Basic Concepts of Syllogism with Examples

Syllogism is a logical reasoning method used to draw conclusions from two or more given statements or premises. It is a key topic in bank exams like IBPS PO, testing your ability to understand relationships between categories/classes and derive valid conclusions. Here’s a simple and easy-to-understand explanation for freshers.

Basic Concepts of Syllogism with Examples

Syllogism involves understanding how different groups or categories are related using words like “all,” “some,” or “no.” By analyzing these relationships, we can determine what logically follows. Simple examples, like “All cats are animals” and “Some animals are pets,” make it easier to understand how conclusions are formed. Syllogism is an important topic frequently asked in banking exams such as IBPS PO, Clerk, SBI PO, Clerk, RBI Grade B, and all the banking and insurance exams.

What is Syllogism?

A syllogism consists of two statements called premises and a conclusion that logically follows from them. Each statement talks about how one group (A) relates to another group (B) using words like “all,” “some,” or “no.”

The parts of a syllogism are:

• Major Premise: A general statement (e.g., All cats are animals).
• Minor Premise: A specific statement related to the major premise (e.g., Some animals are pets).
• Conclusion: What can be logically concluded from the two premises (e.g., Some cats are pets).

Types of Statements in Syllogism

Basic Rules to Solve Syllogism

All → Some
If “All A are B” is true, then “Some A are B” is automatically true.
Example: All dogs are animals → Some dogs are animals.

No → No & Some Not
If “No A is B,” then “No B is A” is also true, and “Some A are not B” is always true.

Some → Some (Reversible)
If “Some A are B,” then “Some B are A” is also true.
Example: Some birds are parrots → Some parrots are birds.

Some + No = No Conclusion
If one statement is “Some” and the other is “No,” no definite conclusion can be drawn.

Two Particular Statements = No Conclusion
If both statements are “Some” or “Some…not,” no valid conclusion follows.

Use of Venn Diagrams

Venn diagrams help visualize syllogism problems:

• “All A are B”: Draw circle A completely inside circle B.
• “No A is B”: Draw two circles A and B that do not touch.
• “Some A are B”: Draw circles A and B overlapping partially.
• “Some A are not B”: Part of circle A lies outside circle B.

Steps:

• Read and understand the statements.
• Draw a Venn diagram based on the statements.
• Check if the conclusion fits in the Venn diagram.
• Mark conclusions that definitely follow.

Examples for Clarity

A) Statements:

• All cats are animals.
• Some animals are pets.

Conclusion: Some cats are pets (possibly true).

B) Statements:

• No dog is a cat.
• Some pets are dogs.

Conclusion: No pet is a cat (not necessarily true).

C) Statements:

• All bank are court.
• All court are legal.
• Some legal are eagle.

D) Conclusion: Some bank are legal (follows logically).

Tips for Freshers to Solve Syllogism

Carefully analyze the premises.

Avoid assuming info not given.

Use the basic rules strictly.

Draw Venn diagrams for complex cases.

Practice syllogism questions regularly.