UPSC Prelims 2015 · CSAT

Question 18: Logical Reasoning and Mental Ability

Consider the following statements :

1.A man had a wife, two sons and two daughters in his family.
2.The daughters were invited to a feast and the male members of the family went out to take part in a picnic.
3.The man’s father did not return from his work.

Which of the following statements is true ?

aOnly the man’s wife was left at home.

bIt is likely that the man’s wife was left at home.

cNone was left at home.

dMore than one person was left at home.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

Only what the statements force can be treated as certain. The daughters were at a feast, the male members of the family were at the picnic, and the man's father did not come back from work, so he was not home either. That leaves the wife as the only family member who could have been at home, but nothing says she stayed: she may have gone to the feast or the picnic. So the most we can say is that it is likely she was at home. Choose the option that does not claim more than the facts allow.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Wrong: states it as certain, but she may have gone out too.
(b) Right: everyone else is accounted for, so she is likely, though not certainly, at home.
(c) Wrong: no statement rules out the wife staying at home.
(d) Wrong: all other family members are accounted for as away, so more than one at home is unsupported.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2015, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.