Directions: In the question below are given four statements followed by four…
2024
Directions: In the question below are given four statements followed by four conclusions I, II, III and IV. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements disregarding commonly known facts.
Statements:
Some books are novels.
Some novels are poem.
All poems are story.
No story is song.
Conclusions:
I. Some songs are books.
II. Some novels are songs.
III. All stories are poem.
IV. No books are song.
- A.
Both II and IV follow
- B.
Only III follows
- C.
Only I follows
- D.
Either I or IV follows
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: A conclusion follows only if it holds in EVERY Venn diagram consistent with the given statements, not just one. When two conclusions about the SAME pair of terms take the exhaustive form "some X are Y" and "no X are Y," they form a complementary (either-or) pair — a valid diagram must show either some overlap or none at all between X and Y, so at least one of the two is always true even though neither is guaranteed on its own.
Application:
From "All poems are story" and "No story is song," poems and songs never overlap. Novels partly overlap poems, and books partly overlap novels, so nothing in the statements fixes whether the parts of the books or novels circles lying outside this poem-story chain touch songs.
"Some songs are books" is not guaranteed — a diagram with the songs circle entirely outside the books circle is fully consistent with all four statements.
"No books are song" is not guaranteed either — a diagram where the songs circle overlaps the books circle (outside the poem-story-song chain) is equally consistent with all four statements.
"Some novels are songs": the part of novels overlapping poem can never touch song (poems and songs are disjoint), and nothing forces the rest of the novels circle to touch song, so this is not guaranteed.
"All stories are poem" reverses the given "All poems are story." Reversing a universal affirmative statement is not a valid step, so a diagram with stories outside poem remains consistent, making this false.
Cross-check: Draw two extreme diagrams — one placing the songs circle touching the books circle, another placing it completely away from books. Both remain fully consistent with all four given statements, confirming that neither the "overlap" case nor the "no overlap" case alone is forced, but between the two of them, one always holds.
Result: Since the relationship between books and songs is never fixed either way by the statements, exactly one of “some songs are books” or “no books are song” must always hold — so either I or IV follows.