Practice Logical Reasoning questions on Logical Deduction, covering statements, conditions, inferences, relationships, and multi-step deductions where you determine what must or can logically follow from the given information. Takes about 20–25 minutes and is useful for placement, TCS NQT, SSC, banking and MBA entrance exams.
Question 1
Statements: Some pilots are men. All men are workers. Some clerks are men.
Conclusions:
I. All workers are men.
II. Some workers are clerks.
III. Some pilots are workers.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. All workers are men.
II. Some workers are clerks.
III. Some pilots are workers.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Some pilots are men. All men are workers. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some pilots are workers". Thus, III follows. Some clerks are men. All men are workers. In the same way, it follows that "Some clerks are workers", and II is the converse of this conclusion. I reverses a universal statement and does not follow.
Question 2
Statements: Some nurses are girls. All girls are students. Some teachers are girls.
Conclusions:
I. Some students are teachers.
II. Some nurses are students.
III. All students are girls.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some students are teachers.
II. Some nurses are students.
III. All students are girls.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Some nurses are girls. All girls are students. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some nurses are students". Thus, II follows. Some teachers are girls. All girls are students. Since one premise is particular, it follows that "Some teachers are students". I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds.
Question 3
Statements: Some cars are vans. Some vans are trucks. All trucks are vehicles.
Conclusions:
I. Some vehicles are cars.
II. All vans are trucks.
III. Some cars are trucks.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some vehicles are cars.
II. All vans are trucks.
III. Some cars are trucks.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Some cars are vans. Some vans are trucks. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows, so III does not follow. Some vans are trucks. All trucks are vehicles. Since one premise is particular, it follows that "Some vans are vehicles". Some cars are vans. Some vans are vehicles. Again, since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows, so I does not follow. II reverses a particular statement into a universal one and does not follow. So none follows.
Question 4
Statements: Some trees are bushes. Some bushes are flowers. All flowers are plants.
Conclusions:
I. Some plants are bushes.
II. Some plants are trees.
III. Some flowers are trees.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some plants are bushes.
II. Some plants are trees.
III. Some flowers are trees.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Some trees are bushes. Some bushes are flowers. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. Some bushes are flowers. All flowers are plants. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some bushes are plants". I is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. Some trees are bushes. Some bushes are plants. Again, since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows.
Question 5
Statements: Some knives are forks. All forks are plates. All plates are cups.
Conclusions:
I. Some knives are plates.
II. Some cups are knives.
III. Some plates are forks.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some knives are plates.
II. Some cups are knives.
III. Some plates are forks.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Some knives are forks. All forks are plates. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some knives are plates". Thus, I follows. Some knives are plates. All plates are cups. In the same way, it follows that "Some knives are cups", and II is the converse of this conclusion. III is the converse of "Some plates are forks", which follows from the second premise. So all three conclusions follow.
Question 6
Statements: Some books are shelves. Some shelves are racks. All racks are boxes.
Conclusions:
I. Some boxes are books.
II. Some boxes are shelves.
III. Some racks are shelves.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some boxes are books.
II. Some boxes are shelves.
III. Some racks are shelves.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
III is the converse of the second premise and so it holds. Some books are shelves. Some shelves are racks. Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. Some shelves are racks. All racks are boxes. Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some shelves are boxes". II is the converse of this conclusion and so it holds. Some books are shelves. Some shelves are boxes. Again, since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion can be drawn.
Question 7
Statements: All lamps are bulbs. Some bulbs are tubes. No tube is a wire.
Conclusions:
I. Some lamps are tubes.
II. Some bulbs are not wires.
III. No wire is a tube.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some lamps are tubes.
II. Some bulbs are not wires.
III. No wire is a tube.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
III is the converse of the third premise and so it holds. Some bulbs are tubes. No tube is a wire. Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some bulbs are not wires". Thus, II follows. All lamps are bulbs and some bulbs are tubes, so no definite conclusion about lamps and tubes can be drawn. Thus, I does not follow.
Question 8
Statements: Some tickets are coupons. No coupon is a voucher. All vouchers are notes.
Conclusions:
I. Some notes are coupons.
II. No note is a coupon.
III. Some tickets are vouchers.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some notes are coupons.
II. No note is a coupon.
III. Some tickets are vouchers.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
No coupon is a voucher. All vouchers are notes. Since the middle term is distributed twice, the conclusion must be particular. Since one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. So, it follows that "Some coupons are not notes". Since I and II involve the same terms and form a complementary pair, either I or II follows. Some tickets are coupons and no coupon is a voucher, so III does not follow.
