In each question below is given a statement followed by two conclusions…
2024
In each question below is given a statement followed by two conclusions numbered I and II. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true, then consider the two conclusions together and decide which of them logically follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the information given in the statement.
Statements: The serious accident in which a person was run down by a car yesterday had again focused attention on the most unsatisfactory state of roads.
Conclusions:
I. The accident that occurred was fatal.
II. Several accidents have so far taken place because of unsatisfactory state of roads.
- A.
Only conclusion I follows
- B.
Only conclusion II follows
- C.
Either I or II follows
- D.
Neither I nor II follows
Attempted by 12 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
CONCEPT: In statement-and-conclusion questions, a conclusion is said to 'follow' only when the statement makes it certain — beyond reasonable doubt — without any outside assumption. A word or phrase that only makes something plausible, or a conclusion that quietly assumes more than the statement states, does not follow.
APPLICATION:
Conclusion I claims the accident was fatal. The statement only calls it a 'serious accident' in which a person 'was run down' — severity is not the same as a fatal outcome, and the statement never states or implies death. So conclusion I brings in an assumption the statement does not make, and it does not follow.
Conclusion II claims that several earlier accidents have already occurred because of bad roads. The statement says attention was focused on the state of roads 'again' — meaning the same concern had been raised before. That earlier concern could only have arisen from an earlier accident linked to poor roads, so conclusion II is a certain consequence of the wording, not an assumption. It follows.
CROSS-CHECK: Testing the option set confirms this reading: 'Only conclusion I follows' and 'Neither...follows' both require rejecting the 'again' clue, and 'Either...or...' would only be a valid category between the two conclusions if they contradicted or complemented each other — but 'fatal' and 'history of accidents' are unrelated claims, not a genuine either/or pair. Only conclusion II holds up.
So the correct choice is: Only conclusion II follows.