Reasoning

Statement Based Reasoning

280 Questions

Test your logical reasoning skills with these statement based questions covering assumptions and courses of action. You must critically analyze administrative decisions and implicit premises. These topics are a staple in the reasoning sections of IBPS banking, SSC, and government recruitment exams.

Courses of actionImplicit assumptionsLogical reasoningStatement analysisAdministrative decisions

Statement Based Reasoning Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: In the following question, a statement is followed by two assumptions. Which of the given assumptions is/are implicit in the statement?

Statement: The government has alleged that companies in steel and cement industries have formed cartels to keep prices high. Assumptions: I. Steel and cement prices have appreciated over the last six months. II. Steel and cement companies are colluding with each other and fixing prices.

  1. Only assumption l is implicit.

  2. Only assumption ll is implicit.

  3. Either assumption l or ll is implicit.

  4. Neither assumption l nor ll is implicit.

  5. Both assumptions l and ll are implicit.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The statement could be true if either the cause exists (assumption II) or the effect exists (assumption I).

Multiple choice

A kite is a decorated craft made of paper and cloth, and coloured stripes are used to make different designs on its surface. It is used as a pastime, with people of all age groups flying it. This particular kite was made in Gujarat. I know this for a fact since I bought it in the Gujarat Handicraft Emporium on my most recent trip to Ahmedabad.

Which of the following, if true, would lend strongest support to the conclusion that the author’s kite was made in Gujarat?

  1. All of the kites built in the past two years were built in Gujarat.

  2. The paper from which the kite is made is made from a kind of grass that grows only in Gujarat.

  3. Gujarat is by far the world’s largest producer of kites.

  4. Gujarat has never in its history imported kites.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The author assumes that because he bought a kite in Gujarat, the kite was made in Gujarat. In fact (4), Gujarat has never imported kites, so it’s very probable that any kite found in Gujarat was made there.

Multiple choice
All the research reports, complete in all respects, for the projects must be submitted to the department of plant research by June 15 to be considered for the award of PHD by the department. The Dean of Academic Affairs never considers the research reports for projects which haven’t been conducted under the supervision of university faculty and at university premises. If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?

  1. The projects, which have been conducted at the university under visiting professors, will be considered for the PHD.

  2. The university does not prefer its students doing the research work at facilities other than those available at its campus.

  3. Any project report received by department a month before the deadline is sure to be awarded the PHD degree.

  4. A project report conducted at another university that is received by the June 15 deadline will not be considered by the department.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

If the department won’t consider any project report conducted outside university premises, then a project report won’t be considered, even if it’s received before the June 15 deadline.

Multiple choice
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel’s years in a prison during struggle for independence had little impact on his writing. A comparison of Patel’s pre-imprisonment novels with the short stories he published in the years following his release shows a continuity of ideas, representation and approach. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the conclusion drawn above?

  1. Sardar Patel wrote nothing during his imprisonment.

  2. The comparison was made between two different literary forms.

  3. The short stories were written prior to Sardar Patel’s imprisonment.

  4. Sardar Patel was opposed to writings of his contemporaries.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In concluding that Sardar Patel’s imprisonment had no effect on his writing, the author assumes that because the stories were published after his release, they were written after his release. If however, the stories were written before his imprisonment, but published after his release, there’s nothing on which to base the assertion that his writing was unaffected by prison.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows it.

Archaeologists have discovered various paintings on the walls and ceiling of a cave found in the Andaman Islands. The entrance of the cave had been blocked by an earthquake in the 5th century BC and was only recently cleared by another earthquake. Since someone had to paint the paintings, archeologists have concluded that people lived on these islands since time earlier than the 5th century.

Which of the following pieces of additional evidence would most seriously weaken the archaeologists’ conclusion?

  1. Later, another entrance of the cave was found which was not blocked by the earthquake.

  2. Archaeologists have evidence that people were living in neighbouring Nicobar Islands since the 5th century BC.

  3. Alternative methods of dating place the time of the earthquake somewhat earlier at around 4th century BC.

  4. Many experts believe that people arrived at these islands not until the 6th century AD.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Archaeologists came to a conclusion about people living in the area by using evidence based on the assumption that since an earthquake sealed the cave in the 5th century BC, paintings found in the cave were done before that earthquake. If there were another way that people could get into the cave after the 5th century BC, then the dating of the paintings would be in doubt, as would the conclusion about people living in the Andaman Islands.

Multiple choice

Industry presentations always provide useful information, but only those presentations that hold the interest of students are worth showing in colleges. Some presentations are boring.