Question 9
Statements: All pens are tools. All knives are tools. All tools are metals.
Conclusions:
I. All pens are metals.
II. All knives are metals.
III. All metals are tools.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. All pens are metals.
II. All knives are metals.
III. All metals are tools.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
All pens are tools. All tools are metals. The conclusion must be universal affirmative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "All pens are metals". Thus, I follows. All knives are tools. All tools are metals. Clearly, it follows that "All knives are metals". Thus, II follows. III is the reverse of the third premise ("All tools are metals"), and an "All" statement cannot be reversed. So III does not follow.
Question 10
Statements: All cats are animals. All dogs are animals. All animals are living beings.
Conclusions:
I. All cats are living beings.
II. All dogs are living beings.
III. Some living beings are animals.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. All cats are living beings.
II. All dogs are living beings.
III. Some living beings are animals.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
III is the converse of the third premise and so it holds. All cats are animals. All animals are living beings. The conclusion must be universal affirmative and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "All cats are living beings". Thus, I follows. All dogs are animals. All animals are living beings. Clearly, it follows that "All dogs are living beings". Thus, II follows.
Question 11
Statements: Some pens are boxes. Some boxes are keys.
Conclusions:
I. Some keys are pens.
II. Some boxes are pens.
III. No key is a pen.
IV. Some keys are boxes.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some keys are pens.
II. Some boxes are pens.
III. No key is a pen.
IV. Some keys are boxes.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. However, I and III involve only the extreme terms and form a complementary pair. So, either I or III follows. II is the converse of the first premise while IV is the converse of the second premise. Thus, both of them hold.
Question 12
Statements: Some flats are shops. Some shops are banks.
Conclusions:
I. Some banks are flats.
II. Some shops are flats.
III. No flat is a bank.
IV. Some banks are shops.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some banks are flats.
II. Some shops are flats.
III. No flat is a bank.
IV. Some banks are shops.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. However, I and III involve only the extreme terms and form a complementary pair. So, either I or III follows. II is the converse of the first premise while IV is the converse of the second premise. Thus, both of them hold.
Question 13
Statements: Some ropes are wires. All wires are chains.
Conclusions:
I. Some ropes are chains.
II. Some chains are wires.
III. All ropes are wires.
IV. Some chains are ropes.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some ropes are chains.
II. Some chains are wires.
III. All ropes are wires.
IV. Some chains are ropes.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some ropes are chains". Thus, I follows. II is the converse of the second premise and IV is the converse of I, so both of them also hold. III does not follow.
Question 14
Statements: Some tables are boards. All boards are sheets.
Conclusions:
I. Some tables are sheets.
II. Some sheets are boards.
III. All boards are tables.
IV. All sheets are boards.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some tables are sheets.
II. Some sheets are boards.
III. All boards are tables.
IV. All sheets are boards.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular and should not contain the middle term. So, it follows that "Some tables are sheets". Thus, I follows. II is the converse of the second premise and so it also holds.
Question 15
Statements: Some shirts are coats. No coat is a cap.
Conclusions:
I. Some coats are shirts.
II. No cap is a coat.
III. Some shirts are not caps.
IV. Some caps are shirts.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some coats are shirts.
II. No cap is a coat.
III. Some shirts are not caps.
IV. Some caps are shirts.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. Thus, III follows. I is the converse of the first premise, and II is the converse of the second premise, so both of them also hold. IV does not follow.
Question 16
Statements: Some cups are plates. No plate is a spoon.
Conclusions:
I. Some plates are cups.
II. Some spoons are cups.
III. Some cups are not spoons.
IV. All spoons are cups.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some plates are cups.
II. Some spoons are cups.
III. Some cups are not spoons.
IV. All spoons are cups.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since one premise is particular and the other negative, the conclusion must be particular negative and should not contain the middle term. Thus, III follows. I is the converse of the first premise and so it also holds.
Question 17
Statements: All roses are red. All roses are fragrant.
Conclusions:
I. Some red things are fragrant.
II. All fragrant things are red.
III. Some fragrant things are red.
IV. No red thing is fragrant.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some red things are fragrant.
II. All fragrant things are red.
III. Some fragrant things are red.
IV. No red thing is fragrant.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since the middle term "roses" is distributed twice in the premises, the conclusion cannot be universal. So it follows that "Some red things are fragrant". III is the converse of I and so it also holds.
