A Statement followed by Conclusion-I and Conclusion-II is given below. You have to take the Statement to be true even if it seems to be at variance from the commonly known facts. Read all Conclusions and then decide which of the given Conclusion(s) logically follows/follow from the Statement, disregarding the commonly known facts.
- Statement: Some cats are almirahs. Some almirahs are chairs. All chairs are tables.
- Conclusion-I: Certainly some almirahs are tables.
- Conclusion-II: Some cats may not be chairs.
Which one of the following is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Both Conclusion-I and Conclusion-II
The almirahs that are chairs are also tables, so Conclusion-I is certain. Conclusion-II only claims a possibility ('may not'), and since nothing fixes how cats relate to chairs, that possibility is open — so both follow.
- Some almirahs are chairs and all chairs are tables, so those almirahs are tables — 'some almirahs are tables' is certain.
- Cats connect to chairs only through 'some almirahs', a particular link, so there is no definite relation between cats and chairs.
- With no definite relation, a diagram where some cats are not chairs is allowed — so 'some cats may not be chairs' follows.
- ✓ Conclusion-I 'Some almirahs are chairs' + 'All chairs are tables' gives 'some almirahs are tables' with certainty.
- ✓ Conclusion-II It states only a possibility; since the statements do not force every cat to be a chair, the possibility holds.
Remember · 'Some A are B' + 'All B are C' gives 'some A are C'. A 'may / may not' conclusion follows when no definite relation rules it out.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·