SYLLOGISM

SYLLOGISM

A syllogism is a logical argument composed of three parts: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion inferred from the premises.

In logic, any categorical statement is termed as the Proposition. A Proposition (or a categorical statement) is a statement that asserts that either a part of, or the whole of, one set of objects - the set identified by the subject term in the sentence expressing that statement - either is included in, or is excluded from, another set - the set identified by the predicate term in that sentence.

The standard form of a proposition is:

Quantifier + Subject + Copula + Predicate

The proposition consists of four parts:

1. Quantifier: The words 'all', 'no' and 'some' are called quantifiers because they specify a quantity.  'All' and 'no' are universal quantifiers while 'some' is a particular quantifier.

2. Subject (S): The subject is that about which something is said.

3. Predicate (P): The predicate is the part of the proposition denoting that which is affirmed or denied about the subject.

4. Copula: The copula is that part of the proposition which denotes the relation between the subject and the predicate.

Four-Fold Classification of Propositions: A proposition is said to have a universal quantity if it begins with a universal quantifier (All/No) and a particular quantity if it begins with a particular quantifier (Some). Besides, propositions which assert something about the inclusion of the whole or a part of one set in the other are said to have affirmative quality, while those which deny the inclusion of the whole or a part of one set in the other are said to have a negative quality. Also, a term is distributed in a proposition if it refers to all members of the set of objects denoted by that term. Otherwise, it is said to be undistributed. Based on the above facts, propositions can be classified into four types:

1. Universal Affirmative Proposition (A): It distributes only the subject i.e. the predicate is not interchangeable with the subject while maintaining the validity of the proposition. e.g., All Books are Pens. This is proposition A since we cannot say 'All Pens are Books'.

2. Universal Negative Proposition (E): It distributes both the subject and the predicate i.e. an entire class of predicate term is denied to the entire class of the subject term, as in the proposition. e.g., No Man is intelligent.

3. Particular Affirmative Proposition (I): It distributes neither the subject nor the predicate. e.g., Some men are Intelligent. Here, the subject term 'men' is used not for all but only for some men and similarly the predicate term 'Intelligent' is affirmed for a part of subject class. So, both are undistributed.

4. Particular Negative Proposition (O): It distributes only the predicate. e.g., Some People are not wise. Here, the subject term 'People' is used only for a part of its class and hence is undistributed while the predicate term 'wise' is denied in entirety to the subject term and hence is distributed. These facts can be summarized as follows:

Statement Form             Quantity                 Quality                        Distributed

(A): All S is P.                 Universal                 Affirmative                 S only

(E): No S is P.                 Universal                 Negative                    Both S and P

(I): Some S is P.              Particular                 Affirmative               Neither S nor P

(O): Some S is not P        Particular                Negative                     P only

What is logical deduction? - The phenomenon of deriving a conclusion from a single proposition or a set of given propositions, is known as logical deduction. The given propositions are also referred to as the premises.

Two Inferential Processes of Deduction

I. Immediate Deductive Inference: Here, conclusion is deduced from one of the given propositions, by any of the three ways -conversion, Obversion and contraposition.

1. Conversion: The Conversion proceeds with interchanging the subject term and the predicate term i.e. the subject term of the premise becomes the predicate term of the conclusion and the predicate term of the premise becomes the subject of the conclusion. The given proposition is called convertend, whereas the conclusion drawn from it is called its converse.

Table of Valid Conversions

Convertend                                         Converse

A: All S is P                                        I: Some P is S

Ex. All pins are tops.                           Some tops are pins.

E: No S is P.                                        E: No P is S.

Ex. No fish is whale.                           No whale is fish.

I: Some S is P.                                     I: Some P is S.

Ex. Some boys are poets.                    Some poets are boys.

O: Some S is not P.                             No valid conversion

In a conversion, the quality remains the same and the quantity may change.

2. Obversion: In Obversion, we change the quality of the proposition and replace the predicate term by its complement.

Table of Valid Obversions

Obvertend                                                       Obverse

A: All birds are mammals.                              E: No birds are non-mammals.

E: No poets are singers.                                  A: All poets are non-singers.

I: Some nurses are doctors.                             O: Some nurses are not non-doctors.

O: some politicians are not statesmen.            I: Some politicians are non-statesmen.

3. Contraposition: To obtain the contrapositive of a statement, we first replace the subject and predicate terms in the proposition and then exchange both these terms with their complements.

Table of Valid Contrapositions

Proposition                                          Contrapositive

A: All birds are mammals.      A: All non-mammals are non-birds.

I: Some birds are mammals.    I: Some non-mammals are non-birds.

The valid converse, obverse or contrapositive of a given proposition always logically follows from the proposition.

II. Mediate Deductive Inference (Syllogism): A Syllogism is a deductive argument in which conclusion has to be drawn from two propositions referred to as the premises.

Example: (1) All lotus are flowers. and (2) All flowers are beautiful. Hence (3) All lotus are beautiful.

Clearly, the propositions 1 and 2 are the premises and the proposition 3, which follows from the first two propositions, is called the conclusion.

Term: In Logic, a term is a word or a combination of words, which by itself can be used as a subject or predicate of a proposition.

Syllogism is concerned with three terms:

1. Major Term: It is the predicate of the conclusion and is denoted by P (first letter of 'Predicate').

2. Minor Term: It is the subject of the conclusion and is denoted by S (first letter of 'Subject').

3. Middle Term: It is the term common to both the premises and is denoted by M (first letter of 'Middle').

Example:

Premises: 1. All dogs are animals. 2. All lions are dogs.

Conclusion: All lions are animals.

Here 'animals' is the predicate of the conclusion and so, it is the major term. P.

'Lions' is the subject of the conclusion and so, it is the minor term, S.

'Dogs' is the term common to both the premises and so, it is the middle term, M.

Major And Minor Premises : Of the two premises, the major premise is that in which the middle term is the subject and the minor premise is that in which the middle term is the predicate.

Rules for deriving conclusion from two given Premises:

1. The conclusion does not contain the middle term.

Example:

Statements: 1. All men are boys. 2. Some boys are students.

Conclusions: 1. All boys are men. 2. Some boys are not students.