Question 18
Statements: All doctors are graduates. All doctors are citizens.
Conclusions:
I. All graduates are citizens.
II. Some graduates are citizens.
III. All citizens are graduates.
IV. No graduate is a citizen.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. All graduates are citizens.
II. Some graduates are citizens.
III. All citizens are graduates.
IV. No graduate is a citizen.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since the middle term "doctors" is distributed twice in the premises, the conclusion cannot be universal. So it follows that "Some graduates are citizens". Thus, only II holds.
Question 19
Statements: Some chairs are fans. Some fans are lamps.
Conclusions:
I. Some chairs are lamps.
II. Some lamps are chairs.
III. All lamps are fans.
IV. All fans are chairs.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some chairs are lamps.
II. Some lamps are chairs.
III. All lamps are fans.
IV. All fans are chairs.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows. The common term "fans" is not distributed in either premise, so the extreme terms cannot be joined, and conclusions I and II, which join them, do not follow.
Question 20
Statements: Some pens are books. Some books are bags.
Conclusions:
I. Some pens are bags.
II. Some bags are pens.
III. All bags are books.
IV. All books are pens.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Conclusions:
I. Some pens are bags.
II. Some bags are pens.
III. All bags are books.
IV. All books are pens.
Which of the conclusions logically follows from the given statements?
Explanation
Since both the premises are particular, no definite conclusion follows.
Question 21
Babloo and Bunty were describing the result of a running race between Snehal, Tanmay and Waman. Babloo said: "Tanmay won the race; Waman was in second place." Bunty said: "It was Snehal who won. Tanmay came second." Neither gave a fully correct version -- each made exactly one true and one false statement. What was the actual placing of the three contestants?
Explanation
If Babloo's "Tanmay won" were true, Bunty's "Tanmay came second" would also need to be true for Bunty's one-true rule, contradicting Tanmay being both 1st and 2nd. So Babloo's "Waman was second" is the true half, meaning Snehal won (from Bunty's true half), leaving Tanmay third.
Question 22
Nalini, her brother, her daughter and her son are tennis players and are playing a game of doubles. Nalini's brother is directly across the net from her daughter. Her son is diagonally across the net from the worst player's sibling. Who is the best player?
Explanation
Since the brother and daughter are fixed on opposite teams, Nalini and the son fill the remaining two slots. Working through the diagonal relationship (son -diagonal- worst player's sibling) in each possible team assignment shows the worst player is always either the son or Nalini herself, and in neither case is the brother implicated -- making Nalini's brother the best player.
Question 23
Five newly-born babies were weighed by the doctor. In her report, she stated that child A is lighter than child B. Child C is lighter than child D. Child B is lighter than child D, but heavier than child E. Which child is the heaviest?
Explanation
From A < B < D and C
Question 24
A box contains 6 red beads and 5 blue beads. What is the smallest number of beads that must be picked at a time, without looking, to be sure of getting two of the same colour?
Explanation
By the pigeonhole principle, with only 2 colours available, picking 3 beads guarantees that at least 2 of them share the same colour (in the worst case, the first 2 picks are one of each colour, and the 3rd pick must match one of them).
Question 25
The letters A, B, C, D, E each stand for one of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but not necessarily in that order. A is odd, B is neither 4 nor 5, C is 1, D is either 4 or 5, and E is none of 2, 3, 4. The correct order of the digits (according to the alphabetical order of the letters A, B, C, D, E) is:
Explanation
C = 1 (given). Since E is none of 2, 3, 4 and 1 is taken by C, E must be 5. Since D is either 4 or 5 and 5 is taken, D = 4. B is neither 4 nor 5 (already satisfied); the remaining values 2 and 3 go to A and B. A is odd, so A = 3, leaving B = 2. Final assignment: A=3, B=2, C=1, D=4, E=5, giving the sequence 32145.
Question 26
In a two digit number, its digits are reversed and this new number is then added to the original number. The addition is always divisible by which of the following?
Explanation
Let the two-digit number be 10a + b, where a and b are its digits. The reversed number is 10b + a. Sum = (10a + b) + (10b + a) = 11a + 11b = 11(a + b), which is always divisible by 11.
