Free Amazon MBA: Syllogism Questions and Answers

Question 1

Statements:

Some Poets are poems. No poem is a song.

Conclusions: I. Some Poems are not songs.
II. Some songs are poems.

Accepted Answer

Only I conclusion follows

Answer

The statement 'No poem is a song' directly implies that poems and songs are entirely distinct categories. Therefore, if no poem is a song, it logically follows that 'Some Poems are not songs' must be true, as it's a weaker form of 'All poems are not songs.' Conclusion II, 'Some songs are poems,' directly contradicts the given statement and is therefore false.

Question 2

Statements:

Some pens are pencils. No pencil is a sharpener.

Conclusions:
I. Some pens being sharpeners is a possibility.
II. Some sharpeners are pencils.

Accepted Answer

If only (I) conclusion follows

Answer

The statement 'No pencil is a sharpener' establishes that pencils and sharpeners are mutually exclusive. However, 'Some pens are pencils' implies there are pens that are *not* pencils. These non-pencil pens have no defined relationship with sharpeners, making it possible for 'Some pens being sharpeners' (Conclusion I) to be true. Conclusion II, 'Some sharpeners are pencils,' directly contradicts the given statement 'No pencil is a sharpener,' making it false.

Question 3

Statement:

Some pearls are jewels. Some jewels are ornaments.

Conclusions:

I. Some jewels are pearls.
II. Some ornaments are jewels

Accepted Answer

Both I and II follows

Answer

Both conclusions are direct conversions of the given statements. If 'Some pearls are jewels,' it logically follows that 'Some jewels are pearls,' as the relationship is reciprocal. Similarly, if 'Some jewels are ornaments,' it inherently means that 'Some ornaments are jewels.' Therefore, both conclusions I and II logically follow from the respective statements.

Question 4

Statement:

All the pencils are pens. All the pens are Ink.

Conclusion:
I. All the pencils are ink.
II. Some inks are pencils

Accepted Answer

Both I and II follows

Answer

The statements establish a hierarchical relationship: all pencils are contained within the category of pens, and all pens are contained within the category of ink. This means that all pencils are necessarily also ink, making conclusion I correct. Furthermore, if all pencils are ink, then it logically follows that some portion of ink must be pencils, validating conclusion II.

Question 5

Statement:

Some kings are queens. All the queens are beautiful.

Conclusion:

I. All the kings are beautiful
II. All the queens are kings.

Accepted Answer

Neither I or II follows

Answer

From 'Some kings are queens' and 'All queens are beautiful,' we can only deduce that *some* kings (specifically, those who are queens) are beautiful. We cannot conclude that *all* kings are beautiful, as there might be kings who are not queens and whose beauty status is unknown. Similarly, 'Some kings are queens' does not imply that *all* queens are kings; there could be queens who are not kings. Therefore, neither conclusion I nor II logically follows.

Amazon Practice Test

Amazon Practice Test

Free Amazon MBA: Syllogism Questions and Answers