Since both the conclusions 1 and 2 contain the middle term 'girls', so neither of them can follow.

2. No term can be distributed in the conclusion unless it is distributed in the premises.

Example:

Statements: 1. Some dogs are cats. 2. All cats are cows.

Conclusions: 1. All cows are cats. 2. Some dogs are cows.

Statement 1 is an I-type proposition which distributes neither the subject nor the predicate.

Statement 2 is an A type proposition which distributes the subject i.e. 'cats' only.

Conclusion 1 is an A-type proposition which distributes the subject 'cow' only since the term 'cows' is distributed in conclusion 1 without being distributed in the premises, so conclusion 1 cannot follow.

           

3. The middle term (M) should he distributed at least once in the premises. Otherwise, the conclusion cannot follow. For the middle term to be distributed in a premise.

(i) M must be the subject if premise is an A proposition.

(ii) M must be subject or predicate if premise is an E proposition.

(iii) M must be predicate if premise is an O proposition.

Note that in an I proposition, which distributes neither the subject nor the predicate, the middle term cannot be distributed.

Example:

Statements: 1. All F’s are W. 2. Some W’s are B.

Conclusions: 1. All W’s are F. 2. Some F’s are B.

In the premises, the middle term is 'W'. Clearly, it is not distributed in the first premise which is an A proposition as it does not form its subject. Also, it is not distributed in the second premise which is an I proposition. Since the middle term is not distributed even once in the premises, so no conclusion follows.

4. No conclusion follows

(a) If both the premises are particular

Example:

Statements: 1. Some books are pens. 2. Some pens are erasers.

Conclusions: 1. All books are erasers. 2. Some erasers are books.

Since both the premises are particular, so no definite conclusion follows.

(b) If both the premises are negative.

Example:

                                                                                                                                 

Statements: 1. No flower is mango. 2. No mango is cherry.

Conclusions: 1. No flower is cherry. 2. Some cherries are mangoes.

Since both the premises are negative, neither conclusion follows.

(c) if the major premise is particular and the minor premise is negative.

Example:

Statements: 1. Some D’s are B.          2. No T are D.

Conclusions: 1. No D are T.                2. Some B are T.

Here, the first premise containing the middle term 'D' as the subject is the major premise and the second premise containing the middle term 'D' as the predicate is the minor premise. Since the major premise is particular and the minor premise is negative, so no conclusion follows.

5. If the middle term is distributed twice, the conclusion cannot be universal.

Example:

Statements: 1. All flowers are chairs. 2. No tables are flowers.

Conclusions: 1. No tables are chairs. 2. Some tables are chairs.

Here, the first premise is an A proposition and so, the middle term 'flowers' forming the subject is distributed. The second premise is an E proposition and so, the middle term 'flowers' forming the predicate is distributed. Since the middle term is distributed twice, so the conclusion cannot be universal.

6. If one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative.

Example:

Statements: 1. All grasses are trees. 2. No tree is shrub.

Conclusions: 1. No grasses are shrubs. 2. Some shrubs are grasses.

Since one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. So, conclusion 2 cannot follow.

      

7. If one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular.

Example:

Statements: 1. Some boys are intelligent. 2. All intelligent are doctors.

Conclusions: 1. Some boys are doctors. 2. All doctors are boys.

Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular. So, conclusion 2 cannot follow.

8. If both the premises are affirmative, the conclusion must be affirmative.

Example:

Statements: 1. All women are mothers. 2. All mothers are teachers.

Conclusions: 1. All women are teachers. 2. Some women are not teacher.

Since both the premises are affirmative, the conclusion must be affirmative. So, conclusion 2 cannot follow.

9. If both the premises are universal, the conclusion must be universal.

Complementary pair: A pair of contradictory statements i.e. a pair of statements such that if one is true, the other is false and when no definite conclusion can be drawn, either of them is bound to follow, is called a complementary pair. E and I-type propositions together form a complementary pair and usually either of them follows, in a case where we cannot arrive at a definite conclusion, using the rules of syllogism.

Let us study the various possible cases and draw all possible inferences in each case, along with verification through Venn diagrams.

Case 1: All men are boys. All boys are students.

Immediate Deductive Inferences:

The converse of first premise i.e. 'Some boys are men' and the converse of second premise i.e. 'Some students are boys' both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences:

Since both the premises are universal and affirmative, the conclusion must be universal affirmative. Also, the conclusion should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'All men are students'. The converse of this conclusion i.e. 'Some students are men' also holds.

Case 2: All birds are animals. All fishes are animals.

Immediate Deductive Inferences:

The converse of first premise i.e. 'Some animals are birds' and the converse of second premise i.e. 'Some animals are fishes' both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences:

Both, being A-type propositions, distribute subject only. Thus, the middle term 'animals' is not distributed even once in the premises. So, no definite conclusion follows.

Case 3: All puppets are dolls. Some dolls are rattles.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some dolls are puppets' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'Some rattles are dolls', both hold.

           

Mediate Deductive Inferences: First premise, being an A-type proposition, distributes the subject only while the second premise, being an I-type proposition, distributes neither subject nor predicate. Since the middle term 'dolls' is not distributed even once in the premises, so no definite conclusion can be drawn.

Case 4: Some writers are players. All players are musicians.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some players are writers' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'Some musicians are players', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some writers are musicians'. The converse of this conclusion i.e. 'Some musicians are writers' also holds.

Case 5: All boxes are toys. Some boxes are clips.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some toys are boxes' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'Some clips are boxes', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some toys are clips'. The converse of this conclusion i.e. 'Some clips are toys' also holds.

           

Case 6: All buses are vans. Some cycles are vans.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some vans are buses' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'Some vans are cycles', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: First premise, being an A-type proposition, distributes subject only and the second premise, being an I-type proposition, distributes neither subject nor predicate. So, the middle term 'vans' is not distributed even once in the premises. Hence, no definite conclusion can be drawn.

 Case 7: Some radios are cameras. Some cameras are statues.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some cameras are radios' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'Some statues are cameras', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: Since both premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows.

