All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Read the given statements and conclusions carefully. Assuming that the information given in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with commonly known facts, decide which of the given conclusions logically follow(s) from the statements.

Statements:

All dustbins are plastic items.

No plastic item is stone.

All woods are stones.

Conclusions:

I. No dustbin is wood.

II. No plastic item is wood.

III. Some woods may be dustbins.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 Tier-II (English) Previous Year Paper (29-Jan-2022)
The correct answer is

Only conclusions I and II follow

Logical Reasoning Syllogism Solution

This problem requires us to analyze logical statements and determine which conclusions can be validly drawn from them. This type of question is known as a syllogism.

Understanding the Statements

We are given three statements, which we must assume are true:

  • Statement 1: All dustbins are plastic items.
  • Statement 2: No plastic item is stone.
  • Statement 3: All woods are stones.

Let's represent these statements using basic set theory concepts for clarity:

  • Statement 1 implies that the set of 'dustbins' is completely contained within the set of 'plastic items'.
  • Statement 2 implies that the set of 'plastic items' and the set of 'stones' have no elements in common. They are mutually exclusive sets.
  • Statement 3 implies that the set of 'woods' is completely contained within the set of 'stones'.

From these statements, we can deduce relationships between the categories:

  • Since all dustbins are plastic items (Statement 1) and no plastic item is stone (Statement 2), it logically follows that no dustbin can be a stone.
  • Since all woods are stones (Statement 3) and no plastic item is stone (Statement 2), it logically follows that no plastic item can be wood.

Analyzing the Conclusions

Now, let's examine each conclusion based on the statements and our deductions.

Conclusion I: No dustbin is wood.

Let's trace the relationship:

  • Statement 1: Dustbins → Plastic Items (All Dustbins are Plastic Items)
  • Statement 2: Plastic Items \(\cap\) Stone = \(\emptyset\) (No Plastic Item is Stone)
  • Combining 1 & 2: Dustbins must also be \(\cap\) Stone = \(\emptyset\) (No Dustbin is Stone)
  • Statement 3: Woods → Stones (All Woods are Stones)
  • Since No Dustbin is Stone, and All Woods are Stones, it means Dustbins and Woods belong to categories that are separate from each other (Dustbins are not Stones, Woods are Stones). Therefore, no dustbin can be wood.

Conclusion I logically follows from the statements.

Conclusion II: No plastic item is wood.

Let's trace this relationship:

  • Statement 2: Plastic Items \(\cap\) Stone = \(\emptyset\) (No Plastic Item is Stone)
  • Statement 3: Woods → Stones (All Woods are Stones)
  • Since All Woods are Stones, and No Plastic Item is Stone, there can be no overlap between Plastic Items and Woods. If plastic items were woods, they would have to be stones (because all woods are stones), but plastic items are not stones. This is a contradiction. Therefore, no plastic item is wood.

Conclusion II logically follows from the statements.

Conclusion III: Some woods may be dustbins.

This conclusion suggests a possibility of overlap between Woods and Dustbins.

  • From our analysis of Conclusion I, we established that No Dustbin is Stone.
  • From Statement 3, we know that All Woods are Stones.
  • For 'Some woods to be dustbins' to be possible, there would need to be an intersection between the set of Woods and the set of Dustbins.
  • However, Dustbins are not Stones, and Woods are Stones. These two sets (Dustbins and Woods) are fundamentally separated by their relationship (or lack thereof) with Stones.
  • Therefore, there is no possibility, not even a 'may be', for some woods to be dustbins. The sets 'Woods' and 'Dustbins' are mutually exclusive based on the given statements.

Conclusion III does not follow from the statements; it is impossible according to the statements.

Summary of Conclusion Analysis

Based on our analysis:

  • Conclusion I (No dustbin is wood) is valid.
  • Conclusion II (No plastic item is wood) is valid.
  • Conclusion III (Some woods may be dustbins) is invalid.

Therefore, only conclusions I and II follow from the given statements.

Conclusion Follows? Reasoning
I. No dustbin is wood. Yes Dustbins are plastic items; Plastic items are not stones; Woods are stones. → Dustbins are not stones; Woods are stones. → No overlap between Dustbins and Woods.
II. No plastic item is wood. Yes Plastic items are not stones; Woods are stones. → No overlap between Plastic Items and Woods.
III. Some woods may be dustbins. No Dustbins are not stones; Woods are stones. → No overlap possible.

Revision Table: Syllogism Basics

Understanding the types of statements in syllogism is key.

Statement Type Form Example
Universal Affirmative All A are B All cats are mammals.
Universal Negative No A is B No dog is a cat.
Particular Affirmative Some A are B Some students are tall.
Particular Negative Some A are not B Some students are not tall.

Additional Information: Syllogism Rules and Deductions

Syllogism is a form of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true.

Common rules for determining validity involve the distribution of terms and the quality (affirmative/negative) and quantity (universal/particular) of the statements. For example:

  • If both statements are particular, no universal conclusion can be drawn.
  • If both statements are negative, no valid conclusion can be drawn.
  • If one statement is negative, the conclusion must be negative.
  • A term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the statements.
  • The middle term (the term appearing in both statements but not the conclusion) must be distributed in at least one statement.

In this specific problem, the statements 'All dustbins are plastic items' and 'No plastic item is stone' lead to the conclusion 'No dustbin is stone' because 'plastic item' is the middle term distributed in the negative statement.

Similarly, 'No plastic item is stone' and 'All woods are stones' lead to 'No plastic item is wood' because 'stone' is the middle term distributed in the universal negative statement ('No plastic item is stone').

