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A syllogism is a form of reasoning used to test the aptitude of the examinees in which a conclusion is drawn from two certain assumed or asserted propositions which are also called premises. It consists of a common or a middle term present in both the premises that generally connects the statements, adding meaning although not present in conclusion. For example- all humans are mammals. All mammals have lungs. Therefore all humans have lungs. If we try to denote it with letters it is like: x = y, y = z, therefore x = z.
There are a few types of syllogism, out of which three are considered to be the major types. Namely:
Conditional syllogism
Categorical syllogism
Disjunctive syllogism
These are some of the major types of syllogism used in competitive exams. Generally, there are almost 256 types of syllogisms that can exist. Syllogism mostly has three parts: the major premise, the minor premise and the conclusion. The major premise is usually a general statement. The minor premise is the specific statement made about the major premise. A conclusion is then drawn based on these statements.
A brief description of the three types of the syllogism is given below.
Conditional Syllogism:
These types of syllogism are mostly considered hypothetical since the conclusion of the syllogism is true only if the major premise is true, as this will lead the minor premise (that is mostly not mentioned) to be true. Thus, leading the conclusion to be true.
It follows a form: if A is true, then B is true. Another main reason these syllogisms are considered hypothetical is that most of these arguments are not proven to be valid. For example:
“If Rishi works hard,
he will get into the basketball team.”
Rishi will get into the basketball team only if he works hard in this syllogism. Since if he works hard, he will play better basketball and thus get into the basketball team.
“Johnny eats sugar. He will put himself at risk.”
Even here, the conclusion is hypothetical. Johnny will put himself at risk only if he eats sugar.
Categorical syllogism:
This type of syllogism consists of three propositions or premises in which three categorical statements are made. The categorical terms are used twice in the syllogism in these categorical statements. One of the terms can be used as the conclusion, and it is usually called the minor term of a syllogism. However, the major term is instilled as the predicate of the conclusion. It goes with a form as all M are P, all P are Q, and therefore all Q are M.
For example:
All apples are fruits,
All fruits are from Kashmir,
All apples are from Kashmir.
In this example, the terms are used twice. So these are examples of categorical syllogisms in which the category of fruits is stated twice. And we can see the fruits being categorised helps us draw a proper conclusion about the syllogism, which is why it is a categorical syllogism.
Disjunctive syllogism:
This type of syllogism has a name to it. It is also known as Modus Tollendo Ponens (MTP). This means “mode that affirms by denying”. In this syllogism, the argument form has a disjunctive statement in one of its propositions. Only one of the statements is posed to be true, and the conclusion is drawn for the same. For example:
I will go to Venice, or I will go back to Mohali,
I will not go back to Mohali,
Therefore I will go to Venice.
Here the conclusion is drawn based on the choice made in the minor premises. If I had chosen to go back to Mohali, I wouldn’t be going to Venice. But since I have refused to go back to Mohali, it can be concluded that I will go to Venice.
Importance of syllogism in competitive exams:
The reasoning part of most competitive exams today comprises a minimum of 3 to 4 syllogism based questions that can be considered a significant part of the section. This shows why it is important to have expertise in solving syllogism-based problems and have an edge in your competitive exams.
Syllogism is a logical reasoning-based topic where one has to be thorough with the major and minor premises and thus draw a conclusion. However, even though it seems easy, there are many possibilities of errors. Moreover, minor errors can transform the conclusion and thus result in a wrong answer. Thus, the candidates must be focused and careful while answering the syllogism questions.
Conclusion:
Syllogism is an easy but detail-centric topic where one can easily fetch or lose a mark in competitive exams. We also learned about the three major types of syllogism, which are the most probable types of syllogism asked in competitive exams. We also saw a few examples and discussed the importance and vitality of focus in solving these syllogism questions.
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