Statements:
- All Gliders are Flyers. (Universal Positive)
- Some Flyers are Birds. (Particular Positive)
Conclusions:
- Some Gliders are Birds.
- Some Birds are Flyers.
To solve this traditionally, we draw the standard minimum overlapping Venn diagrams based on the statements:
- All Gliders are Flyers: Draw a small circle labeled "Gliders" entirely inside a larger circle labeled "Flyers".
- Some Flyers are Birds: Draw a third circle labeled "Birds" that intersects with the "Flyers" circle.
Now, let's evaluate the conclusions against our diagram:
- Conclusion I (Some Gliders are Birds): In our standard diagram, the "Gliders" circle and "Birds" circle do not touch. Since it is not definitely true in all possible diagrams, this conclusion does not follow.
- Conclusion II (Some Birds are Flyers): Because the "Flyers" and "Birds" circles intersect, the overlapping region confirms that some Birds are definitely Flyers. This conclusion is definitely true.
Want to skip drawing diagrams entirely? Memorize these two lightning-fast structural rules:
Rule 1: Conversion of 'Some' A 'Some' statement (Some X are Y) can always be immediately reversed into its converse: Some Y are X. This conversion is always 100% logically valid.
Look at Statement 2: "Some Flyers are Birds." By applying the Conversion Rule, it automatically gives us "Some Birds are Flyers". This instantly validates Conclusion II in less than 2 seconds!
Rule 2: The Middle Term Chain Constraint To link two statements together (Gliders -> Flyers -> Birds), the middle linking term ("Flyers") must be distributed (preceded by 'All' or 'No') at least once. Here, "Flyers" is a predicate in an 'All' statement and a subject in a 'Some' statement, meaning it is never distributed. Therefore, no definite conclusion can be drawn between Gliders and Birds. Conclusion I fails immediately.
Correct Answer: (B) Only conclusion II follows
Test your speed and accuracy with our specially curated Syllogism mock quiz engine. Review detailed shortcut explanations for every question upon completion.
๐ฅ Want daily shortcut tricks delivered to your phone? Never miss a concept challenge. Join thousands of aspirants in our official channel.