IBPS Syllogism Questions and Answers

Question 1

Statements:
I. All keyboards are mouse.
II. Some mouse are printers.

Conclusions:
I. Some printers are keyboards.
II. No keyboard is a printer.

Accepted Answer

If either conclusion I or II follows.

Answer

There is no direct relation between keyboards and printers. The 'mouse' category connects them, but the overlap between 'mouse' and 'printers' could be separate from the 'keyboards' area. This means we cannot definitively say that 'Some printers are keyboards' (Conclusion I is false) nor can we say 'No keyboard is a printer' (Conclusion II is false). However, since these two conclusions form a complementary pair (Some + No), one of them must be true. Therefore, the 'Either/Or' case applies.

Question 2

Statements:
I. No car is a bike.
II. All bikes are scooters.

Conclusions:
I. No car is a scooter.
II. Some scooters are bikes.

Accepted Answer

If only conclusion II follows.

Answer

From the statement 'All bikes are scooters', the definite conclusion 'Some scooters are bikes' is valid. For Conclusion I, 'No car is a scooter' is not definite. While no car is a bike, a car could still have an overlap with the part of the 'scooters' circle that is not 'bikes'. Therefore, only conclusion II follows.

Question 3

Statements:
I. Only a few rivers are oceans.
II. All oceans are seas.

Conclusions:
I. Some rivers are not oceans.
II. All seas being rivers is a possibility.

Accepted Answer

If both conclusions I and II follow.

Answer

The statement 'Only a few rivers are oceans' implies two things: 'Some rivers are oceans' AND 'Some rivers are not oceans'. Therefore, Conclusion I is directly true. For Conclusion II, since there is no negative statement restricting the relationship, we can draw a Venn diagram where the 'seas' circle is entirely inside the 'rivers' circle without violating the initial statements. Therefore, 'All seas being rivers is a possibility' is also true.

Question 4

Statements:
I. Some apples are mangoes.
II. Some mangoes are bananas.

Which of the following conclusions is a definite possibility?
I. All apples being bananas is a possibility.
II. Some apples are definitely bananas.

Accepted Answer

Only conclusion I follows.

Answer

The statements establish no direct link between apples and bananas. Because there is no negative restriction, a scenario where all apples are also bananas is possible without contradicting the given statements. Therefore, Conclusion I is a valid possibility. Conclusion II is incorrect because there is no definite connection; we cannot be certain that any apples are bananas.

Question 5

Statements:
I. All chairs are tables.
II. No table is a sofa.
III. Some sofas are wooden.

Conclusions:
I. No chair is a sofa.
II. Some tables are wooden.

Accepted Answer

If only conclusion I follows.

Answer

From 'All chairs are tables' and 'No table is a sofa', we can derive the definite conclusion that 'No chair is a sofa'. So, Conclusion I follows. There is no definite relationship between 'tables' and 'wooden' items. The 'wooden' circle overlaps with 'sofa', which is completely separate from 'table'. Therefore, Conclusion II does not follow.

IBPS - Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Practice Test

IBPS - Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Practice Test

IBPS Syllogism Questions and Answers