Directions : Amid mounting pressure over the Centre to postpone the CBSE Board…
2023
Directions : Amid mounting pressure over the Centre to postpone the CBSE Board exams scheduled for next month, Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Education Minister and other important officials at 12 pm to discuss the issue. The government is likely to consider postponing the exams as Covid-19 cases continue to rise across states. Several state governments and Opposition leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi have been appealing to the Centre to postpone board exams.
Which of the following can be inferred from the above statement?
(I) Arvind Kejriwal is considered as opposition leader for central government.
(II) If Board exam will be conducted, it may act as catalyst in rising number of cases for Covid-19.
(III) Only Central government has the right to postpone state government exam.
- A.
Only III
- B.
Only II and III
- C.
Only I and II
- D.
Only II
- E.
None of them
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
An inference is a conclusion that must logically follow from what the passage states or strongly implies — not a fact the passage merely fails to deny, and not an extra claim that goes beyond the given information. A statement is a valid inference only if the passage gives enough support for it; reject any statement that adds a claim (such as an exclusive right or an absolute scope) the passage never establishes.
Application
Test each statement against the passage:
Statement (I): the passage names “Opposition leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi” who are appealing to the Centre, so treating Kejriwal as an opposition leader relative to the central government follows directly from the text — valid.
Statement (II): the passage links postponement to rising Covid-19 cases and says the government may postpone “as Covid-19 cases continue to rise”; the cautious wording “may act as catalyst” matches this implied risk that holding the exam could worsen the spread — valid.
Statement (III): the passage discusses central (CBSE) exams and shows state governments appealing to the Centre, but it nowhere says the Centre alone has the right to postpone a state government’s exam; that exclusive-right claim is added information, not an inference — invalid.
Cross-check
The valid statements are (I) and (II) only, which matches “Only I and II”. Because statement (III) over-reaches with the word “Only”, any set that includes III must be rejected, and dropping a valid statement is wrong too — so the pairing of (I) and (II) is the complete and correct set.