UPSC Prelims 2010·GS1·polity-and-governance·governance

Examine the following statements: 1. All colours are pleasant. 2. Some colours are pleasant. 3. No colour is pleasant. 4. Some colours are not pleasant. Given that the statement 4 is true, what can be definitely concluded?

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. A1 and 2 are true
  2. B1 is falseCorrect
  3. C2 is false
  4. D3 is true

Explanation

This question is based on the Square of Opposition in logic. The statements are categorized as follows: 1. All colours are pleasant (Universal Affirmative - A) 2. Some colours are pleasant (Particular Affirmative - I) 3. No colour is pleasant (Universal Negative - E) 4. Some colours are not pleasant (Particular Negative - O) The question states that statement 4 is true. In logic, statement 1 and statement 4 are contradictories. This means they cannot both be true or both be false at the same time. If statement 4 (Some colours are not pleasant) is true, then its contradictory, statement 1 (All colours are pleasant), must definitely be false. Regarding the other options: Statement 2 could be true or false depending on the situation. Statement 3 could also be true or false. Since statement 1 must be false, option B is the only definite conclusion.
polity-and-governance: Examine the following statements: 1. All colours are pleasant. 2. Some colours are pleasant. 3. No colour is pleasant. 4
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