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Exercise 7.3 · Q2

Q.Two statements are given below followed by two conclusions numbered

(1) and (2). Take the given two statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts. Read the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the two given statements, disregarding commonly known facts. Statements: All the harmoniums are instruments. All the instruments are flutes. Conclusions:
  1. All the flutes are instruments.
  2. All the harmoniums are flutes.
Give answer:
(A) If only conclusion
(1) follows.
(B) If only conclusion
(2) follows.
(C) If either
(1) or
(2) follows.
(D) If neither
(1) nor
(2) follows.
(E) If both
(1) and
(2) follow.
Puducherry CbseNCERTSubjective· 1mImportance★★★★★est
32% · 11/34 Questions
✓ Free question

Chaining "All harmoniums are instruments" with "All instruments are flutes" validly gives "All harmoniums are flutes" (conclusion 2); conclusion 1 wrongly converts a universal statement, so it does not follow.

Syllogism rule (All + All = All): if "All AA are BB" and "All BB are CC" share the middle term BB, then "All AA are CC" follows validly. Converse trap: "All BB are CC" does NOT imply "All CC are BB" — a universal affirmative cannot be simply converted.

Here AA = harmoniums, BB = instruments, CC = flutes.

  1. Statement 1: All AA are BB ("All harmoniums are instruments").
  2. Statement 2: All BB are CC ("All instruments are flutes").
  3. Test Conclusion (1), "All flutes are instruments" i.e. All CC are BB: this is the converse of Statement 2, which is NOT logically guaranteed (there could be flutes that are not instruments). Conclusion (1) is invalid.
  4. Test Conclusion (2), "All harmoniums are flutes" i.e. All AA are CC: by the All+All=All rule on the shared term BB, this follows directly from Statements 1 and 2. Conclusion (2) is valid.
  5. Hence only Conclusion (2) follows.
✓Final answer

(B) If only conclusion (2) follows.

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