Theory & Concepts
Master Statement & Conclusions for SSC CGL
Get comprehensive theory, expert shortcuts, and hand-picked practice questions for Statement & Conclusions specifically designed for the SSC CGL 2025-26 pattern.
25+
Exams Covered
100+
Study Modules
5K+
Practice Notes
45 min readDifficulty: Medium
Statement & Conclusions is a core logical reasoning topic in SSC CGL. Unlike assumptions (which are unstated beliefs made before a statement), a **conclusion** is a direct logical deduction that *must* follow from the given statement. In this chapter, you will master the golden rules of deduction and solve high-yield practice questions.
Learning path
- What is a Conclusion?
- Golden Rules of Deduction
- Common Trap Patterns
- 20 Practice Questions
1. What is a Conclusion?
A conclusion is a fact, proposition, or logical outcome that can be definitely inferred from the given statement. In the context of SSC CGL reasoning, the statement is **100% true**, and you must not use any outside knowledge or general assumptions that are not directly supported by the text.
Direct Derivation
The conclusion must directly flow from the premise without any external leaps.
"All prime numbers greater than 2 are odd."
→ Conclusion: 2 is the only even prime number. (Valid)
No Outside Knowledge
Even if a fact is scientifically or universally true, if the statement doesn't support it, it is invalid.
"Due to the storm, matches were suspended."
→ "Cricket is played outdoors" is outside knowledge. (Invalid)
Extreme Words Trap
Watch out for absolute words that make the scope too broad.
"Most students passed the physics exam."
→ "ALL students passed" is too extreme. (Invalid)
The Reverse Logic Test
If the statement is true, is it impossible for the conclusion to be false? If yes, it is valid.
"If A happens, B definitely happens."
→ If B did not happen, A did not happen. (Valid)
2. Golden Rules for Statement & Conclusions
Use these structured filters to inspect any conclusion choice:
1
Stay Inside the Boundary: If the statement discusses 'Company X', a conclusion talking about 'all companies in the industry' is out of scope and invalid.
2
Correlation ≠ Conclusion: Just because two things are mentioned together doesn't mean one caused the other unless specified.
3
Beware of Advisories: Statements like "You should sleep early" do not conclude that "Everybody has sleep disorders."
4
Exact Restatements: In SSC CGL, a literal restatement of the statement in different words can be a valid conclusion if it preserves the exact logical meaning.
3. 20 Practice Questions (Solved)
Question 01Exam Pattern
Statement: "All directors are actors. Some actors are dancers." Conclusions: I. All directors are dancers. II. Some dancers are actors.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: B) Only conclusion II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'All directors are dancers'. The statement says 'All directors are actors' and 'Some actors are dancers'. There is no direct link establishing that all directors are dancers. Hence, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'Some dancers are actors'. Since 'Some actors are dancers', the converse 'Some dancers are actors' must be true. Hence, II follows.
Conclusion: Only conclusion II follows. Option B.
Question 02Exam Pattern
Statement: "In a one-day cricket match, the total runs made by a team were 200. Out of these, 160 runs were made by spinners." Conclusions: I. 80% of the team consists of spinners. II. The opening batsmen were spinners.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: '80% of the team consists of spinners'. The statement only gives the run distribution (160/200 = 80% runs). It does not tell us the percentage of team players who are spinners. Thus, I is invalid.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'The opening batsmen were spinners'. The statement does not provide information about the batting order of spinners. Thus, II is invalid.
Conclusion: Neither I nor II follows. Option D.
