In question below,there are two or three statements followed by four…
2023
In question below,there are two or three statements followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. Take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follow(s) from the given statements.
Statements:
A. All pins are staplers.
B. Some staplers are sharpeners.
C. Some sharpeners are stands.
Conclusions:
I. Some staplers are stands.
II. Some sharpeners are pins.
III. Some pins are stands.
IV. Some stands are sharpeners.
- A.
Only I and II follow
- B.
Only II and IV follow
- C.
Only III follows
- D.
Only IV follows
Attempted by 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Answer: Only conclusion IV follows. (Some stands are sharpeners).
Given statements:
All pins are staplers.
Some staplers are sharpeners.
Some sharpeners are stands.
Reasoning:
Conclusion IV (Some stands are sharpeners) follows directly because "Some sharpeners are stands" is equivalent to "Some stands are sharpeners."
Conclusion I (Some staplers are stands) does not follow. The facts "Some staplers are sharpeners" and "Some sharpeners are stands" do not guarantee the same items are involved in both overlaps, so staplers need not overlap with stands. Example: let pins = {P}, staplers = {P, S1}, sharpeners = {S1, Sh2}, stands = {Sh2}. Here some staplers are sharpeners (S1) and some sharpeners are stands (Sh2), but no stapler is a stand.
Conclusion II (Some sharpeners are pins) does not follow. All pins are staplers, but there is no information that any pin is also a sharpener; the sharpeners could be different staplers or items.
Conclusion III (Some pins are stands) does not follow for the same reason: pins are only known to be staplers, and there is no guaranteed link between those pins and the sharpeners that are stands.
Therefore, only conclusion IV is validly inferred from the given statements.