There are multiple logical questions asked in the examination that tests the understanding ability of the candidate.
It is commonly seen in the examinations that multiple-choice questions based exam papers are set by the examiners owing to the limited seats and the large number of candidates appearing for such kind of paper.
Therefore, some questions like logical and reasoning-type questions are asked. Syllogism forms a greater part of the logical and reasoning types of questions, and therefore it is very important to follow all the steps and methods to understand the syllogism questions and the technique needed to deal with such kinds of questions in the examination.
What is the meaning of syllogism?
The definition of a syllogism is given as the assumption that is concluded from the two sentences in which the conclusion is followed by the other two statements that form the necessity for the derivation of the conclusion.
The two statements given are first assumed to be true, and then the conclusion is made based on the choices and the logical reasoning and understanding as per the question asked.
Meaning of syllogism with an example
The concept of syllogism has three elements:
- One major statement
- One minor Statement
- A conclusion
The major and the minor statements are also known as the premises and the conclusion drawn is the logic from these two.
The conclusion that is drawn from referring to these two statements is a logical conclusion that is based on the information given in these sentences.
A major statement is the major general principle given in the question.
A minor is nothing but a specific statement.
When the conclusion is drawn, it is referred to by applying the major principle to the minor statement given in the questions.
Types of Syllogism
Since Syllogism is a type of reasoning and assertion type of question, it is important to know the types of syllogism and the questions that can be framed from them to check one’s logic and ability to decipher the inference from any statements given to them.
- Basic Syllogism
- Either -or case
- Coded Syllogism
- Sequential Syllogism
Basic Syllogism– A basic Syllogism is a type of syllogism reasoning in which the conclusion derived has to be 100 percent true. It should not be even 1 percent false. A conclusion will be taken as false if it’s 99% true.
Either – or case
In the Either – or case type of syllogism reasoning, the syllogism is not considered to be true if the conclusion is not 100 percent true. When the derived conclusion is 50 percent true, then it becomes the case of either -or case type of syllogism.
Coded Syllogism
Another type of syllogism is coded syllogism.
In a coded syllogism, the statements and the conclusion given in the question are a form of code. The decoding of the statements as well as the conclusion is important for finding the correct answer.
Sequential Syllogism
In this type of syllogism question, statements need to be arranged in a sequential order to form a conclusion. In the sequential type of syllogism, a student is required to choose a set of statements in which the third statement or the conclusion can be drawn from the other two statements of the questions.
The syllogism pdf available on the internet helps in finding the relevant question to practice. The syllogism pdf is very helpful in understanding the variety of questions asked in the competitive exam.
Coded Syllogism – a brief overview
Coded Syllogism is a type of syllogism in which codes are given along with the statements so as to come to a conclusion.
Consider the following statements and decide which conclusion is right.
- All fruits are cherries.
- Cherry is a fruit
Option 1 Both conclusions 1 and 2 are correct
Option 2 conclusion 1 is correct
Option 3 conclusion 2 is correct
Option 4 Both conclusions are incorrect.
The answer to the question is Option 1: Both conclusions 1 and 2 are correct.
Venn Diagram logic in coded syllogism questions
Venn diagrams are used in coded syllogism questions because it helps to conclude faster and also to detect the possibility of accuracy.
Venn diagrams help in the determination of the argument as to whether the two statements given are wrong or the whole argument that is given is wrong.
A logical Venn diagram helps in the questions dealing with coded syllogism questions. A logical Venn diagram is a type of Venn diagram that helps in depicting the objects, statements, places or things in the form of graphical figures such as a square, rectangle, circle, triangle, parallelogram and trapezium.
A logical Venn diagram helps to understand the possibilities of similarity as well as dissimilarity so that the student is able to arrive at an accurate conclusion without solving much of the question. A logical Venn diagram is very helpful in getting an accurate answer in less time.
Conclusion
The questions based on syllogism asked in the competitive exams are relatively easy if the questions are practised multiple times from the syllogism pdf available on the net at various sites to crack any exam.
These questions are easy but require a lot of practice.