Syllogism Questions for SSC MTS

Types of Statements

Every syllogism question has statements made of subjects and predicates joined by words like All, Some, No, Some...Not. These are called categorical statements. There are four standard types you must recognise instantly. Think of them as four personality types of statements — Universal Positive, Universal Negative, Particular Positive, Particular Negative.

• All A are B — Universal Positive (UP). Every single A belongs to B.
• No A is B — Universal Negative (UN). Zero overlap between A and B.
• Some A are B — Particular Positive (PP). At least one A is B. Could be all, but at least one.
• Some A are not B — Particular Negative (PN). At least one A is definitely not B.
• Remember: Some means at least one, not exactly one or only a few.
• All A are B does NOT mean All B are A — direction matters.

The Venn Diagram Method (Quickest for MTS)

For SSC MTS, the fastest and most reliable method is drawing Venn diagrams for each statement and checking if the conclusion holds true in ALL possible diagrams. If even one valid diagram breaks the conclusion, it does not follow. Draw every possible case for the given statements — usually 2 to 3 cases — then test each conclusion against all cases.

• All A are B: Draw circle A fully inside circle B.
• No A is B: Draw two separate circles with no overlap.
• Some A are B: Draw two overlapping circles — there is a shared region.
• Some A are not B: Part of A is outside B — partial overlap or completely separate.
• A conclusion follows ONLY if it is true in every possible diagram.
• If conclusion is true in some diagrams but not all, it does NOT follow.

Standard Conclusion Rules (Fast Track)

If you want speed, memorise these direct rules without drawing diagrams each time. These cover 80 percent of SSC MTS syllogism questions. The key idea is: a chain of All statements gives All, but mixing All and Some gives only Some. A No anywhere usually gives a No or Some-Not conclusion.

• All A are B + All B are C gives All A are C.
• All A are B + No B is C gives No A is C.
• Some A are B + All B are C gives Some A are C.
• Some A are B + No B is C gives Some A are not C.
• All A are B does NOT mean All B are A, but it DOES mean Some B are A (conversion).
• No A is B means No B is A — this conversion is always valid.

Either-Or Conclusions

Sometimes the answer choices say Either conclusion 1 or conclusion 2 follows. This is a special case called complementary pair. It applies when neither conclusion individually follows, but together they cover all possibilities. Check: are the two conclusions a complementary pair — meaning one is the exact positive and the other is the exact negative of the same subject and predicate?

• Either-Or applies when both conclusions individually fail but form a complementary pair.
• Complementary pairs are: All A are B and Some A are not B, OR Some A are B and No A is B.
• Both statements must have the same subject and predicate to be complementary.
• If one conclusion already follows on its own, Either-Or does not apply.
• In SSC MTS, Either-Or questions appear less frequently — do not force-fit this rule.

• Using real-world knowledge — for example, assuming All dogs are animals even if the statement is not given. Only go by what the statements say.
• Thinking Some means only a few — Some means at least one, which includes the possibility of All. So if All A are B is true, Some A are B is also automatically true.
• Reversing All incorrectly — All A are B does NOT give All B are A. It only gives Some B are A.
• Applying Either-Or when one conclusion already follows on its own — this is the most common trap in answer options.
• Not checking all possible Venn diagrams — students draw only one case and declare a conclusion follows, but another valid diagram may break it.

• AUNE mnemonic for four types: A = All (Universal Positive), U = Universal Negative (No), S = Some (Particular Positive), N = Some-Not (Particular Negative). Remember AUSN — All, Universal No, Some, Some-Not.
• Think of All as a full glass, Some as a half glass, No as an empty glass. Mixing a full glass and a half glass gives only a half glass — that is the Some + All = Some rule.
• Conversion rule rhyme: All flips to Some, No stays No, Some flips to Some. Some-Not cannot be converted at all.
• For Either-Or, remember the phrase: Neither alone, together they own — meaning when neither conclusion works alone, check if together they are a complementary pair.

• SSC MTS usually gives 2 statements and 2 conclusions with options like: Only 1 follows, Only 2 follows, Both follow, Neither follows, Either 1 or 2 follows. Recognise this pattern and map your method to it before the exam.
• Difficulty is easy to medium — most questions are direct All-All or Some-All chains. Do not overthink. If you know the 4 chain rules by heart, 3 out of 4 questions are solvable in under 30 seconds.
• Always check converted conclusions — examiners often give conclusions like Some B are A when the statement is All A are B, testing whether you know conversion is valid.
• In recent MTS papers, Either-Or type has appeared at least once per paper. Practise identifying complementary pairs so you do not lose that question.
• Time tip: Venn diagram method is more reliable but takes 45 to 60 seconds. Chain rules take 15 to 20 seconds. Use chain rules first — if you are unsure, cross-check with a quick Venn diagram.