CAT 1999 — DILR Question 5
Directions: Each question consists of five statements followed by options consisting of three statements put together in a specific order. Choose the option which indicates a valid argument, that is, where the third statement is a conclusion drawn from the preceding two statements.
Example:
A. All cigarettes are hazardous to health.
B. Brand X is a cigarette.
C. Brand X is hazardous to health.
Here, ABC is a valid option, where statement C can be concluded from statements A and B.
A. No patriot is a criminal.
B. Bundledas is not a criminal.
C. Bundledas is a patriot.
D. Bogusdas is not a patriot.
E. Bogusdas is a criminal.
Answer & solution
ACB
- B
ABC
- C
ADE
- D
ABE
(a) ACB is the correct answer choice, as it forms a valid syllogism.
P = Patriots
C = Criminals
B = Bundledas
Since patriot and criminal are two distinct sets, what
is patriot, cannot be criminal. Therefore, if Bundeldas
is a patriot, Bundeldas cannot be a criminal.
(b) ABC is invalid, because if no P is C and B is not C,
we cannot be definite that B is not P.
Bundledas (B) may be a patriot (P) or not. Nothing definite can be concluded.
(c) ADE is invalid, on similar lines as explained in the case of (b).
(d) ABE is invalid, because the syllogism has four terms: patriots, criminals, Bundledas and Bogusdas.