Consider the following Statements and Conclusions: Statements-1: Some rats are cats. Statements-2: Some cats are dogs. Statements-3: No dog is a cow. Conclusions-I: No cow is a cat. Conclusions-II: No dog is a rat. Conclusions-III: Some cats are rats. Which of the above conclusions is/are drawn from the statements?
- A.I, II and III
- B.Only I and II
- C.Only III
- D.Only II and III
▶ Answer & Explanation
Correct answer: C. Only III
Statement 1, 'Some rats are cats,' directly implies that 'Some cats are rats.' This is a direct conversion of an 'I' type proposition ('Some S are P' is equivalent to 'Some P are S'). The other conclusions cannot be definitively drawn. For example, 'Some cats are dogs' and 'No dog is a cow' do not allow us to conclude 'No cow is a cat' or 'No dog is a rat' because the relationships are only partial or negative with respect to dogs and cows, not establishing a universal exclusion between cows and cats or dogs and rats.
Source: UPSC csat 2019