Consider the following statements : 1) A man had a wife, two sons and 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 statement is true?

Here's a concise analysis: 1. **Analyze Statement 1:** "A man had a wife, two sons and daughters in his family." * Initial members in the family unit: Man, Wife, 2 Sons, Daughters (plural, so at least two). 2. **Analyze Statement 2:** "The daughters were invited to a feast and the male members of the family went out to take part in a picnic." * The daughters left home. * The male members (Man, 2 Sons) left home. * From the family members mentioned in statement 1, only the Wife remains at home. 3. **Analyze Statement 3:** "The man's father did not return from his work." * This means the man's father was already out (at work) and remained out. He was not at home to begin with, and he did not return. This statement does not add anyone to the count of people *at home*. 4. **Evaluate the Options:** * **A) Only the man's wife was left at home** * Based *strictly* on the explicitly mentioned family members and their movements, this appears true. However, the word "Only" makes this a very strong, definitive claim. It assumes that the list of family members in statement 1 is exhaustive of *everyone* living in the household. There could potentially be other unmentioned residents (e.g., a grandmother, a domestic helper) who were also at home and not mentioned as leaving. If such a person existed, then "Only the man's wife" would be false. * **B) It is likely that the man's wife was left at home** * This option acknowledges the possibility of unmentioned residents while still concluding that the wife is the only *explicitly mentioned* person who remained. Since the problem doesn't explicitly state that the listed family members are the *only* occupants of the house, we cannot be absolutely certain that *only* the wife was left. Therefore, "likely" is a more accurate and cautious conclusion, accounting for any unstated possibilities. * **C) None was left at home** * This is false. The wife was not mentioned as leaving, so we infer she stayed. * **D) More than one person was left at home.** * This is not supported by the explicit information. Only the wife is inferred to have stayed from the mentioned family members. **Conclusion:** Option B is correct because while the wife is the only person explicitly stated or inferred to be at home, the problem doesn't definitively rule out the presence of other unmentioned individuals in the household. The word "likely" accounts for this potential ambiguity, making it the most accurate statement.