PI - Cognitive Assessment Logical Deduction Problems Questions and Answers

Question 1

All systems updated last night are secure. The main accounting system was not updated last night. Which of the following statements must be true?

Accepted Answer

No certain conclusion can be drawn about the security of the main accounting system.

Answer

The first statement says that if a system was updated, then it is secure (A -> B). The second statement says the accounting system was not updated (Not A). This scenario is a logical fallacy known as 'denying the antecedent.' We cannot logically conclude anything about the security of the accounting system. It might be secure for other reasons, or it might not be. Therefore, no certain conclusion can be drawn.

Question 2

If the marketing campaign is successful, the product launch will be on time. If the product launch is on time, the quarterly sales targets will be met. The marketing campaign was successful. What can be logically concluded?

Accepted Answer

The quarterly sales targets will be met.

Answer

This is a transitive argument. The premises are: If A (successful campaign), then B (on-time launch). If B (on-time launch), then C (targets met). We are told A is true. Therefore, B must be true, and consequently, C must also be true. The quarterly sales targets will be met.

Question 3

Some employees on the third floor are in the finance department. All employees in the finance department have a background in economics. Which conclusion logically follows from these statements?

Accepted Answer

Some employees on the third floor have a background in economics.

Answer

We know that there's an overlap between 'employees on the third floor' and 'finance department.' We also know that everyone in the 'finance department' group is also in the 'background in economics' group. Therefore, the part of the 'third floor' group that is in the 'finance' group must also have a background in economics. This means at least some employees on the third floor have a background in economics.

Question 4

There are four project proposals: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The review committee has established the following conditions: If Alpha is approved, then Beta must also be approved. If Gamma is rejected, then Delta must be approved. If the committee approves Alpha but rejects Delta, which of the following must be true?

Accepted Answer

Beta is approved and Gamma is approved.

Answer

The premises are: 1) If Alpha is approved, Beta is approved. 2) If Gamma is rejected, Delta is approved. We are told Alpha is approved, so based on premise 1, Beta must be approved. We are also told Delta is rejected. Looking at premise 2, if Delta were to be approved, it would be because Gamma was rejected. The contrapositive is: If Delta is *not* approved (i.e., rejected), then Gamma must *not* be rejected (i.e., approved). Therefore, Beta is approved and Gamma is approved.

Question 5

No reports written by interns are distributed to the board. The latest market analysis was distributed to the board. What can be deduced from these facts?

Accepted Answer

The latest market analysis was not written by an intern.

Answer

The first statement establishes that the group 'reports written by interns' and the group 'reports distributed to the board' are mutually exclusive. Since the latest market analysis is in the 'distributed to the board' group, it cannot possibly be in the 'written by interns' group.

PI - Cognitive Assessment Practice Test

PI - Cognitive Assessment Practice Test

PI - Cognitive Assessment Logical Deduction Problems Questions and Answers