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 RRB Group D
Syllogism is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (30% of the RRB Group D syllabus).
Syllogism Solved Examples for RRB Group D
12 exam-pattern syllogism questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Statements: All trees are plants. Some plants are shrubs. Conclusions: I. All trees are shrubs. II. Some shrubs are trees.
- 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
The statements indicate that all trees are plants, and some plants are shrubs. However, there is no direct relationship established between trees and shrubs. Therefore, neither conclusion I (All trees are shrubs) nor conclusion II (Some shrubs are trees) can be definitively derived from the given statements.
Statements: No X is Y. Some Y are Z. Conclusions: I. Some X are Z. II. No X is Z. Which of the following is true?
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Either I or II followsCorrect
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Statements: No X is Y. Some Y are Z. Because no X is Y, and some Y are Z, it is possible that those Z's that are Y, are not X. Then, it is possible that the remaining Z's are either X or not X. Thus, either Some X are Z or No X is Z. This forms an I-E complementary pair. Therefore, 'Either I or II follows' is the correct answer.
In the proposition 'No dogs are birds', which term(s) is/are distributed?
- A.Dogs only
- B.Birds only
- C.Both Dogs and BirdsCorrect
- D.Neither Dogs nor Birds
Solution
In a Universal Negative (E-type) proposition like 'No dogs are birds', both the subject ('dogs') and the predicate ('birds') are distributed. The statement refers to all dogs and denies that any of them are birds, and it also implicitly refers to all birds and denies that any of them are dogs.
Statements: Some cars are not bikes. All scooters are bikes. Conclusions: I. Some cars are not scooters. II. No scooter is a car.
- A.Only conclusion I followsCorrect
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both conclusions I and II follow
- D.Neither conclusion I nor II follows
Solution
Since some cars are not bikes and all scooters are bikes, it follows that some cars are not scooters. However, we cannot definitively conclude that no scooter is a car, as some cars might still be scooters. Only conclusion I follows.
Statements: 'All A are B. Some B are C.' Which of the following conclusions *definitely* follows?
- A.Some A are C.
- B.All A are C.
- C.Some C are A.
- D.None of these.Correct
Solution
Draw a Venn diagram. 'All A are B' means A is inside B. 'Some B are C' means B and C overlap. There's no definite relationship established between A and C. A could be completely outside C, or have a partial overlap. Thus, none of the provided conclusions necessarily follow.
Statements: Some pencils are erasers. All erasers are sharpeners. Conclusions: I. Some sharpeners being pencils is a possibility. II. No sharpener is a pencil is a possibility.
- A.Only conclusion I followsCorrect
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both I and II follow
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Since some pencils are erasers and all erasers are sharpeners, some sharpeners are definitely pencils. Thus, the possibility that 'some sharpeners being pencils' exists. However, it's not possible that 'no sharpener is a pencil' because we know some sharpeners are pencils. Therefore, only conclusion I follows.
Statements: All books are novels. Some novels are poems. Conclusions: I. Some books are poems. II. No books are poems. Which conclusion(s) follow?
- A.Only I follows
- B.Only II follows
- C.Either I or II followsCorrect
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
The statements are 'All books are novels' and 'Some novels are poems'. Conclusion I, 'Some books are poems', is a possibility but not a definite conclusion. Conclusion II, 'No books are poems', is also a possibility. Since both conclusions refer to the same elements (books and poems) and one is affirmative ('Some') and the other is negative ('No'), they form a complementary pair. Therefore, either I or II must follow.
Statements: All flowers are trees. Some trees are fruits. Some fruits are vegetables. Conclusions: I. Some vegetables are trees. II. Some fruits are flowers. III. Some vegetables are flowers.
- A.Only I follows
- B.Only II follows
- C.Only III follows
- D.None followsCorrect
Solution
From the statements, we have: All flowers are trees, Some trees are fruits, Some fruits are vegetables. Conclusion I, 'Some vegetables are trees' does not necessarily follow. There is no direct relationship between vegetables and trees. Conclusion II, 'Some fruits are flowers' does not necessarily follow. All flowers are trees, but it does not mean some fruits are flowers. Conclusion III, 'Some vegetables are flowers' does not necessarily follow. There is no direct or indirect relationship established between vegetables and flowers.
Statements: All A are B. Some B are C. All C are D. No D is E. Conclusions: I. Some B are D. II. No A is E. III. Some C are B. Choose the correct conclusion.
- A.Only I and II follow
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only I and III follow
- D.All I, II and III followCorrect
Solution
I. Since some B are C and all C are D, it follows that some B are D. II. Since all A are B, all C are D and no D is E, then no A is E. III. Given that some B are C, it's also true that some C are B. Hence, all three conclusions follow.
Statements: Some cars are bikes. All bikes are cycles. Some cycles are trucks. Conclusions: I. Some trucks are bikes. II. Some trucks are cars. III. Some cycles are cars.
- A.Only I follows
- B.Only II follows
- C.Only III followsCorrect
- D.None follows
Solution
From the statements, we have: Some cars are bikes, All bikes are cycles, Some cycles are trucks. Conclusion I, 'Some trucks are bikes' does not necessarily follow. The statement mentions some cycles are trucks, but doesn't specify a direct relation between trucks and bikes. Conclusion II, 'Some trucks are cars' does not necessarily follow. There is no direct or indirect relationship between trucks and cars. Conclusion III, 'Some cycles are cars' follows because some cars are bikes, and all bikes are cycles, therefore some cycles are cars.
Statements: All A are B. Some B are C. All C are D. Some D are E. Conclusions: I. Some E are C. II. Some A are D. III. Some B are D. IV. No A is E.
- A.Only I and II follow
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only III followsCorrect
- D.None follows
Solution
Given: All A are B, Some B are C, All C are D, Some D are E. I. 'Some E are C' - Not necessarily true. Only some D are E, and all C are D, so we cannot definitively say some E are C. II. 'Some A are D' - Not necessarily true. All A are B, some B are C, and all C are D, but the 'some' qualifier prevents us from concluding that some A are D. III. 'Some B are D' - True. Some B are C, and all C are D, so some B must be D. IV. 'No A is E' - Not necessarily true. There might be a relation but is not definite.
Statements: Some fruits are vegetables. All vegetables are plants. Conclusion: Some plants are fruits. What additional statement would render the conclusion false?
- A.All plants are vegetables
- B.No plant is a fruitCorrect
- C.Some plants are vegetables
- D.All fruits are plants
Solution
The conclusion is 'Some plants are fruits'. To make this false, we need a statement that negates any plant being a fruit. 'No plant is a fruit' achieves this, directly contradicting the conclusion.
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 RRB Group D?
103 exam-pattern Syllogism questions for RRB Group D Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.