What can be inferred correctly from the following? "No musicians are Greeks.…
2024
What can be inferred correctly from the following? "No musicians are Greeks. All traders are Musicians. Therefore, no traders are Greeks"
(A) It represents figure II of the syllogistic argument
(B) It is an EAE mood
(C) The term 'Greeks' is the major term
(D) The minor term of the conclusion is distributed
(E) The middle term is undistributed
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- A.
(A), (B) and (C) only
- B.
(B), (C) and (D) only
- C.
(D) and (E) only
- D.
(A), (C) and (E) only
Attempted by 25 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Premises:
No musicians are Greeks.
All traders are musicians.
Conclusion:
No traders are Greeks.
Terms:
Major term: "Greeks" (predicate of the conclusion).
Minor term: "Traders" (subject of the conclusion).
Middle term: "Musicians" (appears in both premises).
Figure analysis:
In the premise containing the major term ("No musicians are Greeks"), the middle term "musicians" is the subject. In the premise containing the minor term ("All traders are musicians"), the middle term "musicians" is the predicate. Therefore the middle term is subject in the major premise and predicate in the minor premise, which corresponds to figure I.
Mood:
No musicians are Greeks = E
All traders are musicians = A
No traders are Greeks = E
Thus the mood is EAE.
Distribution analysis:
In an E-proposition (No S are P) both subject and predicate are distributed. So in the conclusion "No traders are Greeks," the minor term "traders" is distributed.
The middle term "musicians" is distributed in the major premise because it is the subject of an E-proposition ("No musicians are Greeks"). Therefore the middle term is not undistributed.
Final inference:
The syllogism is figure I (not figure II).
The mood is EAE.
"Greeks" is the major term.
The minor term of the conclusion ("traders") is distributed.
Therefore, the correct inferences from the given syllogism are: the mood is EAE; "Greeks" is the major term; and the minor term of the conclusion is distributed. Any claim that the syllogism is figure II or that the middle term is undistributed is incorrect.