Case 8: All cakes are candies. No candy is pastry.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some candies are cakes' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'No pastry is candy', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: Since both premises are universal, the conclusion must be universal. Since one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. So, it follows that 'No cake is pastry'. The converse of this conclusion i.e. 'No pastry is cake' also holds.

Case 9: No coin is ring. All rings are bangles.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'No ring is coin' and the converse of the second premise i.e.’ Some bangles are rings', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: First premise, being an E-type proposition, distributes both the subject and the predicate.

Second premise, being an A-type proposition, distributes the subject. Thus, the middle term 'ring' is distributed twice in the premises. So, the conclusion cannot be universal. Also, since one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. Thus, the conclusion must be particular negative i.e. O-type. So, it follows that 'some bangles are not coins'.

Case 10: Some lamps are candles. No candle is bulb.

Immediate Deductive Inferences: The converse of the first premise i.e. 'Some candles are lamps' and the converse of the second premise i.e. 'No bulb is candle', both hold.

Mediate Deductive Inferences: Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative i.e. O-type, so, it follows that 'Some lamps are not bulbs'.

        

Points to Remember: While deriving logical conclusions, always remember that the following conclusions hold:

1. The converse of each of the given premises;

2. The conclusion that directly follows from the given premises in accordance with the rules of syllogism;

3. The converse of the derived conclusions.

Solved Examples

In each question below are given two statements followed by two conclusions numbered I and II. You have to take the given two statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read the conclusion and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the two given statements, disregarding commonly known facts.

Example1. Statements: All P’s are G. Some B’s are not P.

Conclusions: (I) All G are B. (II) Some B are not G.

 A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows           

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

1(D) Clearly, the term 'g' is distributed in both the conclusions without being distributed in any of the premises. So, neither conclusion follows.

Example2. Statements: Many books are trucks. All trucks are trains.

Conclusions: (I) Some books are trains. (II) No truck is books.

 A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

2(A) Since the first premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. Thus, only I follows.

Example3. Statements: All birds are animals. Some animals are hens.

Conclusions :( I) Some birds are hens. (II) Some hens are animals.

 A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

3(B) Since the middle term 'animals' is not distributed even once in the premises, no definite conclusion follows. However, II is the converse of the second premise and so it holds.

4. Statements: Some dogs are cats. Some horses are cats.

Conclusions :( I) Some cats are horses. (II) Some cats are dogs.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Both I and II follow

4(D) Since both premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. However, I is the converse of second premise, while II is the converse of the first premise. So, both of them hold.

5. Statements: Some men are educated. Educated persons prefer nuclear families.

Conclusions: (I) All nuclear families are educated. (II)Some men prefer nuclear families.

 A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

5(B) Since one premise is particular; the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. Thus, only II follows.

                         

6. Statements: Most teachers are boys. Some boys are students.

Conclusions: (I) Some students are boys. (II) Some teachers are students.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

6(A) Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. However, I is the converse of the second premise and thus it holds.

7. Statements: Some books are pens. No pen is pencil.

Conclusions: (I) Some books are pencils. (II) No book is pencil.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

7(C) The conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some books are not pencils'. However, I and II involve only the extreme terms and form a complementary pair. Thus, either I or II follows.

8. Statements: No magazine is cap. All caps are cameras.

Conclusions: (I) No camera is magazine. (II) Some cameras are magazines.

 A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

8(C) As discussed above, the conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some cameras are not magazines'. However, I and II involve only the extreme terms and form a complementary pair. Thus, either I or II follows.

9. Statements: Some books are tables. Some tables are mirrors.

Conclusions: (I) Some mirrors are books. (II) No book is mirror.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

 9(C) Since both the premises are particular no definite conclusion follows. However, I and II involve only the extreme terms and form a complementary pair. Thus, either I or II follows.

10. Statements: Raman is always successful. No fool is always successful.

Conclusions: (I) Raman is a fool.  (II) Raman is not a fool.

A. Only conclusion I follows             B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

10(B) Since both the premises are universal and one premise is negative, the conclusion must be universal negative and should not contain the middle term. So, only II follows.

Exercise

1.  Statements: All water is divine. All temples are divine.

Conclusions: (I) All water is temple. (II) All temples are water.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

2.  Statements: Some pastries are toffees. All toffees are chocolates.

Conclusions: (I) Some chocolates are toffees. (II) Some toffees are not pastries.

A. Only conclusion I follows              B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows                      D. Neither I nor II follows

3. Statements: Some bags are pockets. No pocket is a pouch.

Conclusions: (I) No bag is a pouch. (II) Some bags are not pouches. (III) Some pockets are bags. (IV) No pocket is a bag,

A. None follows                                 B. Only I and III follow

C. Only II and III follow                   D. Only either I or IV follows

4. Statements: All fruits are vegetables. All pens are vegetables. All vegetables are rains.

Conclusions: (I) All fruits are rains. (II) All pens are rains. (III) Some rains are vegetables.

A. None follows                                 B. Only I and II follow

C. Only II and III follow                   D. All follow

5.  Statements: Some towels are brushes. No brush is soap. All soaps are rats.

Conclusions: (I) Some rats are brushes. (II) No rat is brush. (III) Some towels are soaps.

A. None follows                                             B. Only either I or II follows

C. Only II follows                                          D. Only I and III follow

6. Statements: Some pictures are frames. Some frames are idols. All idols are curtains.

Conclusions: (I) Some curtains are pictures. (II) Some curtains are frames.

(III)Some idols are frames.

A. Only I and II follow                      B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow                     D. All follow

             

7. Statements: Some hills are rivers. Some rivers are deserts. All deserts are roads.

Conclusions: (I) Some roads are rivers. (II) Some roads are hills. (III) Some deserts are hills.

A. None follows                                             B. Only I follows

C. Only I and II follow                                  D. Only II and III follow

8. Statements: Some saints are balls. All balls are bats. Some tigers are balls.

Conclusions: (I) Some bats are tigers. (II) Some saints are bats.(III) All bats are balls.

A. Only I and II follow                      B. Only II follows

C. Only I and III follow                     D. Only III follows

9. Statements: Some pens are books. All schools are books. Some colleges are schools.

Conclusions: (I) Some colleges are pens. (II) Some pens are schools. (III) Some colleges are books.

