laptops are gadgets. Conclusion I (No gadgets are phones) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (Some phones are not gadgets) follows.

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10. Q.110

    Statements: Some poets are artists. All artists are musicians. Conclusions: I. All musicians are poets. II. Some musicians are poets. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Both conclusions follow
    2. B Only conclusion I follows
    3. C Only conclusion II follows
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (C) Only conclusion II follows

    Statements: Some poets are artists. All artists are musicians. Conclusion I (All musicians are poets) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (Some musicians are poets) follows.

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11. Q.111

    Statements: All squares are rhombuses. All rhombuses are quadrilaterals. Conclusions: I. All squares are quadrilaterals. II. Some quadrilaterals are squares. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Only conclusion I follows
    2. B Only conclusion II follows
    3. C Both conclusions follow
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (C) Both conclusions follow

    All squares are rhombuses and all rhombuses are quadrilaterals combine transitively, so all squares are quadrilaterals is forced - Conclusion I follows. Since every square is a quadrilateral and, as these questions always assume, at least one square exists, at least one quadrilateral is a square - 'Some quadrilaterals are squares' follows too. Both conclusions follow.

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12. Q.112

    Statements: All tigers are mammals. Some reptiles are not mammals. Conclusions: I. Some reptiles are not tigers. II. No reptiles are tigers. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Only conclusion I follows
    2. B Only conclusion II follows
    3. C Both conclusions follow
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (A) Only conclusion I follows

    The reptiles that are not mammals cannot be tigers either (since all tigers are mammals), so 'some reptiles are not tigers' is forced. 'No reptile is a tiger' is too strong, since other reptiles (that are mammals) could still be tigers.

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13. Q.113

    Statements: No painters are sculptors. All sculptors are designers. Conclusions: I. Some painters are not designers. II. Some designers are painters. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Both conclusions follow
    2. B Only conclusion I follows
    3. C Only conclusion II follows
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (D) Neither conclusion follows

    Statements: No painters are sculptors. All sculptors are designers. Conclusion I (Some painters are not designers) does not follow in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (Some designers are painters) does not follow.

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14. Q.114

    Statements: Some poets are artists. All artists are musicians. Conclusions: I. Some poets are musicians. II. No poets are musicians. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Both conclusions follow
    2. B Only conclusion I follows
    3. C Only conclusion II follows
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (B) Only conclusion I follows

    Statements: Some poets are artists. All artists are musicians. Conclusion I (Some poets are musicians) follows in every valid diagram consistent with the statements. Conclusion II (No poets are musicians) does not follow.

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15. Q.115

    Statements: All lakes are rivers. No rivers are ponds. Conclusions: I. No lakes are ponds. II. Some lakes are not ponds. Which of the conclusions logically follow?

    1. A Only conclusion I follows
    2. B Only conclusion II follows
    3. C Both conclusions follow
    4. D Neither conclusion follows
    Show answer

    Correct answer: (C) Both conclusions follow

    Since all lakes are rivers and no rivers are ponds, no lake can be a pond - Conclusion I follows. Conclusion II is the weaker claim that at least some lakes are not ponds: since no lake is a pond and, as these questions always assume, at least one lake exists, it follows too. Both conclusions follow.

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