Discussion Forum

In the following question, three statements are given followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements disregarding commonly known facts.

 Statements: All rods are bricks. Some bricks are ropes. All ropes are doors.

conclusions: I. some rods are doors. II. some doors are bricks. III. Some rods are not doors. IV. All doors are ropes.

Answer:

Explanation:

All rods are bricks. Some bricks are ropes.

Since the middle term 'bricks' is not distributed even once in the premises, no definite conclusion follows.

Some bricks are ropes. All ropes are doors.

Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that 'Some bricks are doors'. II is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds.

All rods are bricks. Some bricks are doors.

Since the middle term 'bricks' is not distributed even once in the premises, no definite conclusion follows. However, I and III involve the extreme terms. But, since they are not contradictory, they do not form a complementary pair. Hence, only II follows