What is Syllogism and How to Solve Syllogism Questions

Syllogism questions test your ability to draw logical conclusions from given statements. These questions appear in various law entrance exams and evaluate your deductive reasoning skills.

Understanding Syllogism

A syllogism is a form of reasoning where conclusions are drawn from two or more given statements. The conclusions are based on the relationships between the statements and follow logical rules.

Strategies for Solving Syllogism Questions

• Read Carefully: Thoroughly understand the given statements. Pay attention to the subjects, predicates and relationships mentioned.
• Identify Components: Identify the major term (predicate) and the minor term (subject) in each statement.
• Analyse Relationships: Examine the relationships between the major and minor terms in the statements. Look for commonalities or differences.
• Use Venn Diagrams: Create Venn diagrams to visualise the relationships between the terms. This helps you see the intersections and exclusions.

Apply Rules of Syllogism

All A are B, All B are C → All A are C

All A are B, No B is C → No A is C

Some A are B, All B are C → Some A are C

Some A are B, No B is C → No A is C

Combine Statements: Combine the statements to draw valid conclusions based on the rules of syllogism.

Use Options: If provided with multiple-choice options, apply the conclusions to see which one is supported by the statements.

Examples

Example 1:

Statement 1: All cats are mammals.

Statement 2: All mammals are animals.

Conclusion: All cats are animals.

Example 2:

Statement 1: Some apples are red.

Statement 2: All red things are delicious.

Conclusion: Some apples are delicious.

Example 3:

Statement 1: No pens are pencils.

Statement 2: All pencils are stationery items.

Conclusion: No pens are stationery items.

Example 4:

Statement 1: All dogs are loyal.

Statement 2: Some loyal creatures are pets.

Conclusion: Some pets are dogs.

Example 5:

Statement 1: Some doctors are researchers.

Statement 2: No researchers are athletes.

Conclusion: Some doctors are not athletes.