Statement : Some dogs are bats. Some bats are cats. Conclusion : I. Some dogs…
2025
Statement :
Some dogs are bats.
Some bats are cats.
Conclusion :
I. Some dogs are cats.
II. Some cats are dogs.
- A.
Only I follows
- B.
Only II follows
- C.
Either I or II follows
- D.
Neither I or II follows
Attempted by 54 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Answer: Neither conclusion follows.
Reason: The premises assert existence of an overlap between dogs and bats and an overlap between bats and cats, but these overlaps can involve different bats. There is no logical requirement that a single element belong to both dogs and cats.
Counterexample (shows premises true but conclusions false): Let bat A be both a dog and a bat, but not a cat.
Let bat B be both a bat and a cat, but not a dog. Both premises hold, yet no dog is a cat and no cat is a dog.
Thus neither 'Some dogs are cats' nor 'Some cats are dogs' is guaranteed by the premises. The image above illustrates how the overlapping regions can be separate, so the correct choice is the one stating that neither conclusion follows.