A. Only I and II follow                      B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow                     D. None of these

10. Statements: All trains are buses. No room is bus. All boats are rooms.

Conclusions: (I) No boat is train. (II) No bus is boat. (III) No train is room.

A. None follows                                 B. Only I and II follow

C. Only II and III follow                   D. All follow

11. Statements: Some mountains are hillocks. Some mountains are rivers. Some mountains are valleys.

Conclusions: (I) All mountains are either hillocks or rivers or valleys. (II) No valley is river. (III) Some river are valleys.

A. None follows                                 B. Only I follows

C. Only either II or III follows           D. Only III follows

12. Statements: Some blades are hammers. Some hammers are knives. Some knives are axes.

Conclusions: (I) Some axes are hammers. (II)  Some knives are blades. (III) Some axes are blades.

A. None follows                                 B. Only I follows

C. Only II follows                              D. Only III follows

13. Statements: Some boxes are hammers. Some hammers are beads. All beads are rings.

Conclusions: (I) Some rings are hammers. (II) Some hammers are boxes. (III) Some rings are boxes.

A. Only I follows

B. Only I and II follow

C. Only II and III follow

D. All follow

14. Statements: Some blankets are beds. Some pillows are blankets. All beds are pillows.

Conclusions: (I) Some blankets are pillows. (II) Some pillows are beds. (III) Some beds are blankets.

A. Only either I or II follows                                     B. Only I and either II or III follow

C. Only III and either I or II follow               D. All I, II and III follow

15. Statements: All dolls are windows. All bottles are windows. All cars are bottles.

Conclusions: (I) All cars are windows. (II) Some cars are dolls. (III) Some windows are cars.

A. Only I and II follow                                  B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow                                 D. All follow

Directions (Ques nos.16-18): In each of the following questions, examine the given statements carefully and find out which two of the statements cannot be true simultaneously, but can both be false.

16. Examine the following statements regarding a set of balls

            1. All balls are black.

            2. All balls are white.

            3. Only some balls are black.

            4. No balls are black.

Assuming that the balls can only be black or white, which of the two statements given above can both be true, but cannot both be false?

A. 1 and 3       B. 1 and 4       C. 2 and 3       D. 2 and 4

17. 1. All children are inquisitive.

2. Some children are inquisitive.

3. No children are inquisitive.

4. Some children are inquisitive.

    A. 1 and 3   B. 1 and 4       C. 2 and 3       D. 3 and 4

18. Consider the following three statements: (UPSC Pre GS Paper-2, 2011)

1. Only students can participate in the race.
2. Some participants in the race are girls.
3. All girl participants in the race are invited for coaching.
Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?

(a) All participants in the race are invited for coaching.
(b) All students are invited for coaching.
(c) All participants in the race are students.
(d) None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct.

Directions (Ques. Nos 19-20): Each of the following two items consists of four statements. Of these four statements, two cannot both be true, but both can be false. Study the statements carefully and identify the two that satisfy the above condition. Select the correct answer using the codes given below each set of statements:

19. Examine the following statements: (UPSC Pre GS Paper-2, 2011)

1. All animals are carnivorous.
2. Some animals are not carnivorous.
3. Animals are not carnivorous.
4. Some animals are carnivorous.

(a) 1 and 3       (b) 1 and 2       (c) 2 and 3       (d) 3 and 4

     20. Examine the following statements:  (UPSC Pre GS Paper-2, 2011)

1. All trains are run by diesel engine.
2. Some trains are run by diesel engine.
3. No train is run by diesel engine.
4. Some trains are not run by diesel engine.

(a) 1 and 2       (b) 2 and 3       (c) 1 and 3       (d) 1 and 4

21. Consider the following argument:  (UPSC Pre GS Paper-2, 2011)

"In order to be a teacher one must graduate from college. All poets are poor. Some Mathematicians are poets. No college graduate is poor." Which one of the following is not a valid conclusion regarding the above argument?

(a) Some Mathematicians are not teachers.
(b) Some teachers are not Mathematicians.
(c) Teachers are not poor,
(d) Poets are not teachers.

                                                Solution

1(D) Since the middle term 'divine' is not distributed even once in the premises, no definite conclusion can be drawn.

2(A) Since one premise is particular; the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. Thus, it follows that 'Some pastries are chocolates', I is the converse of the second premise and so it holds. Since both the premises are affirmative, the conclusion cannot be negative. Thus, II does not follow.

3(C) Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. So, II follows. III is the converse of the first premise and thus it also holds.

4(D) III is the converse of the third premise and so it holds. All fruits are vegetables. All vegetables are rains. The conclusion must be universal affirmative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'All fruits are rains'. Thus, I follows. All pens are vegetables. All vegetables are rains. Clearly, it follows that 'All pens are rains'. Thus, II follows.

5(B) Some towels are brushes. No brush is soap. Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative (O-type) and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some towels are not soaps'. No brush is soap. All soaps are rats. Since the middle term is distributed twice, the conclusion must be particular. Since one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. So, it follows that 'Some brushes are not rats'. Since I and II involve the same terms and form a complementary pair, so either I or II follows.

6(B) III is the converse of the second premise and so it holds. Some pictures are frames. Some frames are idols. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. Some frames are idols. All idols are curtains. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some frames are curtains'. III is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. Some pictures are frames. Some frames are curtains. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion can be drawn.

7(B) Some hills are rivers. Some rivers are deserts. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. Some rivers are deserts. All deserts are roads.Since one premise is particular; the conclusion must be particular and shouldn't contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some rivers are roads'. I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. Some hills are rivers. Some rivers are roads. Again, since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows.

8(A) Some saints are balls. All balls are bats. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some saints are bats'. Thus, II follows. Some tigers are balls. All balls are bats.

Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some tigers are bats'. I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds.

9(D) Some pens are books. All schools are books. Since the middle term 'books' is not distributed even once in the premises, so no definite conclusion follows. Some colleges are schools. All schools are books. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some colleges are books'. Thus, III follows. Some pens are books. Some colleges are books. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion can be drawn. Hence, only III follows.