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Read the given statements and conclusions carefully. Assuming that the information given in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with commonly known facts, decide which of the given conclusions logically follow(s) from the statements.

    Statements:

    Some cards are postcards.

    Some cards are envelopes.

    All envelopes are copies.

    Conclusions:

    I. Some copies are envelopes.

    II. Some postcards are copies.

    III. Some cards are copies.

  2. Consider the given statement(s) to be true and decide which of the given conclusions/assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement.
    Statement 1: All elephants are men.
    Statement 2: All men are socks.
    Conclusion I: Some socks are elephants.
    Conclusion II: All elephants are socks.

  3. In the question, a word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the alternatives. The sets of numbers given in the question are represented by two classes of alphabets in two matrices given below. The columns and rows of Matrix 1 are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of Matrix II are numbered from 5 to 9. A letter from these matrices can be represented first by its row and next by its column, e.g., 'A' can be represented by 04, 12, etc., and 'U' can be represented by 59, 66, etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set for the word 'ROOT'.

    MATRIX I

     01234
    0BCDEA
    1DEABC
    2CDEAB
    3ABCDE
    4EABCD

    MATRIX II

     56789
    5RONTU
    6TURON
    7ONTUR
    8URONT
    9NTURO
  4. Consider the given statement/s to be true and decide which of the given conclusions/assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement.

    Statements: 1. All fish are tortoise.

    2. No tortoise is a crocodile.

    Conclusion: 1. No crocodile is a fish.

    II. No fish is a crocodile.

  5. Consider the given statements to be true and decide which of the given conclusions/assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement.

    Statements: 1. All books are novels.
    2. Some novels are poems.
    Conclusions: I. Some books are poems.
    II. Some poems are novels.

  6. Consider the statement to be true and decide which of the conclusions logically follow:
    Statement: 
    All dogs are animals. 
    All animals are living beings.
    Conclusion 
    I:Dog is not an animal. 
    II. Dog is an animal.

  7. In the question, a word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the alternatives. The sets of numbers given in the matrices are represented by two classes of alphabets as in two matrices given below. The columns and rows of Matrix I are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of Matrix II are numbered from 5 to 9. A letter from these matrices can be represented first by its row and next by its column, e.g., 'A' can be represented by 01, 13, etc., and 'S' can be represented by 55, 66, etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set for the word 'BOTH'.
     

    MATRIX I

     01234
    0FANOI
    1IOFAN
    2ANOIF
    3OFINA
    4NIAFO

    MATRIX II

     56789
    5SEHBT
    6HSETB
    7BTSEH
    8EHTBS
    9TSEHB
  8. Consider the given statement/s to be true and decide which of the given conclusions/assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement.

    Statement I: All astronomers are scientists.
    Statement II: Some scientists are shopkeepers.
    Conclusion I: All astronomers are shopkeepers.
    Conclusion II: All astronomers are scientists.
    Conclusion III: Some shopkeepers are astronomers.
    Conclusion IV: All scientists are astronomers.

  9. A word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the options. The sets of numbers are formed using two matrices below. The rows and columns of Matrix I are numbered 0 to 4 and Matrix II are numbered 5 to 9. A letter is represented by its row and column numbers. For example, ‘G’ can be coded as 12 or 21, and ‘L’ as 76 or 67.

    Find the correct code for the word ‘LIFE’.

  10. Consider the given statement/s to be true and decide which of the given conclusions/assumptions can definitely be drawn from the given statement:

    Statements: Some cars are caves.

    Conclusion: I. Some cars are not buses

    II. Some caves are buses

    III. No cave is a bus

    IV. Some caves are cars


Important Questions from Syllogism

  1. The statements below are followed by conclusions labeled I, II and III. Assuming that the information in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with generally established facts, decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow(s) from the information given in the statements.

    Statements:

    All twenty are thirty.

    All thirty are forty.

    All forty are sixty.

    All sixty are seventy.

    Conclusions:

    I. Some forty are thirty.

    II. Some seventy are sixty.

    III. No thirty is twenty.
  2. The statements below are followed by two conclusions labelled I and II. Assuming that the information in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with generally established facts, decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow(s) from the information given in the statements.

    Statements:

    All Strong are animals.

    Some animals are Tigers.

    All Tigers are Sharp.

    Conclusions:

    I. Some Strong are Sharp.

    II. No Strong is Sharp.
  3. The statements below are followed by conclusions labelled I, II and III. Assuming that the information in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with generally established facts, decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow(s) from the information given in the statements.Statements:

    Some women are weak.

    Some weaks are female.

    All female are iron.

    All iron are gold.Conclusions:

    I. Some weaks are iron.

    II. Some gold are weaks.

    III. Some women are female.

  4. The statements below are followed by two conclusions labeled I and II. Assuming that the information in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with generally established facts, decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow(s) from the information given in the statements.Statements:

    Some teaspoons are glasses.

    All teddies are teaspoons.

    Conclusions:

    I. Some teddies are glasses.

    II. Some glasses are teddies.

  5. The statements below are followed by two conclusions labeled I and II. Assuming that the information in the statements is true, even if it appears to be at variance with generally Established facts, decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow(s) from the Information, Given in the Statements.

    Statements:

    All bangles are rings.

    Some rings are toys.

    Some toys are dolls.

    Conclusions:

    I. Some rings are bangles.

    II. Some dolls are rings.
Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
SSC CPO
November 23, 2026
SSC CHSL
November 30, 2026
Test Series
SSC CGL img
SSC
SSC CGL (Tier I + Tier II) 2026 Mock Test Series - Latest Pattern
2509 Tests 6 Tests Free
8804 Attempts
4.2(941)
English, Hindi

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App