Statement & Conclusion — Does It Follow?

🎯 Learning Objective

Judge conclusions strictly from the statement's words — no outside knowledge, no extra assumptions.

💡 Concept

• Only what the statement SAYS counts — your general knowledge stays switched off
• A conclusion follows if it comes directly and surely from the statement
• Never accept a guessed CAUSE — the statement gives a fact, not its reason
• Be wary of extreme words: always, never, only, all — unless the statement itself says so
• Restatements and direct implications follow; long jumps do not

✏️ Easy Example

Q. Statement: All students of Class X of a school passed the board exam this year. Conclusions: I. The school gave excellent coaching. II. No student of Class X of that school failed the board exam this year. Which follows?

1. I guesses a reason the statement never gives → fails
2. II only restates 'all passed' in another way → follows

Answer: Only conclusion II follows

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

A station board says 'Train late by 2 hours'. It does not say WHY — fog, signal failure, engine trouble are all your guesses, not the statement.

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Statement: The 8:15 local from Borivali is cancelled today due to track maintenance. Conclusions: I. Some passengers who depend on the 8:15 local may face inconvenience today. II. Track maintenance takes place on this route every day. Which follows?

1. Cancelled today → dependent passengers may face trouble today → I follows
2. 'Every day' is a wild jump from one day's notice → II fails

Answer: Only conclusion I follows

🪄 Memory Trick

Ask one question for every conclusion: 'Did the statement say this, or did MY brain add it?' Whatever your brain added — reject.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• ❌ Using general knowledge to support a conclusion
• ❌ Accepting a guessed cause of the stated fact
• ❌ Rejecting a conclusion only because it restates the statement — restatements DO follow

🏆 Exam Tips

• ✅ Mild words — may, some, likely — make a conclusion easier to accept
• ✅ Extreme words — always, only, never — usually sink a conclusion

📌 Summary

• Statement = the whole truth; the world outside = off
• Direct + certain = follows
• Cause-guessing never follows
• Extreme conclusions rarely follow