10(D) All trains are buses. No room is bus. Since both the premises are universal and one premise is negative, the conclusion must be universal negative (E-type) and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'No train is room'. Thus, III follows. All boats are rooms. No room is bus. As discussed above, it follows that 'No boat is bus'. II is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. All trains are buses. No boat is bus. Again, it follows that 'No train is boat'. I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds.

11(C) Since each combination of premises shall contain two particular premises, no definite conclusion can be drawn. However, II and III are statements involving the extreme terms of the last two premises and form a complementary pair. Thus, either II or III follows

12(A) Since each combination of premises has two particular premises, so no definite conclusion follows.

13(C) II is the converse of first premise and so it holds. Some boxes are hammers. Some hammers are beads. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion can be drawn. Some hammers are beads. All beads are rings. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some hammers are rings'. I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. Some boxes are hammers. Some hammers are rings. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion can be drawn.

14(D) I is the converse of the second premise, II is the converse of the third premise and III is the converse of the first premise and as such, all three of them follow.

15(C) All cars are bottles. All bottles are windows. Since both the premises are universal, the conclusion must be universal and shouldn't contain the middle term, So, it follows that 'All cars are windows'. Thus, I follows. Also, III is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. All dolls are windows. All bottles are windows. Since the middle term 'windows' is not distributed even once in the premises, no definite conclusion follows.

All cars are windows. All bottles are windows. Again, the middle term 'windows' is not distributed even once in the premises. So, no definite conclusion follows.

16 (B) 1 and 4                         17 (A) 1 and 3

18 (C) From 1 it is clear that all the participants in the race are students.

19 (A) Working with the options, we will realize that Statements “All animals are carnivorous” and “Animals are not carnivorous” cannot be true together; as if one of the statements is true then the other is obviously false. But there is a situation where in both the statements are false that is if some of the animals are carnivorous and some are not.

20(C) Working with the options, we will realize that Statements “All trains are run by diesel engine” and “No trains is run by diesel engine” cannot be true together; as if one of the statements is true then the other is obviously false. But there is a situation where in both the statements are false that is if some of the trains run on diesel engine and some are not.

21(B) (a) is valid since some mathematicians are poets but no teacher is poet. So, some mathematicians are not teachers.
(b) is invalid as it cannot be concluded.
(c) is valid as teachers are not poor and hence not poets.
(d) is valid as none college graduate is poor and hence not poet.

Statement-Course of Action

Statement-Course of Action

Statement - A message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc.

Course of action - Any sequence of activities that an individual or unit may follow, a possible plan opens to an individual or commander that would accomplish, or is related to the accomplishment of the mission, the scheme adopted to accomplish a job or mission, a line of conduct in an engagement, a product of the Joint Operation Planning and execution System concept development phase and the course of- action determination steps of the joint operation planning process. Thus a course of action is a step or administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up or further action in regard to the problem, policy etc. on the basis of the information given in the statement.

In this chapter you have to find a appropriate course of action considering the given statement. So first you have to assume that given statement is absolute true and according have to take course of action like a good problem solver.

Solved Examples

1. Statement: Severe drought is reported to have set in several parts of the country.

Courses of Action: (I). Government should immediately make arrangement for providing financial assistance to those affected. (II). Food, water and fodder should immediately be sent to all these areas to save the people and cattle.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

1(B) In the break-out of a natural calamity, the basic duty of the government becomes to provide the basic amenities essential to save the lives of people and cattle. Providing financial assistance to all would put undue burden on the country's resources. So, only II follows.

2. Statement: Exporters in the capital are alleging that commercial banks are violating a Reserve Bank of India directive to operate a post shipment export credit denominated in foreign currency at international rates from January this year.

Courses of Action: (I) The officers concerned in the commercial banks are to be suspended. (II)  The RBI should be asked to stop giving such directives to commercial banks.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

2(D) The statement mentions that the commercial banks violate a directive issued by the RBI. The remedy is only to make the banks implement the Act. So, none of the course of action follows.

3.  Statement: A large number of people die every year due to drinking polluted water during the summer.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should make adequate arrangements to provide safe drinking water to all its citizens. (II) The people should be educated about the dangers of drinking polluted water.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

3(D) The situation demands creating awareness among people about the dangers of drinking polluted water so that they themselves refrain from the same, and at the same time taking steps to provide safe drinking water. So, both the courses follow.

4. Statement: There is an unprecedented increase in migration of villagers to urban areas as repeated crop failure has put them into precarious financial situation.

Courses of Action: (I) The villagers should be provided with alternate source of income in their villages which will make them stay put. (II)         The migrated villagers should be provided with jobs in the urban areas to help them survive.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow

4(A) Clearly, increased migration would add to the burden on city's infrastructure. So, attempts should be made to make the villagers feel comfortable in the villages itself. So, only course I follows.

5. Statement: Four districts in State A have been experiencing severe drought for the last three years resulting into exodus of people from these districts.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should immediately start food for work programme in the district to put a halt to the exodus. (II) The government should make since efforts to provide drinking/potable water to these districts.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

5(D) The exodus can be stopped by providing the people conditions conducive to living. So, both the courses follow.

6. Statement: The Asian Development Bank has approved a $285 million loan to finance a project to construct coal ports by Paradeep and Chennai Port Trusts.

Courses of Action: (I) India should use financial assistance from other international financial organizations to develop such ports in other places. (II) India should not seek such financial assistance from the international financial agencies.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

6(A) Clearly, such projects shall be an asset and a source of income to the country later on. So, course I shall follow.

7. Statement: The Minister said that the teachers are still not familiarized with the need, importance and meaning of population education in the higher education system. They are not even clearly aware about their role and responsibilities in the population education programme.

Courses of Action: (I) Population education programme should be included in the college curriculum. (II) Orientation programme should be conducted for teachers on population education.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

7(B) Clearly, the statement stresses on teachers' lack of awareness and knowledge in population education and as such the best remedy would be to guide them in this field through orientation programmes. So, only course II follows.

8. Statement: A recent study shows that children below five die in the cities of the developing countries mainly from diarrhoea and parasitic intestinal worms.

