Logical Deduction from Passages Flashcards

Passage: 'All registered voters in the county must present a valid ID at the polling station. Marcus is a registered voter in the county.' What can be logically deduced? A) Marcus will vote in the next election. B) Marcus must present a valid ID at the polling station. C) Marcus has a valid ID. D) Only registered voters live in the county.

Answer: Marcus must present a valid ID at the polling station.

The passage states all registered voters in the county must present ID, and Marcus is one, so he must present ID.

Passage: 'The museum is open every day except Monday. Today is not a weekday.' What can be deduced? A) The museum is open today. B) The museum is closed today. C) Today is Sunday. D) Nothing can be determined about whether the museum is open.

Answer: The museum is open today.

Non-weekdays are Saturday and Sunday, neither of which is Monday, so the museum must be open.

Passage: 'Students who score above 80 on the midterm are exempt from the final. Students who are exempt from the final receive an automatic B for the course. Priya scored 85 on the midterm.' What grade does Priya receive? A) A B) B C) C D) Cannot be determined

Answer: B

Priya scored 85 > 80, so she is exempt; exempted students automatically receive a B.

Passage: 'No carnivores in the sanctuary eat plants. The snow leopard is a carnivore in the sanctuary.' Which conclusion is valid? A) The snow leopard eats only meat. B) The snow leopard does not eat plants. C) All animals in the sanctuary are carnivores. D) The snow leopard is the only carnivore in the sanctuary.

Answer: The snow leopard does not eat plants.

Since no carnivores eat plants and the snow leopard is a carnivore, it does not eat plants.

Passage: 'If the temperature drops below freezing, the pipes will burst. If the pipes burst, the building will be evacuated. Last night the temperature dropped to 28°F.' What follows? A) The building may or may not be evacuated. B) The pipes did not burst. C) The building will be evacuated. D) The temperature will rise today.

Answer: The building will be evacuated.

28°F is below freezing, so pipes burst; burst pipes lead to evacuation — both conditionals trigger in sequence.

Passage: 'Every novel in the series was written before 1990. This book was published in 2005.' What can be concluded? A) This book is not part of the series. B) This book was written after 1990. C) The series ended in 1990. D) This book is a sequel to the series.

Answer: This book is not part of the series.

All series novels predate 1990; since this book was published in 2005, it cannot be part of the series.

Passage: 'Some athletes on the team are also members of the student council. All student council members attend the weekly assembly.' Which conclusion is definitely supported? A) All athletes attend the weekly assembly. B) Some athletes attend the weekly assembly. C) No athletes attend the weekly assembly. D) All student council members are athletes.

Answer: Some athletes attend the weekly assembly.

Some athletes are council members, and all council members attend assembly, so those athletes attend assembly.