Question 03Exam Pattern
Statement: "Vegetable prices are rising rapidly in the local market." Conclusions: I. Vegetables are becoming a rare commodity. II. People should stop eating vegetables.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: High prices do not necessarily mean vegetables are 'rare'; it could be due to demand, transport, or seasonal factors. Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'People should stop eating vegetables' is an extreme recommendation/course of action, not a logical conclusion. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 04Exam Pattern
Statement: "Regular reading of newspapers increases general knowledge." Conclusions: I. Newspaper reading is the only way to increase general knowledge. II. People who do not read newspapers have poor general knowledge.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: The word 'only' makes it extreme. Reading newspapers is 'a' way, not the 'only' way. Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Not reading newspapers doesn't automatically mean having poor knowledge (they could learn from books, internet, etc.). Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 05Exam Pattern
Statement: "All mangoes are sweet. Some sweet fruits are organic." Conclusions: I. Some mangoes are organic. II. All sweet fruits are mangoes.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'Some mangoes are organic'. No direct intersection is guaranteed between mangoes and organic fruits from the statement. Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'All sweet fruits are mangoes'. The statement says 'All mangoes are sweet' (Mango ⊂ Sweet), but not necessarily Sweet ⊂ Mango. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 06Exam Pattern
Statement: "The standard of education in municipal schools has gone down significantly." Conclusions: I. The municipal authorities should take immediate steps to improve the standard. II. All municipal schools should be closed down immediately.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: A) Only conclusion I follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: When a public institution's standard falls, it logically implies the responsible body needs to take steps to fix it. This is a constructive, valid conclusion.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Closing down all schools is an extremely harsh, unconstructive step that does not logically follow from a drop in standard. Thus, II is invalid.
Conclusion: Only conclusion I follows. Option A.
Question 07Exam Pattern
Statement: "Only good singers are invited to the music festival. No actor is a good singer." Conclusions: I. All actors invited to the festival are good singers. II. No actor is invited to the music festival.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: B) Only conclusion II follows
Solution
Step 1: The statement says only good singers are invited. No actor is a good singer. This means no actor can be invited to the festival.
Step 2: Check Conclusion I: Since no actor is invited, saying 'All actors invited...' is contradictory or irrelevant. Thus, I does not follow.
Step 3: Check Conclusion II: Since no actor is a good singer, and only good singers are invited, no actor is invited. This follows perfectly.
Conclusion: Only conclusion II follows. Option B.
Question 08Exam Pattern
Statement: "If you are a computer engineer, we have a challenging job for you." Conclusions: I. You are a computer engineer. II. We need a computer engineer for a challenging job.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: B) Only conclusion II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: The statement uses 'If', meaning it's conditional. It doesn't mean the reader is definitely a computer engineer. Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: The advertisement offering a job to computer engineers implies they need a computer engineer. Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Only conclusion II follows. Option B.
Question 09Exam Pattern
Statement: "Most people who stop smoking gain weight." Conclusions: I. If one stops smoking, one will definitely gain weight. II. If one does not stop smoking, one will not gain weight.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'definitely' makes it absolute, whereas the statement says 'Most' (which is not all). Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: The statement says nothing about those who continue smoking. They could gain weight due to other reasons. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 10Exam Pattern
Statement: "Any student who does not study regularly fails in the exams." Conclusions: I. Regular study is necessary for passing. II. Every student who passes must have studied regularly.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: C) Both I and II follow
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'Any student who does NOT study regularly fails'. This means regular study is essential to avoid failing. Thus, I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: If not studying regularly guarantees failure, then any student who passed must have studied regularly. This is the contrapositive (If Not A → Fail, then Pass → A). Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Both I and II follow. Option C.
Question 11Exam Pattern
Statement: "The city's metro network has reduced commuting time significantly." Conclusions: I. The metro is the only mode of transport in the city. II. Traffic congestion on roads has decreased.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'Only' makes it invalid. There are other modes of transport. I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Road congestion might still be high; the metro reduced time for metro riders. While logical in real life, the statement doesn't explicitly link metro travel to road traffic reduction. Thus, II is an over-deduction and does not strictly follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 12Exam Pattern
Statement: "All books are novels. No novel is a thriller." Conclusions: I. No thriller is a book. II. Some novels are books.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: C) Both I and II follow
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: All books are novels, and no novel is a thriller. Therefore, no book can be a thriller. The converse 'No thriller is a book' is also true. Thus, I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Since 'All books are novels', there must be some novels that are books. Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Both follow. Option C.