Courses of Action: (I) Governments of the developing countries should take adequate measures to improve the hygienic conditions in the cities. (II) Children below five years in the cities of the developing countries need to be kept under periodic medical check-up.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

8(D) Clearly, the two diseases mentioned are caused by unhygienic conditions. So, improving the hygienic conditions is a step towards their eradication. Also, periodic medical check-up will help timely detection of the disease and hence a proper treatment. So, both I and II follow.

9. Statement: The kharif crops have been affected by the insects for consecutive three years in the district and the farmers harvested less than fifty percent of produce during these years.

Courses of Action: (I) The farmers should seek measures to control the attack of insects to protect their crops next year. (II) The Government should increase the support price of kharif crops considerably to protect the economic interests of farmers.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

9(D) Clearly, the problem demands taking extra care and adequate precautions to protect crops from insects and extending help to farmers to prevent them from incurring huge losses. Thus, both the courses follow.

10. Statement: The State Government has decided to declare 'Kala-Azar' as a notifiable disease under the Epidemics Act. Family members or neighbours of the patient are liable to be punished in case they did not inform the State authorities.

Courses of Action: (I) Efforts should be made to effectively implement the Act. (II) The cases of punishment should be propagated through mass media so that more people become aware of the stern actions.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

10 (D) The Act is aimed at eradication of the disease and so it needs to be proclaimed and promoted. So, both the courses follow.

Exercise

1. Statement: The HRD Minister stressed the need for making education system more flexible and regretted that the curriculum has not been revised in keeping with the pace of the changes taking place.

Courses of Action: (I) Curriculum should be reviewed and revised periodically. (II) System of education should be made more flexible.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

2. Statement: The Central Bureau of Investigation receives the complaint of an officer taking bribe to do the duty he is supposed to.

Courses of Action: (I) CBI should try to catch the officer red-handed and then take a strict action against him. (II) CBI should wait for some more complaints about the officer to be sure about the matter.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

3. Statement: Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have agreed in principle to set up a joint control board for better control, management and productivity of several inter-state multipurpose projects.

Courses of Action: (I) Other neighbouring states should set up such control boards.

(II) The proposed control board should not be allowed to function as such joint boards are always ineffective.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

4. Statement: The Government has decided not to provide financial support to voluntary organizations from next Five Year Plan and has communicated that all such organizations should raise funds to meet their financial needs.

Courses of Action: (I) Voluntary organizations should collaborate with foreign agencies.

(II) They should explore other sources of financial support.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

5. Statement: On an average, about twenty people are run over by trains and die every day while crossing the railway tracks through the level crossing.

Courses of Action: (I) The railway authorities should be instructed to close all the level crossings. (II)      Those who are found crossing the tracks, when the gates are closed, should be fined heavily

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

6. Statement: Majority of the students in many schools do not pass in the final examination.

Courses of Action: (I) These schools should be closed down as these have become unproductive. (II) The teachers of these schools should immediately be retrenched.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

7. Statement: It is necessary to adopt suitable measures to prevent repetition of bad debts by learning from the past experiences of mounting non-performing assets of banks.

Courses of Action: (I) Before granting loan to customers their eligibility for loan should be evaluated strictly. (II) To ensure the payment of installments of loan, the work, for which loan was granted, should be supervised minutely on regular basis.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

8. Statement: A large number of engineering graduates in the country are not in a position to have gainful employment at present and the number of such engineers is likely to grow in the future.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should launch attractive employment generation schemes and encourage these graduates to opt for such schemes to use their expertise and knowledge effectively. (II) This happened due to proliferation of engineering colleges in the country and thereby lowered the quality of the engineering graduates. Those colleges which are not equipped to impart quality education should be closed down.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

9. Statement: Every year, at the beginning or at the end of the monsoons, we have some cases of conjunctivitis, but this year, it seems to be a major epidemic, witnessed after nearly four years.

Courses of Action: (I) Precautionary measures should be taken after every four years to check this epidemic. (II) People should be advised to drink boiled water during rainy season.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

10. Statement: The Finance Minister submits his resignation a week before the new budget is to be presented in the Parliament.

Courses of Action: (I) The resignation should be accepted and another person should be appointed as the Finance Minister. (II) The resignation should not be accepted.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

11. Statement: A large number of people visiting India from country A have been tested positive for carrying viruses of a killer disease.

Courses of Action: (I) The government of India should immediately put a complete ban on people coming to India from country A including those Indians who are settled in country A. (II) The government of India should immediately set up detection centres at all its airports and seaports to identify and quarantine those who are tested positive.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

12. Statement: The Committee has criticized the Institute for its failure to implement a dozen of regular programmes despite an increase in the staff strength and not drawing up a firm action plan for studies and research.

Courses of Action: (I) The broad objectives of the Institute should be redefined to implement a practical action plan. (II) The Institute should give a report on reasons for not having implemented the planned programmes.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

13. Statement: India has been continuously experiencing military threats from its neighbouring countries.

Courses of Action: (I) India should engage into an all out war to stop the nagging threats.

(II) India should get the neighbours into a serious dialogue to reduce the tension at its borders.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

14. Statement: The police department has come under a cloud with recent revelations that at least two senior police officials are suspected to have been involved in the illegal sale of a large quantity of weapons from the state police armoury.

Courses of Action: (I) A thorough investigation should be ordered by the State Government to bring out all those who are involved into the illegal sale of arms.

(II) State police armoury should be kept under Central Government's control.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

15. Statement: Financial stringency prevented the State Government from paying salaries to its employees since April this year.

Courses of Action: (I) The State Government should immediately curtail the staff strength at least by 30%. (II) The State Government should reduce wasteful expenditure and arrange to pay the salaries of its employees.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

16. Statement: Duty free technology parks where foreign firms can manufacture electronic hardware components are proposed to be established at various places in the country.

Courses of Action: (I) Government should immediately implement the proposal to augment the foreign currency reserve by exporting the products. (II) Government should not implement the proposal as it will hinder indigenous production of hardware components.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

17. Statement: Certain mining industries in Gujarat may come to a standstill because of the notification issued by the Department of Environment and Forest banning mining operations and industries alike within 25 kms of National Park, the game sanctuary and reserve forest areas.

