Directions : In each of the following questions a statement is given, followed…

Concept: In Statement-and-Conclusion reasoning, a conclusion "follows" only if it can be deduced from the statement alone, without adding assumptions the statement does not state. An absolute or restrictive word such as "only", "solely", or "entirely" in a conclusion requires the statement itself to assert that exclusivity -- otherwise the conclusion over-reaches and does not follow.

1. The statement says India's economy depends "mainly" on forests, establishing forests as a major -- not necessarily sole -- contributor to the economy.

2. Conclusion I -- preserve trees to improve the economy -- follows directly, since protecting a stated major economic driver is a reasonable, assumption-free inference from "depends mainly on forests."

3. Conclusion II claims India wants ONLY maintenance of forests to improve economic conditions. The word "only" asserts forest maintenance is the sole route to improvement, which the statement never states -- "mainly" leaves room for other contributing factors -- so II does not follow.

• "Either I or II follows" would apply only if the two conclusions were mutually exclusive alternatives with neither independently provable -- that is not the case here, since one conclusion is directly established on its own.

• "Neither follows" would apply only if no inference at all were supportable -- but a clean, assumption-free inference is available from the statement, so this option is too restrictive.

Since Conclusion I is a valid, assumption-free inference and Conclusion II is not, only Conclusion I follows from the given statement.