Which one of the following conclusions can be properly drawn from the passage?

  1. Some presentations, which provide useful information, are not worth showing in colleges.

  2. All presentations that are boring provide useful information.

  3. Some presentations that are worth showing in colleges are boring.

  4. Some presentations that hold the interest of students are not worth showing in colleges.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Some presentations, all of which provide useful information, are boring which means that they are not worth showing at colleges.

Multiple choice

Last winter, in a national park in Himachel Pradesh, one-fourth of the three-stripped squirrel population was unable to find appropriate burrows for hibernation. This is somewhat curious given the fact that during the same period, the summer animals that had inhabited the burrows during the autumn months had migrated. Many of the burrows were large enough to accommodate the squirrels and were well insulated against the harsh winter weather.

Which of the following statement, if true would best explain why the three-stripped squirrels were unable to find appropriate places to hibernate when there were ample burrows available?

  1. Most of the burrows which were left vacant were in the higher parts of the forest region and were therefore inaccessible to the squirrels who inhabit the lower region.

  2. During the winter, a few three stripped squirrels continue to live in burrows, which they inhabited during the autumn months.

  3. Many of the burrows are not conducive to the rearing of small babies.

  4. A very few of the three stripped squirrels migrate to a nearby plain during the winter, therefore do not need to find burrows within the forest.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This explains why the squirrels were unable to find the vacant burrows.

Multiple choice

For two years, while remodeling the Museum, the New Delhi Heritage commission has been transferring a large number of artifacts from the city of New Delhi to both the Mughal and Indian Museums in the city of Agra. It follows that when New Delhi's Museum reopens next year, either Mughal or Indian Museums will have to be closed and their artifacts consolidated.

The author of the statements above assumes that

  1. The removal of the New Delhi artifacts from the Mughal and Indian Museums will leave one or both of these Museums considerably underpopulated.

  2. New Delhi's remodeled Museum will not be large enough for the prospective artifact population.

  3. Incorporation of extra artifacts from New Delhi has placed a tremendous burden on the resources of both the Mughal and Indian Museums.

  4. Artifacts will not be sent between the Mughal and Indian Museums in the next year.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This argument assumes there won't be enough artifacts to populate all three Museums. This answer choice restates this assumption, so it is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Dinosaur fossils have been discovered in locations all over the earth, but the highest density of fossils has been found in areas, which have experienced few volcanic eruptions. The higher number of fossils discovered in stable regions can only be accounted for by the lack of destructive volcanic eruptions in those areas.

Which one of the following is a necessary presupposition of the argument above?

  1. A fossil that forms in the exact location of a previously formed fossil will eliminate the structure of the earlier fossil.

  2. The rate of volcanic eruptions within a given area varies greatly over time.

  3. The rate of fossil formation has dramatically increased recently.

  4. Fossil formations have been distributed fairly evenly over Earth during course of its history.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The argument concludes that the reason for higher density of fossils in certain areas is that there has been less volcanic activity in those areas. This assumes that there is no alternate cause for the highest density of fossils being found in stable areas. Answer choice (D) confirms this assumption: fossil formations have been distributed evenly, so the difference in the number of fossils found is not due to an initial uneven distribution.

Multiple choice

At the end of the year, Besahara Parivar rewards its top performers with cash prizes. When told the fact that the number of top performers receiving these prizes has declined markedly over the past ten years, the Chairman of the company Sarvadhik Besahara responded, “In that case, since our reward criterion at present is inclusion in the top ten percent of our employees, we can also say that the number of employees passed over for these prizes has similarly declined.” Which one of the following is an assumption that would allow Sarvadhik Besahara’s conclusion to be properly drawn?

  1. Policies at Besahara Parivar with regard to hiring employees have not become more lax over the past ten years.

  2. The number of employees at Besahara Parivar has increased over the past ten years.

  3. The criterion used by Besahara Parivar for selecting its prize recipients has remained the same for the past ten years.

  4. The average total productivity figures for Besahara Parivar employees have been declining for the past ten years.

  5. Besahara Parivar calculates its employee’s productivity in the same way as it did ten years ago.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The conclusion that the number of employees passed over for these prizes has similarly declined is valid only when the criterion for selecting the prize recipients remains the same, something stated very clearly in option (3). Hence option (3) is correct.

Multiple choice

The decennial Indian Census is never flawless: hundreds of thousands of citizens probably go unrecorded. However, the basic demographic picture of the country captured by the census is quite correct. A lot many poor people go unrecorded, especially the homeless or the migrants; but some rich people are also left out as they are often travelling or visiting other countries. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?

