What Syllogism Questions Test
- Basic two-statement syllogisms
- Multi-statement chains (three or more premises)
- Possibility conclusions ("can be true")
- Either-or (complementary pair) cases
Question bank coverage by sub-pattern
How Syllogism Appears in IBPS PO
Syllogism is part of the Reasoning Ability section (20% of the IBPS PO syllabus). See the full IBPS PO Prelims breakdown.
Syllogism Solved Examples for IBPS PO
Exam-pattern questions from the practice bank, with full solutions.
Statement: All scientists are researchers. Some researchers are professors. No professors are students. Conclusion: Some scientists are not students. Is the conclusion valid?
- A.Yes, the conclusion is definitely true.
- B.No, the conclusion is definitely false.
- C.The conclusion is possibly true.Correct
- D.The conclusion is not related to the statements.
Solution
All scientists are researchers, and some researchers are professors. No professors are students. It's possible that the scientists who are researchers are not professors, and therefore, aren't related to the 'no students' statement. Thus, we can't definitively say that 'some scientists are not students.' It's *possible*, but not certain. Some scientists are professors, and since no professors are students, those scientists who are professors are definitely not students. So the conclusion can be considered possibly true.
In the following coded syllogism, if 'P @ Q' means 'All P are Q', 'P # Q' means 'Some P are Q', 'P $ Q' means 'No P are Q', and 'P % Q' means 'Some P are not Q', then which of the following conclusions 'A # C' and 'B $ D' are definitely true given the statements 'A @ B' and 'B $ C' and 'C # D'?
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both conclusions I and II follow
- D.Neither conclusion I nor II followsCorrect
Solution
Given: 'A @ B' means 'All A are B'. 'B $ C' means 'No B are C'. 'C # D' means 'Some C are D'. Conclusion I: 'A # C' means 'Some A are C'. From 'All A are B' and 'No B are C', it follows that 'No A are C'. Therefore, 'Some A are C' is false. Conclusion II: 'B $ D' means 'No B are D'. From 'No B are C' and 'Some C are D', we cannot definitively say 'No B are D'. It is possible that some D are not C and thus not B, but it's not definite. Therefore, 'No B are D' is not definitely true.
If 'M * N' means 'All M are N', 'M + N' means 'Some M are N', 'M - N' means 'No M are N', and 'M / N' means 'Some M are not N', then which of the following conclusions 'P + R' and 'Q - S' are definitely true given the statements 'P * Q', 'Q - R', and 'R + S'?
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both conclusions I and II follow
- D.Neither conclusion I nor II followsCorrect
Solution
Given: 'P * Q' means 'All P are Q'. 'Q - R' means 'No Q are R'. 'R + S' means 'Some R are S'. Conclusion I: 'P + R' means 'Some P are R'. Since 'All P are Q' and 'No Q are R', we know 'No P are R'. Therefore, 'Some P are R' is false. Conclusion II: 'Q - S' means 'No Q are S'. Since 'No Q are R' and 'Some R are S', we can't definitively say 'No Q are S'. It's possible some S are not R, but could be Q. Therefore, 'No Q are S' is not necessarily true.
Syllogism — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest method for syllogism questions?
Venn diagrams — draw the minimal diagram the statements force, and test each conclusion against it. For "possibility" conclusions, ask instead whether ANY valid diagram allows it.
When does an either-or answer apply?
When two conclusions are individually not certain but form a complementary pair — same subject and predicate, covering all cases between them (e.g. "some" + "no"). Then "either I or II follows".
How many Syllogism practice questions does Parikshala have for IBPS PO?
96 exam-pattern Syllogism questions for IBPS PO Reasoning Ability, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.