3.6 Statement & Conclusions, Statement & Arguments
Key Takeaways
- Statement & Conclusions and Statement & Arguments are two separate bullets of the CIL Paper-I Logical Reasoning syllabus and follow different decision rules.
- In statement and conclusion items the statement must be accepted as true even if it contradicts general knowledge, and a conclusion follows only if it is necessarily implied.
- A conclusion containing an absolute word such as all, only, never or must is usually too strong to follow from a qualified statement.
- In statement and argument items an argument is strong only if it is both directly relevant to the question asked and substantive rather than trivial or merely emotive.
Two Formats, Two Different Rules
The official syllabus lists Statement & Conclusions and Statement & Arguments as separate bullets, and candidates lose marks by applying the wrong test to the wrong format.
| Format | The question is | The test |
|---|---|---|
| Statement and Conclusions | Does this necessarily follow from the statement? | Logical implication only |
| Statement and Arguments | Is this a strong argument for or against the proposal? | Relevance and substance |
Part 1: Statement and Conclusions
The cardinal rule
Accept the statement as absolutely true, even where it conflicts with what you know to be factually correct. Your own knowledge of the world is irrelevant; only what the statement licenses matters.
A conclusion follows only if it must be true whenever the statement is true. If you can imagine any situation in which the statement holds but the conclusion fails, it does not follow.
The qualifier trap
Watch the strength of the words. Statements are usually qualified; conclusions offered as options are often absolute.
| Weak / qualified | Strong / absolute |
|---|---|
| some, many, most, generally, may, often | all, none, only, always, never, must, every |
A qualified statement cannot support an absolute conclusion. If the statement says many engineers in the coalfield hold a mining degree, the conclusion all engineers there hold one does not follow.
Equally, a conclusion that merely restates the statement in other words does follow, and a conclusion that introduces new information not derivable from the statement does not.
Worked example 1
Statement: The management has decided that all Management Trainees must complete a one-year induction programme before regular placement.
Conclusion I: Some Management Trainees will not complete the induction programme. Conclusion II: Regular placement follows the induction programme.
Conclusion I contradicts the statement's word all, so it does not follow. Conclusion II is a direct restatement of the stated sequence, so it follows. Answer: only II follows.
Worked example 2
Statement: Most opencast mines in the region have adopted surface miners to reduce dust.
Conclusion I: No opencast mine in the region uses drilling and blasting. Conclusion II: Surface miners reduce dust generation.
Conclusion I converts most into none of the rest, an illegitimate strengthening — it does not follow. Conclusion II is the stated purpose of the adoption and is contained in the statement, so it follows.
Common option formats
Standard answer choices are: only I follows; only II follows; either I or II follows; neither follows; both follow. The either or option applies in a specific situation — when the two conclusions are complementary, together exhaust all possibilities, and neither individually is guaranteed. For example, from the level of the sump is not rising, the pair it is falling and it is constant is an either-or pair.
Part 2: Statement and Arguments
Here the statement is usually a proposal or policy question, and each argument must be judged strong or weak.
The two-part test for a strong argument
An argument is strong only if it passes both tests:
- Relevance. It must address the specific question asked, not a neighbouring issue.
- Substance. It must identify a real, significant consequence — not a triviality, not a mere assertion, not an appeal to emotion or authority.
Marks of a weak argument
| Weakness | Illustration |
|---|---|
| Trivial or minor | "No, because the new forms will need reprinting." |
| Circular restatement | "Yes, because it should be done." |
| Emotional appeal | "No, because it will hurt the sentiments of employees." |
| Unsupported comparison | "Yes, because other countries have done it." |
| Ambiguous or vague | "No, because it may create problems." |
| Irrelevant | Addresses a different question than the one posed |
| Superfluous assumption | Depends on a fact not given and not reasonably assumable |
A genuinely strong argument names a substantial benefit or harm that follows directly from adopting the proposal.
Worked example 3
Statement: Should underground coal mines in India be progressively mechanised with continuous miners?
Argument I: Yes, because mechanisation raises productivity and reduces the exposure of workers to hazardous manual operations. Argument II: No, because machines are manufactured abroad.
Argument I names two substantial, directly relevant consequences — productivity and safety — so it is strong. Argument II raises a point that is at best a procurement detail and does not address whether mechanisation is desirable; it is weak. Answer: only I is strong.
Worked example 4
Statement: Should the application fee for public sector recruitment examinations be abolished for all candidates?
Argument I: Yes, because every citizen has a right to apply for public employment without cost. Argument II: No, because a nominal fee deters frivolous applications and helps meet the administrative cost of conducting the examination.
Argument I asserts a right without establishing it and slides from the right to apply to the right to apply free of charge; it is weak. Argument II gives two concrete administrative consequences and is strong. Answer: only II is strong.
Assumptions and Courses of Action
Two related formats appear in the same family:
- Implicit assumption. Something taken for granted for the statement to make sense. Test it by negation: if denying the assumption destroys the statement, it is implicit. Assumptions are almost never extreme statements.
- Course of action. A step recommended for improvement. A course of action is appropriate only if it directly addresses the stated problem, is practicable, and is proportionate. Drastic or punitive over-reactions are rejected.
Exam Discipline
- Read the statement twice and mark every qualifier.
- For conclusions, ask only "must this be true?"
- For arguments, apply relevance first, then substance.
- Never import outside knowledge into a conclusion item.
- With no negative marking, always record an answer even when torn between two options.
In a statement and conclusions question, the statement must be treated as:
Statement: Most opencast mines in the region have adopted surface miners to reduce dust. Which conclusion follows?
In a statement and arguments question, an argument is classified as strong only when it is:
Which of these is the clearest sign that an offered conclusion does NOT follow from a qualified statement?