  1. For personal and economic reasons, both the rich and the poor sometimes go unrecorded in the decennial Indian Census.

  2. All citizens of India may reasonably be classified as either poor or rich.

  3. The percentage of poor Indian citizens unrecorded by the decennial census is close to the percentage of rich Indian citizens unrecorded.

  4. The number of homeless or migrant Indian citizens is approximately equal to the number of rich Indian citizens.

  5. The primary objective of the decennial Indian Census is to capture the economic status of the citizens of India.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Census should be in proportion to the population to represent the demographic picture correctly. If the equal number of each group is not counted, it'll distort the demographic picture. Hence option (3) is correct.

Multiple choice

The decline in the value of rupee last year was caused by rumours of tapering of the fiscal stimulus by the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. But those rumours would not have adversely affected the rupee if not for the government’s huge fiscal deficit, which must therefore be brought down to prevent future decline in the value of rupee.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion about how to prevent future declines in the value of rupee?

  1. The government has made no attempts to reduce the fiscal deficit.

  2. A huge fiscal deficit has not resulted in a slowdown in economic growth.

  3. The value of rupee declined several times last year prior to the most recent decline caused by the rumours of the tapering of fiscal stimulus.

  4. Before the fiscal deficit reached unmanageable proportions, rumours of various kinds frequently caused declines in the value of rupee.

  5. When the fiscal deficit reaches unmanageable proportions, other events in addition to rumours sometimes cause declines in the value of a currency.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

If what is stated in option (4) is true, then the role played by fiscal deficit in the decline of the value of rupee is negligible, a fact that weakens the conclusion reached in the question. Hence, option (4) is correct.

Multiple choice

Lately, many highly skilled engineers from the IT industry in India have left their jobs in significant numbers to move to foreign shores. It is therefore quite likely that the competent IT professionals who remain in the industry in India are in high demand in their respective domains.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

  1. Indian IT industry prefers to hire engineers from within the country than to hire them from abroad.

  2. Major changes in the organizational structures in Indian IT industry have led to the elimination of many positions previously held by the highly skilled engineers.

  3. Many Indian IT engineers emigrating to foreign shores need to acquire new IT skills after finding work.

  4. Indian IT industry plans to train many new workers to replace the skilled IT professionals who have emigrated.

  5. Because of the departure of skilled engineers from Indian IT industry, many positions in the industry are now vacant.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

To weaken the given argument we need to prove that the positions made vacant by emigration of skilled engineers are not required to be filled by the industry. This is what option (2) states. Hence (2)

Multiple choice

Compulsory regulatory audits have revealed that PhoneTel, a mobile services provider, has erred in generating the bills it presents to its customers. But PhoneTel’s chairman asserted that the profits of his company would not be affected by a revision of its customers’ billing statements, since just as many customers had been overcharged as undercharged.

Which of the following is a reasoning error that the chairman makes in concluding that correcting the customers’ billing statements would leave Phone Tel’s profits unaffected?

  1. Depending on the standing of Phone Tel as a trusted name in the mobile services domain to retain the company’s customers after its billing error becomes widely known.

  2. Inability to establish that Phone Ttel imposes on all its customers the same charges for similar services.

  3. Ignoring the chance that the amount by which Phone Tel’s customers had been overcharged might be greater than the amount by which they had been undercharged.

  4. Hoping that the customers who had been overcharged by Phone Tel had not noticed the error in their billing statements.

  5. Assuming that each one of Phone Tel’s customers had either been overcharged or undercharged in the billing error.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The chairman asserts that the profits of his company would not be affected as the number of customers overcharged equals the number of customers undercharged. But what he fails to see clearly is the fact that the quantum of overcharging or undercharging might not be same something stated clearly in option (3). Hence (3)

Multiple choice

Directions: In the question, a statement is given followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the following assumptions to decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement.

Statement: The government has decided to levy 2 percent surcharge on tax amount payable for funding drought relief programmes. Assumptions: I. The government does not have sufficient money to fund drought-relief programmes. II. The amount collected by way of surcharge may be adequate to fund these drought-relief programmes.

  1. Only assumption I is implicit.

  2. Only assumption II is implicit.

  3. Either assumption I or II is implicit.

  4. Both the assumptions I and II are implicit.

  5. Neither assumption I nor II is implicit.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

No government decides to impose extra taxes unless it assumes that the amount it has is insufficient to serve its purpose. Hence, I is implicit. II is also implicit; otherwise the government would have increased the levy from the targeted 2%.