Syllogism questions are commonly included in the reasoning ability component of several competitive tests. Out of the total marks, 3 or 4 questions from the syllogism topic share 3 or 4 marks.
Syllogism questions are included in the reasoning section of all major government exams, including bank, SSC, RRB, insurance, and others. Edureify has come out with this article so that the candidates can get help on the topic of Syllogism. Download the Eduriefy app to know more about syllogism.
Candidates who want to prepare for the reasoning abilities exam by solving questions from the logical reasoning section can go to the logical reasoning questions page and acquire topic-by-topic answers.
Given below are a few points to remember while solving Syllogism questions. These will help candidates avoid making mistakes while solving such questions:
- Do not try to solve syllogism questions verbally. At times it may seem convenient to solve them verbally, but that is the wrong approach
- Use pictorial representation while solving syllogism questions. This gives the candidate clarity of what the question states
- Carefully create an image. Do not get confused between the statement and the conclusion
- The number of statements may vary from 2 to 6. This must not panic the candidate. The method of solving is still the same
Following is the list of topics of syllogisms
- Introduction to syllogisms
- Statements of syllogisms
- Application of Venn diagrams
- Logical deduction
What is Syllogism?
The word syllogism is derived from the Greek word “syllogisms” which means “conclusion, inference”. Syllogisms are the logical arguments of statements using deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. The major contribution to the field of syllogisms is attributed to Aristotle.
Statements of syllogisms
The questions about syllogisms of three main parts.
- Major premise
- Minor premise
- Conclusion
The central premise is a statement in general, believed to be true by the author.
Example: All women are smart.
The minor premise is a specific example of the major premise.
Example: Amanda is a woman.
The conclusion is a specific statement that logically follows both major and minor statements.
Example: Amanda is smart.
Application of Venn diagrams
To identify whether the given conclusion is correct or not draw the Venn diagrams according to major and minor statements.
- All women are smart
- Amanda is a smart woman
The above represents the combination of major and minor statements in two different ways. In the first case, the statement “ All women are smart “ the Venn diagram of women is inside the Venn diagram of smart. Hence the major statement is true. And since Amanda is a woman, the Venn diagram representing Amanda should be inside Woman.
In the second case, the only difference is, the major statement “ All women are smart “ the Venn diagrams of Women and smart are overlapping with each other. Because that’s another possibility. Since Amanda is a woman, it is represented inside it. Observing both cases, we can agree that the conclusion given “ Amanda is a smart “ is true in both cases.
Note: The conclusion should be true according to all the possible causes. One should draw all possible cases before arriving at a conclusion.
Solved examples:
Steps to solve syllogism questions
Solved examples
An interactive explanation may help candidates analyze and understand the concept even better. Thus, candidates can check the detailed explanation of the concept of syllogism along with a few simple tips to answer questions in the video given below:
Type 1 questions of syllogisms
Instructions: Observe the following statements and select if the conclusion is
Correct/ Incorrect
Example 1:
Major premise: All Actors are right-handed.
Minor premise: All right-handed are Artists.
The conclusion is: Some Artists are Actors.
- Correct
- Incorrect
Solution:
Explanation:
Case 1:
The Venn diagram of actors is inside right-handed and which in turn is inside the Venn of artists. According to the diagram, the portion of the red Venn diagram overlapping with green indicates that some actors artist are actors. Hence the conclusion is correct according to this diagram, but can not be concluded as the final answer until the second case is checked.
Case 2: Since all the Venn diagrams are overlapping with each other, according to the diagram all the artists are actors or all the actors are artists. Hence the conclusion is that “ some artists are actors” is wrong. Since the conclusion is wrong according to the second Venn diagram. The correct answer will be option B incorrect.
Type 2 questions of syllogisms.
Observe the following premises and select the correct conclusion.
Example 3:
Major premise: All engineers are innovative.
Minor premise: All students are engineers.
Conclusions:
- All innovative are students
- All students are innovative
- No innovative are students
- No engineers are students
Explanation:
The first conclusion “ All innovative are students” is wrong according to cases 1 and case 2. The second conclusion is correct in all three cases. Conclusions 3 and 4 are not correct according to all three cases. Hence the correct answer is option B.
Frequently Asked Questions about Syllogism Reasoning
Q.1 What is the logic of a syllogism?
Ans.1 A part of logical reasoning, particularly analytical reasoning, is a syllogism. It comprises a series of statements from which the applicants must draw inferences. Although the assertions and conclusions may appear illogical, candidates must assume that the given statements are 100 percent true when answering syllogism questions.
Q.2 What are the different forms of Syllogism Reasoning Questions?
Ans.2 In the article, the sorts of Syllogism reasoning-based questions that appear in various government exams are listed. Please read the article for more information.
Q.3 Where can I find hints and techniques for the syllogism reasoning section?
Ans.3 Edureify has a few syllogism reasoning strategies and tricks.
Q.4 Where I will find some of the sample questions related to syllogism reasoning?
Ans.4 Various example questions along with their solutions are given above in the article. Kindly go through the article for the same.
Q.5 In which exam questions from syllogism reasoning come up?
Ans.5:- Some of the prestigious exams where the syllogism reasoning based questions are included in the Logical Reasoning syllabus
