LIC AAO Reasoning Ability Syllabus

Reasoning Ability syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Reasoning Ability in LIC AAO, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Verbal and Analytical Reasoning

   5 topics

   • Syllogism
     • Possibility cases
     • Reverse syllogism
   • Statement and Conclusion / Assumption
   • Statement and Course of Action
   • Cause and Effect
   • Logical Order of Words / Sentences
2. 2

   Seating Arrangement and Puzzles

   6 topics

   • Linear Seating Arrangement
     • Single row and double row
     • Facing same and opposite directions
   • Circular and Square Arrangement
     • Inward and outward facing
   • Floor and Flat Puzzles
   • Scheduling Puzzles (Months, Days, Years)
   • Box and Stack Puzzles
   • Comparison and Ranking Based Puzzles
3. 3

   Coding-Decoding and Inequalities

   4 topics

   • Coding-Decoding
     • Letter and symbol coding
     • Chinese / new pattern coding
   • Mathematical Inequalities
     • Direct and coded inequalities
     • Either-or cases
   • Blood Relations
     • Family tree puzzles
     • Coded blood relations
   • Direction and Distance Sense
4. 4

   Non-Verbal and Miscellaneous Reasoning

   5 topics

   • Alphanumeric and Symbol Series
   • Order and Ranking
   • Machine Input-Output
   • Data Sufficiency in Reasoning
   • Analogy and Classification (Odd One Out)
5. 5

   Critical Reasoning

   4 topics

   • Passage and Conclusion Reasoning
   • Strengthening and Weakening Arguments
   • Inference and Assumption Identification
   • Decision Making Based Problems

Reasoning Ability flashcards for LIC AAO

22 of 51 cards from the Reasoning Ability deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In syllogism, what is the standard procedure to determine whether a conclusion follows from given statements?

   Draw Venn diagrams representing the statements, consider all possible cases (least overlap), and accept a conclusion only if it holds true in EVERY possible diagram.

2. In syllogism, when do two 'possibility' conclusions form a complementary pair (Either-Or case)?

   When two conclusions are individually false but contradictory (one positive, one negative between the same terms, e.g., 'Some A are B' and 'No A is B'), and together they cover all cases — then 'Either...Or' follows.

3. What is the rule for the conclusion 'All' in syllogism when the premise is 'Some A are B'?

   'Some A are B' never guarantees 'All A are B'; it only guarantees 'Some B are A' (conversion). 'All' cannot be concluded from a particular (Some) statement.

4. What conversion is always valid for the statement 'No A is B'?

   'No A is B' converts to 'No B is A' (universal negative converts fully). Also 'Some A are not B' does NOT convert.

5. In 'Statement and Conclusion' questions, what is the basic rule for accepting a conclusion?

   A conclusion must logically and definitely follow from the information stated; it should not rely on outside knowledge or assumptions and must be directly supported by the statement.

6. What is an 'assumption' in Statement-and-Assumption reasoning?

   An assumption is something taken for granted or implied (an unstated supposition) that must be true for the statement to make sense; it is hidden, not explicitly stated.

7. How do you test whether an assumption is implicit in a statement?

   Apply the negation test: negate the assumption; if negating it makes the statement absurd or invalid, the assumption is implicit. If the statement still holds, it is not implicit.

8. In 'Statement and Course of Action', what qualifies a valid course of action?

   A course of action is a practical, administrative step to solve a problem or improve a situation. It must directly address the problem stated, be feasible, and not be extreme or assume facts.

9. What is the difference between a 'cause' and an 'effect' in Cause-and-Effect reasoning?

   The cause is the event/factor that occurs first and produces a result; the effect is the outcome that follows from the cause. The cause precedes the effect in time.

10. In Cause-and-Effect questions, what does it mean if two events are 'independent causes'?

    Both events are effects of some common/different cause but neither one causes the other; they occur due to separate independent reasons.

11. What is the goal in 'Logical Order of Words' questions?

    Arrange given words in a meaningful sequence — typically by chronological order, size/dimension (small to large), process steps, or hierarchy (e.g., District > State > Country).

12. Give the logical sequence for: Seed, Plant, Flower, Fruit, Tree.

    Seed → Plant → Tree → Flower → Fruit (the natural growth/life cycle order).

13. In linear seating arrangement, what does 'facing north' imply about the directions of left and right?

    When facing north, a person's right hand points east and left hand points west — so for the observer, the person's left is to your right and their right is to your left.

14. In linear arrangement with two parallel rows facing each other, how are members positioned?

    One row faces north, the other faces south; members of opposite rows face each other, so the leftmost of one row is opposite the rightmost of the other.

15. In circular arrangement, how do left/right relate when persons face the CENTRE versus face OUTWARD?

    Facing centre: clockwise = each person's LEFT, anticlockwise = RIGHT. Facing outward: clockwise = RIGHT, anticlockwise = LEFT (directions reverse).

16. In a square/rectangular arrangement, where do people sit and which way may they face?

    People sit at the four corners and/or the middle of each side; they may face the centre or face outward, and corner/middle positions affect adjacency.

17. In floor puzzles, if there are 7 floors numbered 1 (bottom) to 7 (top), how is 'above' and 'below' interpreted?

    Higher floor number = higher up. 'A lives above B' means A's floor number is greater than B's; the topmost is floor 7 and the lowest is floor 1.

18. In a floor-and-flat puzzle, what two-dimensional structure must you track?

    Both the vertical floor number AND the horizontal flat position (e.g., Flat 1/Flat 2 on each floor), often with flats on one side facing a particular direction.

19. In scheduling puzzles based on months, how many months separate events 'in the same half of the year'?

    First half = Jan–Jun, second half = Jul–Dec; events in the same half lie within those 6 months. Track the number of months gap between events carefully (inclusive vs exclusive).

20. In day-based scheduling puzzles, what is the typical assumed week order?

    Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday — unless specified otherwise; gaps wrap around within the same week only if stated.

21. In box/stack puzzles, what is meant by 'box X is immediately above box Y'?

    Box X is placed directly on top of box Y with no box in between them in the vertical stack.

22. In a stack of boxes, if 'only two boxes are above X', what is X's position from the top?

    X is the third box from the top (two boxes occupy positions 1 and 2 above it).

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