Statements & Conclusions

Treat the statement as true, even if it sounds odd, and ask one question of each conclusion: must this be true if the statement is true? "Probably" or "could be" is not enough.

A conclusion follows when:

1. It says the same thing in other words — "always before 9" means "never after 9".
2. It is a direct consequence — "only graduates may apply" means a non-graduate cannot apply.
3. It applies a general rule to a case the rule covers — "every bank is closed on the second Saturday" means any one bank is closed then.

A conclusion does not follow when:

1. It uses extreme words the statement does not support — all, only, always, never, best.
2. It reverses a one-way rule — "if it rains, the match is called off" does not mean "the match was called off, so it rained".
3. It guesses a cause, a motive or the future that the statement does not give.
4. It only might be true.

Either I or II is the answer only when the two conclusions are about the same thing, cannot both be false, and the statement does not decide between them — "the result will be out on Monday or on Tuesday".

The single most common mistake is using what you know about the world instead of what the statement says. The question tests careful reading, not general knowledge.

How to check: for a conclusion you are about to accept, try to imagine a situation in which the statement is true but the conclusion is false. If you can, it does not follow.

Take the statement as true · follows = must be true, not "probably" · extreme words (all, only, always, never, best) → usually do not follow · a one-way rule cannot be reversed · no guessing causes, motives or the future · either–or only for two conclusions on the same thing that cannot both be false

Statements: Only students who have a library card may borrow books. Kavita borrowed two books today. Conclusions: I. Kavita has a library card. II. Kavita reads a lot. → I must be true: books are lent only against a card, and she borrowed some. II may well be true, but nothing in the statements forces it — she may have borrowed them for someone else. Answer: only I follows. Sanity check: imagine Kavita borrowing for her brother — the statements still hold and II fails, while I still holds.