NMAT Logical Reasoning Syllabus

In Strong and Weak Arguments, what defines a 'strong' argument?

One that is both directly relevant to the question and substantial/significant — it addresses the real issue with logical, practical weight.

In Strong and Weak Arguments, what makes an argument 'weak'?

It is irrelevant, trivial, ambiguous, based on an individual example, superficial, or restates the question rather than reasoning about it.

In Cause and Effect, define the difference between a cause and an effect.

The cause is the event/action that produces a result; the effect is the outcome or consequence that follows from the cause.

In Cause and Effect questions, what are the common relationship options between two given events?

(1) One is cause, other is effect; (2) both are effects of a common/independent cause; (3) both are independent causes; (4) one is the immediate and the other the principal cause; (5) effects of independent causes.

What logical fallacy warns that sequence in time does not prove causation?

Post hoc ergo propter hoc — assuming that because B followed A, A caused B.

In Critical Reasoning, what is the difference between a premise and a conclusion?

A premise is a stated reason/evidence offered to support a claim; the conclusion is the main claim the premises are meant to establish.

In Critical Reasoning, how does a statement that 'strengthens' an argument differ from one that 'weakens' it?

A strengthener provides additional support making the conclusion more likely; a weakener introduces a fact/alternative that undermines the link between premises and conclusion.

In Critical Reasoning, what is an 'inference'?

A conclusion that must be true (or is logically supported) based on the information given, without adding outside assumptions.

What distinguishes an assumption from an inference in Critical Reasoning?

An assumption is an unstated premise the argument depends on (comes before the conclusion); an inference is a conclusion drawn from the stated information (comes after).

In Syllogisms, what are the four standard categorical proposition types (A, E, I, O)?

A = Universal affirmative (All S are P); E = Universal negative (No S is P); I = Particular affirmative (Some S are P); O = Particular negative (Some S are not P).

In Syllogism conversion, what does 'Some A are B' convert to, and what does 'All A are B' convert to?

'Some A are B' converts to 'Some B are A' (valid). 'All A are B' converts only to 'Some B are A' (not 'All B are A').

In Syllogisms, what is the rule about conclusions from two particular or two negative premises?

No valid conclusion follows from two particular premises, nor from two negative premises.

In Syllogisms, what is the 'possibility' concept used in modern (statement-based) reasoning?

A possibility conclusion is valid if the scenario can be true in at least one valid Venn arrangement of the premises, even if not definitely true.

In a Syllogism with 'All A are B' and 'All B are C', what definite conclusion follows?

'All A are C' (and therefore 'Some C are A' and 'Some A are C').

In Logical Sequence/Pattern (number series), how do you identify the rule of a series like 2, 6, 12, 20, 30...?

Find the differences: 4, 6, 8, 10 (increasing by 2), so it follows n²+n; next term = 30 + 12 = 42.

In Logical Sequence of words/events, what is the basis for arranging items like seed, plant, flower, fruit?

Logical/chronological order of a natural process or life cycle — arrange by the sequence in which events naturally occur.

In Coding-Decoding, what is 'letter-shifting' (Caesar-type) coding?

Each letter is replaced by another a fixed number of positions forward or backward in the alphabet (e.g., +1: CAT → DBU).

In Coding-Decoding, what is the alphabetical position value of the letters A, J, and Z?

A = 1, J = 10, Z = 26 (forward positions); useful for reverse coding where letter = 27 − position.

In Coding-Decoding, what is 'substitution coding'?

Whole words are replaced by other words by an agreed code (e.g., 'sky is blue' coded as 'pa ni la'); decode by matching common words across multiple coded statements.

In reverse-alphabet (opposite/EJOTY-style) coding, what is the opposite of the letter D?

D (4th letter) maps to the 4th-from-last letter = W (since A↔Z, B↔Y, C↔X, D↔W).

In Input-Output (machine logic) problems, what is the defining property of the 'output' relative to the 'input'?

The machine rearranges the input through a fixed step-by-step rule, producing one element of the final arrangement per step until fully sorted/arranged.

How do you find the rule in an Input-Output sequence problem?

Compare consecutive steps to see which word/number moves and where (e.g., largest number to the front, words alphabetically to the end); the rule must hold for every step.

In Input-Output problems, how can you find an intermediate step without listing all steps from the input?

Determine the rule, then apply it directly to the given input the required number of times, since each step is deterministic and reversible from the pattern.

In Mathematical Operations (symbol substitution), what order of operations is applied after replacing symbols?

BODMAS/PEMDAS: Brackets, Orders (powers), Division and Multiplication (left to right), then Addition and Subtraction (left to right).

In symbol-logic problems where '+' means '÷' and '×' means '−', evaluate 12 + 4 × 2 using the substitution.

Substitute: 12 ÷ 4 − 2 = 3 − 2 = 1.

In Mathematical Operations interchange problems, what should you do first before computing?

Swap the symbols (or numbers) exactly as the question's interchange instruction states, then apply BODMAS to the rewritten expression.

In Decision Making problems, what is the role of the given 'conditions' and the exceptions?

Each candidate/case is tested against all listed eligibility conditions; exceptions (referral clauses) override the normal decision when a specified condition is partially met.

In Data Conditions (eligibility) questions, what does it mean when 'a candidate satisfies all conditions except one, which is covered by a referral clause'?

The case is not outright rejected; it is referred to a higher authority (e.g., to a senior manager/director) as specified by that clause.

In Venn Diagram logic, what does the overlapping (intersection) region of two circles represent?

Elements that belong to both sets simultaneously (A ∩ B).

In Venn Diagram logic, how do you represent the relationship 'All pens are stationery, some stationery are gifts'?

Draw the 'pens' circle entirely inside 'stationery', and the 'gifts' circle partially overlapping 'stationery' (overlap may or may not include pens).

In Venn diagrams for class relationships, which diagram fits 'Dog, Cat, Animal'?

Two separate small circles (Dog, Cat) — non-overlapping since no dog is a cat — both lying entirely inside one large circle (Animal).