← Reasoning

Statement and Conclusions

Reasoning · Logical & Analytical Reasoning

7 Part3 worked examples12 practice questions

Picture a judge in a court giving a verdict. He accepts only what has been placed before him as evidence; what someone “feels”, or what people outside “say”, does not decide the case. In statement and conclusion questions you are that judge and the statement is your only evidence.

The question gives a short statement, which you must take as true, and under it two (sometimes three or four) conclusions — things claimed to come out of the statement. You decide which of them really does.

This chapter teaches you from the very beginning: first the true meaning of “follows”, then the small words that change the whole meaning (all, some, most, only, never), then how to pick among the five answers, and finally the traps in which marks are usually lost.

How to use this chapter

  1. Read — each part explains the idea first, then gives rules and tables.
  2. Study the solved example — in the “Example” boxes the full reason for each decision is open. Read the “why” beside every conclusion.
  3. Try it yourself — in the “Try it yourself first” questions the solution is hidden. Decide yes or no on each conclusion first, then pick the option.
  4. Know the level — Basic, Standard, Advanced. Make the basic ones solid first.
NoteThe questions you solve are remembered in this browser. Check your progress in the panel on the right (the “Contents” button on a phone).
1

Foundation — statement, conclusion and “follows”

Every question stands on these three ideas

The vocabulary, the test for “follows”, and the small words that fix how strong a sentence is.

Statement, conclusion and “follows”

Three words that run the whole chapter

What a statement is, what a conclusion is, and the plain test for a conclusion to “follow”.

TermMeaningExample
StatementOne or two sentences of information which you must take as true“The shop remains closed on Sundays.”
ConclusionA claim said to be drawn from the statement“Nothing can be bought from the shop on Sunday.”
FollowsIf the statement is true, this conclusion must be true as wellThe conclusion above
Does not followEven when the statement is true this conclusion can be false, or the statement is silent about it“The shop is open on Mondays.”

Notice that “does not follow” does not mean “is false”. Many conclusions may well be true, but the statement does not prove them. The question does not ask “true or false”; it asks “is it certain from the statement or not”.

The plain way to decide
Take the statement as trueTake one conclusion aloneAsk: is it unavoidable?Yes → follows; no → does not
Remember“Perhaps”, “could be”, “sounds reasonable” — none of these is “unavoidable”. Whenever you think “that sounds right”, stop and ask where in the statement it is written.
Example 1 · Basic
Statement: The railway has cancelled the Bikaner–Delhi night train for the next ten days because of track repair work. Conclusion I. Passengers will not be able to travel by this train during the next ten days. Conclusion II. The track repair will be completed in exactly ten days.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Conclusion I follows. The train is cancelled, so travelling by it is not possible — a direct result.
  2. 2Conclusion II does not follow. The train is off for ten days, but the statement does not say when the repair will end.
Answer Only Conclusion I follows
The first conclusion is a direct result. The second tells “until when”, though the statement gave only the period of cancellation.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: The municipal school remains closed on every Sunday and on the second Saturday of every month. Conclusion I. No classes are held in the school on Sundays. Conclusion II. The school is open on all the other days of the year.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: Exactly 40 candidates came for the interview, and 8 of them were selected. Conclusion I. 32 candidates were not selected. Conclusion II. The selection depended only on the interview marks.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: The new road has cut the journey from Ajmer to Jaipur by 40 minutes. Conclusion I. The money spent on the new road was a good investment. Conclusion II. One can now reach Jaipur from Ajmer in less time than before.

Only the statement’s evidence — four tests

How to test any conclusion

Keeping outside information away and asking four questions of every conclusion.

The commonest mistake is mixing in what we already know or our own opinion. The exam says: treat the statement as the whole world. About whatever is not in it, you know nothing.

Ask these four questions of any conclusion:

QuestionIf “yes”Example
Is this very thing written in the statement (perhaps in other words)?Follows“remains closed” → “will not be found open”
Does it come out for certain by adding, subtracting or joining the numbers / order of the statement?Follows8 of 40 selected → 32 not selected
Do you need a fact from outside the statement to believe it?Does not follow“the driver was drunk”
Is it stronger than the statement (all, always, only, certainly)?Does not follow“most” to “all”

A golden rule: a conclusion may be weaker than the statement but never stronger. From “most buses run late” you get “some buses run late” (weaker), but not “all buses” (stronger).

RuleCommon sense is allowed only for the meanings of words — “cancelled” means “will not run”, “except Monday” means “not on Monday”. Adding facts about the world (why it rained, which player is better) is forbidden.
Example 2 · Standard
Statement: Sunita has secured the first position in the state in the Class 10 board examination. Conclusion I. Sunita is the most intelligent girl in the state. Conclusion II. No candidate in the state was ranked above Sunita.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Conclusion I does not follow. The first rank does not prove intelligence; hard work and opportunity count too. This is an outside belief.
  2. 2Conclusion II follows. First position means that nobody is above her.
Answer Only Conclusion II follows
In the second, “first position” itself means “nobody above”; in the first, intelligence is added from outside.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: This year the monsoon reached Kerala a week earlier than usual. Conclusion I. The monsoon will reach Rajasthan also a week earlier than usual. Conclusion II. This year the monsoon came to Kerala before its usual date.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: Because the main bridge is under repair, buses between the two towns are running by the longer road. Conclusion I. The main bridge is not in use for buses at present. Conclusion II. The longer road is better than the bridge route.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: The weather office has issued a heavy-rain warning for Udaipur for tomorrow. Conclusion I. It will rain heavily in Udaipur tomorrow. Conclusion II. The weather office expects heavy rain in Udaipur tomorrow.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: The shop is open every day except Monday from 10 am to 8 pm. Conclusion I. The shop will be found open at 9 pm on Tuesday. Conclusion II. The shop is closed on Mondays.

