In a school, 60% students play cricket. A student who does not play cricket, plays football. Every football player has got a two-wheeler. Which of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from the above data?
- 1.60% of the students do not have two-wheelers.
- 2.No cricketer has a two-wheeler.
- 3.Cricket players do not play football.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
The data fixes only the 40% who do not play cricket: they all play football and so all own two-wheelers. Nothing is said about whether cricketers own two-wheelers or also play football, so none of the three conclusions can be drawn.
- Non-cricketers = 40%; all of them play football, so all of them have two-wheelers.
- The 60% cricketers are not described: some may own two-wheelers, some may also play football.
- Conclusions 1 and 2 need every cricketer to be without a two-wheeler — not given.
- Conclusion 3 needs cricketers to avoid football — not given; the rule runs only from 'not cricket' to 'football'.
- So 1, 2 and 3 all cannot be drawn.
- ✗ 1. Cannot be drawn: at most 60% lack two-wheelers; fewer do if any cricketer owns one.
- ✗ 2. Cannot be drawn: cricketers' vehicles are never mentioned.
- ✗ 3. Cannot be drawn: a cricketer may also play football; the data does not forbid it.
Remember · 'Whoever is not A does B' says nothing about the members of A; claims about that group cannot be drawn.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·