Courses of Action: (I) The Department should be asked to immediately withdraw the notification. (II) The Government should make effort to shift the parks, sanctuaries and reserve forests to other non-mining areas.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

18.  Statement: India today is midstream in its demographic transaction. In the last 60 years there has been an almost continuous decline in mortality; while fertility has declined over the last 20 years. The consequence is that there has been a rapid growth in population over the last 50 years.

Courses of Action: (I) India should immediately revitalize its family planning programme. (II) The Government should immediately launch a massive education programme through mass media highlighting the implication of population growth at the present rate.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

19. Statement: Footpaths of a busy road are crowded with vendors selling cheap items.

Courses of Action: (I) The help of police should be sought to drive them away. (II) Some space should be provided to them where they can earn their bread without blocking footpaths.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

20. Statement: The Meteorology Department has forecast that a severe cyclonic storm would hit coastal Andhra Pradesh and Orissa in the next forty-eight hours.

Courses of Action: (I) The local administration should advise the fishermen not to go to dangerous area in the sea. (II) The local administration should alert the people of coastal areas of these two states and they should be prepared to shift to safer places.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Both I and II follow

21. Statement: There has been large number of cases of internet hacking in the recent months creating panic among the internet users.

Courses of Action: (I) The government machinery should make an all out effort to nab those who are responsible and put them behind bars. (II) The internet users should be advised to stay away from using internet till the culprits are caught.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

22. Statement: The Union Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has fixed an annual target of Rs 10,000 crores by way of tourism earnings towards the end of the current decade.

Courses of Action: (I) There is no need of development of further new tourist spots to meet the target. (II) The Ministry should evolve attractive packages to woo the foreign tourists to meet the target.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

23. Statement: A large number of students have been caught using unfair means during the final-year degree examination.

Courses of Action: (I) All these students should be debarred permanently from appearing for any examination conducted by the authority. (II) The guardians of these students should be called by the authority to inform them that any such behaviour in future will not be tolerated.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

24. Statement: The employees union of the Municipal Corporation has decided to strike work for indefinite period in protest against the management's refusal to grant bonus.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should immediately pay ex-gratia grant to the Municipal Corporation to grant bonus to its employees. (II)    The striking employees should be persuaded to defer the strike notice.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

25. Statement: There is a substantial increase in the number of accidents causing deaths and severe injuries due to malfunctioning of the traffic signals.

Courses of Action: (I) The traffic police should immediately post traffic personnel at the junctions. (II)    The signal system should immediately be repaired or replaced.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

26. Statement: India's performance in the recent Olympic Games was very poor. Not even a single medal could be bagged by the players. Government has spent Rs. 5 crores in training and deputing a team of players to participate in the Olympic Games.

Courses of Action: (I) India should stop sending players to the future Olympic Games.

(II) Government should immediately set up an enquiry commission to find out the reason for India's dismal performance.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

27. Statement: Three persons were caught with huge arms and ammunition in the city.

Courses of Action: (I) Police should be instructed for night patrolling. (II) The three persons should be set free and their movements should be carefully watched to nab the other criminals.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

28. Statement: Mr. X, an active member of the Union, often insults his superiors in the office with his rude behaviour.

Courses of Action: (I) He should be transferred to some other department. (II) The matter should be referred to the Union.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

29. Statement: The weather bureau has through a recent bulletin forecast heavy rainfall during the next week which may cause water logging in several parts of the city.

Courses of Action: (I) The bulletin should be given wide publicity through the mass media. (II) The civic authority should keep in readiness the pumping system for removal of water from these parts. (III) The people should be advised to stay indoors during the period.

A. None follows

B. Only I and II follow

C. Only II follows

D. Only II and III follow

30. Statement: A train derailed near a station while moving over a bridge and fell into a river, resulting in the death of 65 people.

Courses of Action: (I) The Railway Authorities should clarify the reason of the accident to the Government. (II) The Government should allocate funds to compensate the destruction caused. (III) The protection walls of the bridge should be made strong enough to avoid such accidents.

A. Only I and II follow

B. Only II and III follow

C. Only III follows

D. All follow

31. Statement: Poverty is increasing because the people, who are deciding how to tackle it, know absolutely nothing about the poor.

Courses of Action: (I) The decision makers should go to the grass root levels. (II) The decision makers should come from the poorer sections of the society. (III) A new set of decision makers should replace the existing one.

A. Only I follows

B. Only II follows

C. Only either I or III follows

D. All follow

32. Statement: There is an unprecedented increase in the production of wheat this kharif season in most parts of the country.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should immediately lower down the procurement price of wheat. (II) The farmers should be asked to store the excess produces with themselves to be used for future. (III) The government should make its best efforts to export wheat to augment its presence in international market.

A. Only I and II follow

B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow

D. None of these

33. Statement: A large number of students are reported to be dropping out of school in villages as their parents want their children to help them in farms.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should immediately launch a programme to create awareness among the farmers about the value of education. (II) The government should offer incentives to those farmers whose children remain in schools. (III) Education should be made compulsory for all children up to the age of 14 and their employment banned.

A. Only I and II follow

B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow

D. All follow

34. Statement: The air and rail services have been severely disrupted due to thick fog in the northern part of the country.

Courses of Action: (I) The rail and air services should be temporarily suspended in the region. (II) People should be advised to make their travel plan keeping in mind the probable disruption resulting in delay or cancellation of services. (III) The government should immediately install modern machines which will enable it to guide the rail and air services even if the thick fog develops.

A. Only II follows

B. Only III follows

C. Only II and III follow

D. All follow

35. Statement: Number of dropouts from the municipal schools has significantly increased after withdrawal of mid-day meal scheme.

Courses of Action: (I) The government should reconsider its decision of withdrawal of midday meal scheme. (II) The government should close down some of the municipal schools. (III) The government should carry out a detailed study to find out the reasons for school dropouts.

A. None follows

B. Only I follows

C. Only I and III follow

D. Only II and III follow

36. Statement: There has been unprecedented increase in the prices of essential commodities during the past few days due to the strike call given by the transporters association.

Courses of Action: (I) The transporters' association should be ordered by the government to immediately withdraw strike call or else they will face severe consequences. (II) The government should immediately make alternative arrangements to ensure adequate supply of essential commodities in the market. (III)         The government should immediately declare the strike illegal and put all those responsible for the strike behind the bars.

