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 SSC CPO
Syllogism is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (25% of the SSC CPO syllabus).
Syllogism Solved Examples for SSC CPO
12 exam-pattern syllogism questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Statements: Some A are B. All B are C. No C is D. Conclusions: I. Some A are C. II. No B is D. III. Some A are D. Choose the correct conclusion.
- A.Only I and II followCorrect
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only I and III follow
- D.Only I follows
Solution
I. Since some A are B and all B are C, it follows that some A are C. II. All B are C and no C is D, therefore no B is D. III. There's no direct relation established between A and D that would lead to the conclusion that some A are D.
Given the statement 'All X are Y', what can be said about the distribution of the term Y?
- A.Y is always distributed.
- B.Y is always undistributed.Correct
- C.Y is distributed only if X is also distributed.
- D.Y's distribution depends on the context of the argument.
Solution
In the Universal Affirmative (A-type) statement 'All X are Y', X (the subject) is distributed, but Y (the predicate) is always undistributed. This is because the statement doesn't make a claim about all Y, only that all X are within the category of Y.
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: All pens are books. Some books are copies. No copy is a page. Conclusions: I. Some pens being pages is a possibility. II. Some books being pages is a possibility. Which of the following conclusions does NOT possibly follow?
- A.Only I
- B.Only II
- C.Both I and II
- D.Neither I nor IICorrect
Solution
Statements: All pens are books. Some books are copies. No copy is a page. Conclusion I: Some pens being pages is a possibility. Since all pens are books, and some books are copies, and no copy is a page, pens cannot be pages. Thus, the possibility of pens being pages does not exist. Conclusion II: Some books being pages is a possibility. Since some books are copies and no copy is a page, those books that are copies cannot be pages. However, some books are not copies, and therefore could potentially be pages. The part of books which are copies, cannot be pages. Thus the possibility of books being pages does not exist. Therefore, neither I nor II does NOT possibly follow.
Based on the logical principles of Definite Conclusions, determine the valid outcome or relationship.
- A.Both Conclusion I and Conclusion II follow logically
- B.Conclusion I follows logically from the given premiseCorrect
- C.Conclusion II follows logically from the given premise
- D.Neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows
Solution
In Definite Conclusions, analyzing the relationship between the terms verifies that Conclusion I is a direct and necessary deduction.
Statements: All mangoes are golden. No golden thing is cheap. Conclusions: I. No mango is cheap. II. Some cheap things are mangoes.
- A.Only I followsCorrect
- B.Only II follows
- C.Both follow
- D.Neither follows
Solution
All mangoes are golden, and no golden thing is cheap. Therefore, no mango is cheap (Conclusion I follows). Since no mango is cheap, it is impossible that some cheap things are mangoes (Conclusion II contradicts Conclusion I and does not follow).
Statements: All roses are flowers. No flower is a thorn. Conclusions: I. No rose is a thorn. II. Some roses are not thorns.
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both conclusions I and II followCorrect
- D.Neither conclusion I nor II follows
Solution
Since all roses are flowers, and no flower is a thorn, it logically follows that no rose can be a thorn. Therefore, conclusion I (No rose is a thorn) is valid. Conclusion II (Some roses are not thorns) is also valid, as it is a restatement of conclusion I. Hence, both conclusions follow.
Statement: All cats are mammals. All mammals are animals. Conclusion: All cats are animals. What type of proposition is the conclusion?
- A.Universal Affirmative (A)Correct
- B.Universal Negative (E)
- C.Particular Affirmative (I)
- D.Particular Negative (O)
Solution
The conclusion 'All cats are animals' is a universal affirmative statement because it affirms that all members of the 'cats' category are also members of the 'animals' category.
Based on the logical principles of Complementary Pairs and Either-Or, determine the valid outcome or relationship.
- A.Conclusion II follows logically from the given premise
- B.Neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows
- C.Conclusion I follows logically from the given premiseCorrect
- D.Both Conclusion I and Conclusion II follow logically
Solution
In Complementary Pairs and Either-Or, analyzing the relationship between the terms verifies that Conclusion I is a direct and necessary deduction.
Statements: All dogs are animals. All animals are living beings. Conclusions: I. All dogs are living beings. II. All living beings are dogs.
- A.Only Conclusion I followsCorrect
- B.Only Conclusion II follows
- C.Both I and II follow
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
All dogs are animals, and all animals are living beings. By transitivity, all dogs are living beings (Conclusion I follows). However, we cannot conclude that all living beings are dogs — there are many living beings that are not dogs (Conclusion II does not follow).
Based on the logical principles of Possibility Cases, determine the valid outcome or relationship.
- A.Both Conclusion I and Conclusion II follow logically
- B.Conclusion II follows logically from the given premise
- C.Neither Conclusion I nor Conclusion II follows
- D.Conclusion I follows logically from the given premiseCorrect
Solution
In Possibility Cases, analyzing the relationship between the terms verifies that Conclusion I is a direct and necessary deduction.
What proposition type is 'Some students are hard-working' (SSC Prop Type 1)?
- A.Particular Affirmative (I-type)Correct
- B.Universal Affirmative (A-type)
- C.Universal Negative (E-type)
- D.Particular Negative (O-type)
Solution
'Some S are P' is a Particular Affirmative proposition designated as I-type.
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 SSC CPO?
103 exam-pattern Syllogism questions for SSC CPO Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.