Statement: A notice from the state scholarship board reads: "Results of the scholarship test will be declared on Friday. Every candidate will either qualify for the scholarship or be placed on the waiting list; there is no other outcome." Meenakshi is a candidate.
Conclusions:
I. Meenakshi will qualify for the scholarship.
II. Meenakshi will be placed on the waiting list.
Which conclusions follow?

Only I followsCorrect answerYour answerOnly II followsCorrect answerYour answerEither I or II followsCorrect answerYour answerNeither I nor II followsCorrect answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer C

Correct answer: C

I does not follow: the notice gives no information about how Meenakshi did, so qualifying is not certain.
II does not follow either: being waitlisted is equally uncertain.
But the notice says every candidate gets one of exactly these two outcomes, so one of I and II must be true. Either I or II follows.

Worth noting

Compare the Harinagar train: "some trains were late" gave two items that could both be false. Here the notice rules out any third outcome, and that is what makes "Either" correct.

Concept: The either-or case when the statement closes all other outcomes
Typical timeTypical: 70 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsStatements and conclusions

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Statements, Conclusions and Assumptions, at your own pace.

Explanation