A. Only I and II follow

B. Only II and III follow

C. Only I and III follow

D. All follow

Solution

1 (D) Clearly, the situation demands making the education system more flexible and changing it periodically according to the needs of the time. So, both the courses follow.

2(A) Clearly, one complaint is enough for a wrong doing. This should be confirmed by catching the guilty red-handed and then strict action taken against him. So, only course I follows.

3(A) The effectiveness of such Control Boards is established by the fact that Orissa and A.P. have agreed to it for better control of its multipurpose projects. So, only course I follows.

4(B) The problem arising is shortage of funds. So, alternative sources of financial support need to be worked out first. Thus, only course II follows.

5(B) The accidents can clearly be prevented by barring people from crossing the tracks when the gates are closed, So, only II follows.

6(D) Clearly, the situation demands that efforts be made to remove the lackenings in the present system of education and adequate measures be taken to improve the performance of students. Harsh measures as those given in I and II, won't help. So, none of the given courses follows.

7(D) To ensure that debts taken are repaid promptly, the customer's requirements and future prospects ought to be studied and their work constantly checked. Thus, both the courses follow.

8(B) The emphasis should be not on the Government putting all the engineering graduates to jobs but on the colleges producing not 'degree-holders' but real technical minds which could compete well for gainful employment. So, only course II follows.

9(B) The disease occurs at the end of monsoons every year. So, precautionary measures every four years shall not help. The second course of action shall be a preventive measure. So, only course II follows.

10(B) Clearly, an already working Finance Minister shall know better all the plans and resources of the Government and he alone can present a suitable budget. So, course II follows.

11(B) Clearly, the non-infected persons should not be debarred from visiting India. So, only course II follows.

12(D) The problem is that despite an increase in staff strength, the Institute has failed in its objective of implementing its plan. So, either there should be reasons for the lackening or the plans are a failure and must be revised for practical implementation. Thus, both the courses follow.

13(B) Clearly, war is the last resort. First, peaceful talks and negotiations should be indulged in, to settle the issues of dispute. So, only course II follows.

14(A) Clearly, the situation demands finding out the real culprits first. So, only I follow.

15(B) Clearly, curtailing of the staff strength will only increase the panic and discontent, and the satisfaction of the employees is a must. So, the Government should arrange for payment of wages. Thus, only course II follows.

16(A) The step discussed in the statement would surely give a boost to hardware industry and help our country to stand apart in this field. Thus, only I follows.

                                                                                                      

17(D) Clearly, none of the courses of action follows because firstly, the notification is issued to protect the natural environment and so cannot be withdrawn and secondly, the sanctuaries etc. cannot be shifted.

18(D) Clearly, to face the problem of the ever-growing population, an effective family planning programme, for the people to have small families, is a must. Education shall further stress the advantages of having lesser number of children and the disasters of the fast growth in population. Thus, both the courses follow.

19(D) Crowding on footpaths is a great inconvenience for walkers. So, stern action needs to be taken to remove the vendors. But at the same time these people ought to be provided alternative means of livelihood. So, both the courses follow.

20(D) The forecast of a storm clearly necessitates steps to avert any loss of life. So, both I and II follow.

21(A) Clearly, internet users should not suffer on account of certain individuals who indulge in internet hacking. However, such wrong-doers ought to be penalized so that there are no hassles in the use of internet. So, only course I follows.

22(B) Such a high target can be achieved only by a drastic increase in the number of tourists. The tourists can be attracted only by developing spots worth seeing and providing attractive packages which seem to be a good value-for-money offer to foreign tourists. So, only II follows.

23(D) Merely a warning for the future won't help, and an extremely harsh punishment as debarring students from exams permanently would spoil their future. So, none of the courses follows.

24(B) Immediately conceding to the employees' demands may entice the employees into black-mailing the management frequently. A better way is to have talks with them and persuade them to end strike. So, only course II follows.

25(C) Clearly, either the traffic signals should be made to function properly or traffic personnel should be deployed to guide vehicular movement in the right way. So, either I or II follows.

26(B) Clearly, to compete against a challenge, the first step must be to find out where the lacking is. So, only course II follows.

27(A) The police should at once be made cautious and put on high alert to prevent any untoward incident. Also, once caught, such criminals ought not to be released. They can be interrogated to detect other criminals. So, only I follows.

28(D) Clearly, the only remedy is to somehow attempt to change the habit. If transferred, the habit will create problem elsewhere. Also, it is no legal complaint to be referred to the Union. So, none of the course of action follows.

29(D) The issue is not so big as to be made public extensively. So, I does not follow. Besides, the authorities must be prepared to deal with the problem effectively and persuade the people to stay indoors to avoid inconvenience arising out of water-logging. Thus, both II and III follow.

30(C) What is necessary is the preventive measures to protect the passengers, steps to avoid re-occurrence of such events and pay the sufferers adequate compensation. So, only course III follows.

31(A) The statement indirectly asserts that the decision makers can work effectively to eliminate poverty, only if they get to know the basic problems afflicting the poor people through interaction with them. So, only I follows.

32 (D) Clearly, both steps I and II are not commercially viable for the farmers. So, none of them follows. The only solution lies in the government attempting to export the excess produce of wheat. Thus, only III follows.

33(D) Literacy at basic level is the utmost need to prepare good future citizens. So, all children need to be educated. This can be achieved by creating awareness, providing incentives, enforcing education and banning employment of children. Thus, all the three courses follow.

34(D) Keeping in mind the safety and convenience of passengers, both I and II follow. III clearly suggests a remedy to the problem and hence it also follows.

35(C) Clearly, the government ought to find out the reason behind the increase in number of dropouts, and also the extent to which the withdrawal of mid-day meal scheme is responsible for the same. So, both I and III follow. II appears to be vague.

36(A) Clearly, the situation demands that strike be called off, either through warning or negotiations, and till then alternative arrangements be made to retain normalcy in supply of essential commodities. So, both I and II follow. Taking extreme steps (as getting the striking transporters arrested) at the first stage doesn't seem proper. So, III does not follow.