Question 13Exam Pattern
Statement: "The principal announced that only students with 75% or above attendance can sit for the final exam." Conclusions: I. Students with less than 75% attendance will not be allowed to sit for the exam. II. Attendance is considered important by the school.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: C) Both I and II follow
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: This is a direct restatement of the criteria in negative terms. If 'only 75% or above' is allowed, then '< 75%' is not allowed. Thus, I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Setting a strict minimum limit shows the school values attendance. Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Both follow. Option C.
Question 14Exam Pattern
Statement: "Due to an increase in production, India has become self-sufficient in wheat." Conclusions: I. India was importing wheat before. II. India may start exporting wheat.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: A) Only conclusion I follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: 'become self-sufficient' implies that earlier India was not self-sufficient, meaning it had to import wheat to meet demand. Thus, I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'may start exporting' is a future possibility, not a certain logical deduction from current self-sufficiency. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Only I follows. Option A.
Question 15Exam Pattern
Statement: "All writers are creative. Creativity comes from observation." Conclusions: I. All writers are observant. II. Creative people are writers.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: A) Only conclusion I follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: Writers are creative, and creativity comes from observation. Thus, writers must be observant. I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: Writers ⊂ Creative, but not necessarily Creative ⊂ Writers. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Only conclusion I follows. Option A.
Question 16Exam Pattern
Statement: "Many actors are politicians. All politicians are public figures." Conclusions: I. Some actors are public figures. II. All public figures are politicians.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: A) Only conclusion I follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: Since many (some) actors are politicians, and all politicians are public figures, those actors who are politicians must be public figures. Thus, I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: 'All public figures are politicians' is incorrect because politicians are just a subset of public figures. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Only conclusion I follows. Option A.
Question 17Exam Pattern
Statement: "If you exercise daily, your immunity will improve." Conclusions: I. Daily exercise is the only way to improve immunity. II. Those who do not exercise daily have low immunity.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: D) Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: The word 'only' makes it invalid. There are other ways to improve immunity (e.g., diet).
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: The statement says 'If you exercise, it improves', but doesn't say if you don't exercise, your immunity is definitely low. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Neither follows. Option D.
Question 18Exam Pattern
Statement: "The government has decided to construct a new highway linking City A and City B." Conclusions: I. There is currently no transport facility between City A and City B. II. The government has the resources to construct the highway.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: B) Only conclusion II follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: A new highway is being constructed, but it doesn't mean there were NO existing transport facilities (there could be railways, older roads, flight networks, etc.). Thus, I does not follow.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: If the government decides to construct a highway, they must have (or can acquire) the necessary resources. Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Only II follows. Option B.
Question 19Exam Pattern
Statement: "All candidates who clear the written test are called for the interview." Conclusions: I. Clearing the written test is a mandatory condition for being called for the interview. II. No candidate who fails the written test is called for the interview.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: C) Both I and II follow
Solution
Step 1: The statement says 'All candidates who clear the written test are called'. This establishes a direct rule.
Step 2: Check Conclusion I: This means clearing the written test is a prerequisite. Thus, I follows.
Step 3: Check Conclusion II: If clearing is required, then anyone who failed cannot be called. This follows logically. Thus, II follows.
Conclusion: Both follow. Option C.
Question 20Exam Pattern
Statement: "The company's profits increased by 20% after launching a new advertising campaign." Conclusions: I. The advertising campaign was successful in attracting customers. II. Prior to this, the company was running in loss.
A) Only conclusion I follows
B) Only conclusion II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither I nor II follows
Correct answer: A) Only conclusion I follows
Solution
Step 1: Check Conclusion I: Since profit increased directly after launching the campaign, the campaign was successful. I follows.
Step 2: Check Conclusion II: An increase in profits doesn't mean they were in loss earlier; they could have just made less profit. Thus, II does not follow.
Conclusion: Only I follows. Option A.
Strategy errors to avoid
!
Assuming Outside Facts
Never assume factuality from outside the statement. Even if it's general knowledge that "Sun rises in the East", if the statement says "Sun rises in the West", you must accept it as absolute truth for that question.
!
Extreme Language Extrapolations
Watch out for words like "all", "only", "always", "never", "everyone". These are usually incorrect unless the statement itself is absolute.