Small words, big effect

All · some · most · only · never

The ladder of strength of the quantity words and the special rule for “only”.

The same sentence with “all”, “most” or “some” gives a very different meaning. Recognising these words and understanding their strength is the most important skill in judging conclusions.

WordWhat is certainWhat is not certain
all / every / eachNot a single member is left outThe reverse (that those outside the group are excluded)
most / majority / generallyMore than half; so “some” too“all”
some / several / at least oneAt least one“all” or “most”; and “some are not” as well
only / alone / none butEveryone else is outThat all those inside actually do it
hardly any / very fewVery few (near zero)“none”
never / always / mustHolds in the whole rangeHolding at times or places outside that range
The ladder of strength (coming down is allowed, climbing up is not)
allmostsomeat least one

From “all” you get “most” and “some”; from “most” you get “some”; but from “some” you do not get “most” or “all”.

The special rule for “only”

“Only members can take books” means: being a member is a necessary condition. So “a non-member cannot take books” follows. But “every member takes books” does not — the condition is necessary, not enough. By contrast, in “all members can take books” the outsiders are not mentioned, so “a non-member cannot take books” does not follow from it.

Trap“All A are B” and “only A are B” are different. In the first, the A’s are inside; in the second, the outsiders are out. Reading one as the other is the commonest slip.
Example 3 · Basic
Statement: Handloom cloth is sold in some of the shops in the old market. Conclusion I. Handloom cloth is available in at least one shop of the old market. Conclusion II. Handloom cloth is available in every shop of the old market.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Conclusion I follows. The smallest meaning of “some” is “at least one”.
  2. 2Conclusion II does not follow. Jumping from “some” to “all” is an extreme conclusion.
Answer Only Conclusion I follows
The smallest meaning of “some” is “at least one”, so jumping to “all” is wrong.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: In the rainy season most of the buses on the Jaipur–Kota route run late. Conclusion I. In the rainy season every bus on this route runs late. Conclusion II. In the rainy season some buses on this route run late.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: Only members of the library can take books home to read. Conclusion I. A person who is not a member cannot take a book home. Conclusion II. Every member of the library takes books home.
BasicTry it yourself first
Statement: Only vegetarian food is served in the canteen. Conclusion I. Non-vegetarian food is not served in the canteen. Conclusion II. All the customers of the canteen are vegetarian.
StandardTry it yourself first
Statement: All candidates who pass the written test are called for the interview. Conclusion I. Candidates who fail the written test are not called for the interview. Conclusion II. A candidate who passes the written test will be interviewed.
StandardTry it yourself first
Statement: The town has never before received as much rain in a single day as it did yesterday. Conclusion I. Yesterday’s rain was the highest one-day rainfall on the town’s record. Conclusion II. The town will receive this much rain every year.
2

The five answers and how to choose

Judge each conclusion alone, then pick the option

The standard five options, the three conditions for “either I or II”, and questions with three or four conclusions.

The five standard answers

Only I · only II · either · neither · both

When each option is right and the order of making the decision.

🔒

When “either I or II” is the answer

Three conditions and one check question

Spotting complementary conclusions: one of the two must be true, not both together.

🔒

One statement, three or four conclusions

Mark each ✔ or ✘, then pick the group

The same method for questions with three or four conclusions and a way to cut options.

🔒
3

Traps — where marks are lost most

Extremes, things outside the statement, if-then and “may”

Four kinds of conclusion that sound right but do not come out of the statement — and the rules to catch them.

Extremes and hasty generalising

A few cases do not make “always”

Why a claim about the whole group from a few cases or one sample is wrong.

🔒

Beyond the statement: cause, opinion, advice, future

Conclusions that quietly add new facts

Five kinds of outside matter, the signal words that betray them, and examples.

🔒

If-then statements

Four moves: two valid, two invalid

Exactly what follows from a conditional statement, and how to translate “only if” and “unless”.

🔒

Certain conclusions and “may” conclusions

When a weak claim is acceptable

What comes out of a statement with “likely”, “hope” or “risk”, and what does not.

🔒
4

Conclusions you can check by calculation

Numbers and comparisons — no guessing here

Conclusions resting on the numbers of two groups and on chains of “more-less”.

Conclusions resting on numbers

At least · at most · exactly · some

The least and most number of members common to two groups, and a test for each word.

🔒

Chains of comparison

Taller, heavier, older, more marks — join the links

Building an order from “A is more than B” statements; what is certain, what is open and what is the opposite.

🔒
5

Strategy guide

One order for every question and the traps to avoid

The order of testing a conclusion, a table of signal words and the mistakes that keep repeating.

Order of checks and signal words

See the word, pick the rule

Let the word you see in the conclusion decide which check to apply.

🔒

Common traps and time-savers

The mistakes that keep happening

The commonest reasons for losing marks in conclusion questions.

🔒
6

Mixed practice

All types mixed — first spot the type, then solve

Questions of different types together, in three levels.

Basic practice

One trap, one step

Plain statements, counting and simple comparison.

🔒

Standard practice

Fine words, limits and “either”

“Only”, “hardly any”, advice versus conclusion, and the numbers of two groups.

🔒

Advanced practice

Three conclusions, five persons, fine logic

Reversed cause-effect moves, three conclusions and the comparison of five persons.

🔒
7

Revision — cards

Flip each card and test yourself

Think of the answer yourself first, then flip.

🔒