Syllogism & Inequality

What you'll learn

Learn to crack bank-exam Syllogism and Inequality with two simple mental pictures — circles inside circles and weights on a scale. This explainer teaches the four statement types, the free conversion shortcuts, the 3-step Venn method, and the sign-combining rules for direct and coded inequalities, including the exam-favourite 'either-or' trick, with fully worked examples aimed at fast, negative-marking-safe marks.

This chapter has

Syllogism & Inequality — solved practice questions

8 Banking Reasoning Ability questions with step-by-step solutions. Attempt each, then reveal the answer.

1. Q1easy

   Statements: All roses are flowers. All flowers are plants. Conclusions: I. All roses are plants. II. Some plants are roses.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Both I and II follow

   Roses are within flowers within plants, so all roses are plants; and since roses exist, some plants are roses. Both conclusions follow.

2. Q2medium

   Statements: Some pens are books. All books are copies. Conclusions: I. Some pens are copies. II. All copies are books.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) Only I follows

   The pens that are books are copies, so some pens are copies (I follows); II reverses the subset relation and does not follow.

3. Q3hard

   Statements: All apples are boxes. Some boxes are crates. Conclusions: I. Some apples are crates. II. No apple is a crate.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BEither I or II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (B) Either I or II follows

   Neither conclusion is individually certain, but 'Some apples are crates' and 'No apple is a crate' are complementary and cover all cases, so either I or II follows.

4. Q4medium

   Statements: All keys are locks. No lock is a door. Conclusions: I. No key is a door. II. Some locks are keys.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Both I and II follow

   Keys are locks and no lock is a door, so no key is a door; also all keys are locks implies some locks are keys. Both follow.

5. Q5medium

   Statements: Some tables are chairs. All chairs are desks. Some desks are stools. Conclusions: I. Some tables are desks. II. Some tables are stools.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) Only I follows

   Tables that are chairs are desks, so some tables are desks (I follows); the stool overlap need not involve those tables, so II does not follow.

6. Q6medium

   Statements: All papers are files. Some files are folders. No folder is a bag. Conclusions: I. Some papers are folders. II. Some files are not bags.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (B) Only II follows

   The folders among files are not bags, so some files are not bags (II follows); papers need not be among those folder-files, so I does not follow.

7. Q7easy

   In the expression A > B ≥ C > D, which of the following is definitely true?

   • AA > D
   • BD > B
   • CC ≥ A
   • DB < D
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) A > D

   Chaining A > B ≥ C > D gives A > D, which is definitely true.

8. Q8medium

   In a code, '&' means '>', '$' means '=', '#' means '≤', '*' means '<' and '@' means '≥'. Statements: A & B, B $ C. Conclusions: I. A > C. II. C ≤ A.

   • AOnly I follows
   • BOnly II follows
   • CBoth I and II follow
   • DNeither follows
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Both I and II follow

   A > B and B = C give A > C, so I follows, and since A > C we also have C ≤ A, so II follows. Both follow.

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