Practice UPSC CSAT previous year questions from 2011–2026 classified underSyllogism. Review the original question, four options, correct answer and explanation for every PYQ.
19 questions • 2011–2026
Consider the following statements: Every red is blue. Every blue is green. Every green is yellow. Which of the following statements denoted by P, Q and R are correct? P. Every blue is yellow. Q. Every red is green. R. Every red is yellow. Select the answer using the code given below.
By transitivity, blue ⊂ green ⊂ yellow, and red ⊂ blue. Thus all three P, Q and R follow. Hence D.
A Statement is given followed by two Conclusions numbered I and II. Consider the Statement and the Conclusions. Statement: India is the world's largest producer of milk. Conclusion-I: India is the world's largest exporter of milk. Conclusion-II: India does not import milk. Which one of the following is correct?
Being the largest producer does not logically imply being the largest exporter or not importing milk. Neither conclusion follows.
A Main Statement is followed by four Statements labelled P, Q, R and S. Choose the ordered pair of the Statements where the first Statement implies the second, and the two Statements are logically consistent with the Main Statement. Main Statement: Pradeep becomes either a Director or a Producer. Statement P: Pradeep is a Director. Statement Q: Pradeep is a Producer. Statement R: Pradeep is not a Director. Statement S: Pradeep is not a Producer. Select the correct answer.
Under an either/or main statement, S (not Producer) implies P (Director), and R (not Director) implies Q (Producer). Both ordered pairs are consistent, so SP and RQ.
Let P, Q, R, S and T be five statements such that I. If P is true, then both Q and S are true. II. If R and S are true, then T is false. Which can be concluded? 1. If T is true, then at least one of P and R must be false. 2. If Q is true, then P is true.
If T is true, P and R cannot both be true; Q alone does not imply P. Thus only statement 1 follows.
Two Statements followed by four Conclusions are given below. You have to take the Statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from the commonly known facts. Read all the Conclusions and then decide which of the given Conclusions logically follows/follow from the Statements, disregarding the commonly known facts: Statement-1: All pens are books. Statement-2: No chair is a pen. Conclusion-I: All chairs are books. Conclusion-II: Some chairs are pens. Conclusion-III: All books are chairs. Conclusion-IV: No chair is a book. Which one of the following is correct?
All pens are books and no chair is a pen do not establish any of the four stated universal/existential conclusions. Hence none follows.
Three Statements followed by three Conclusions are given below. You have to take the Statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from the commonly known facts. Read all the Conclusions and then decide which of the given Conclusions logically follows/follow from the Statements, disregarding the commonly known facts: Statement-1: Some doctors are teachers. Statement-2: All teachers are engineers. Statement-3: All engineers are scientists. Conclusion-I: Some scientists are doctors. Conclusion-II: All engineers are doctors. Conclusion-III: Some engineers are doctors. Which one of the following is correct?
The doctors who are teachers are also engineers and scientists. Therefore some scientists are doctors and some engineers are doctors; the universal claim that all engineers are doctors does not follow.
Statement: Some radios are mobiles. All mobiles are computers. Some computers are watches. Conclusion-I: Certainly, some radios are watches. Conclusion-II: Certainly, some mobiles are watches. Which one of the following is correct?
Neither conclusion is forced: the computers that are watches need not be the mobiles that are radios.
Statement: Some cats are almirahs. Some almirahs are chairs. All chairs are tables. Conclusion-I: Certainly some almirahs are tables. Conclusion-II: Some cats may not be chairs. Which one of the following is correct?
Some almirahs are chairs and all chairs are tables, so some almirahs are tables. The first statement also permits cats that are not chairs, so both conclusions follow.
Consider two Statements and four Conclusions given below. Statement-1: Some greens are blues. Statement-2: Some blues are blacks. Conclusion-1: Some greens are blacks. Conclusion-2: No green is black. Conclusion-3: All greens are blacks. Conclusion-4: All blacks are greens. Which one of the following is correct?
The two 'some' statements do not force any of the four proposed universal or intersection conclusions.
Two Statements are given followed by two Conclusions: Statements: All numbers are divisible by 2. All numbers are divisible by 3. Conclusion-I: All numbers are divisible by 6. Conclusion-II: All numbers are divisible by 4. Which of the above Conclusions logically follows/follow from the two given Statements?
Divisibility by both 2 and 3 implies divisibility by 6. It does not imply divisibility by 4.
Two Statements are given followed by two Conclusions: Statements: All cats are dogs. All cats are black. Conclusion-I: All dogs are black. Conclusion-II: Some dogs are not black. Which of the above Conclusions logically follows/follow from the two given Statements disregarding commonly known facts?
The statements establish only that cats are a subset of both dogs and black things; they do not establish anything about all dogs or non-black dogs.
All good athletes want to win and all athletes who want to win eat a well-balanced diet; therefore all athletes who do not eat a well-balanced diet are bad athletes. The best conclusion from this statement is that
If every good athlete wants to win and every athlete who wants to win eats a balanced diet, then an athlete who does not eat a balanced diet cannot be a good athlete.
Examine the following statements: 1. Lady’s finger is tastier than cabbage. 2. Cauliflower is tastier than lady’s finger. 3. Cabbage is not tastier than peas. The conclusion that can be drawn from these statements is that
Cauliflower is tastier than lady’s finger and lady’s finger is tastier than cabbage; therefore cauliflower is tastier than cabbage.
Consider the following statements followed by two conclusions: Statements: Some men are great. Some men are wise. Conclusion I: Men are either great or wise. Conclusion II: Some men are neither great nor wise. Which one of the following is correct?
The two statements establish only that some men are great and some are wise; neither universal conclusion follows.
Consider the following statements: 1. All artists are whimsical. 2. Some artists are drug addicts. 3. Frustrated people are prone to become drug addicts. From the above three statements it may be concluded that
Some artists are drug addicts and all artists are whimsical. Therefore those particular drug-addict artists are whimsical, so some drug addicts are whimsical.
Examine the following statements: 1. Only those who have a pair of binoculars can become the members of the birdwatcher's club. 2. Some members of the birdwatcher's club have cameras. 3. Those members who have cameras can take part in photo contests. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
“Only those who have binoculars can become members” means membership requires binoculars. Thus every club member has binoculars.
Examine the following statements: 1. None but students are members of the club. 2. Some members of the club are married persons. 3. All married persons are invited for dance. Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
Some club members are married; all married persons are invited to the dance. Those married club members are students by statement 1, so all married students who are club members are invited. B is the intended conclusion.
Consider the following statements: 1. All X-brand cars parked here are white. 2. Some of them have radial tyres. 3. All X-brand cars manufactured after 1986 have radial tyres. 4. All cars are not X-brand. Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
The statement that some of the X-brand cars have radial tyres, combined with all parked X-brand cars being white, gives the existence of some white X-brand cars with radial tyres.
Examine the following statements: 1. None but the rich can afford air-travel. 2. Some of those who travel by air become sick. 3. Some of those who become sick require treatment. Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
“None but the rich can afford air-travel” means only rich people can be air travellers; therefore all those who travel by air are rich.
Attempt questions one by one with UPSC-style marking and immediate explanations.