SBI Clerk 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 SBI Clerk, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Puzzles

   3 topics

   • Seating Arrangement
   • Floor Puzzle
   • Scheduling
2. 2

   Syllogism

   2 topics

   • Basic Syllogism
   • Reverse Syllogism
3. 3

   Inequalities

   2 topics

   • Direct Inequalities
   • Coded Inequalities
4. 4

   Coding-Decoding

   2 topics

   • Alphabet Coding
   • Number Coding
5. 5

   Blood Relations

   2 topics

   • Family Tree
   • Coded Blood Relations
6. 6

   Direction Sense

   2 topics

   • Basic Directions
   • Complex Directions
7. 7

   Order and Ranking

   2 topics

   • Linear Order
   • Circular Order
8. 8

   Data Sufficiency

   2 topics

   • Single Statement
   • Multiple Statements

Reasoning Ability flashcards for SBI Clerk

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

1. In syllogism, what does the statement "All A are B" allow you to validly conclude about A and B?

   Every A is contained in B, so "Some A are B" and "Some B are A" follow. It does NOT mean all B are A.

2. What is the rule for drawing a conclusion from two negative (E/O type) statements in syllogism?

   No definite conclusion can be drawn from two negative premises (a valid syllogism needs at least one affirmative premise).

3. In syllogism, when statements are "Some A are B" and "All B are C", what valid conclusion follows?

   "Some A are C" (and "Some C are A"). The middle term B is fully distributed in the second premise, allowing the link.

4. What does the "Either-Or" (complementary pair) case in syllogism require?

   It applies when two conclusions are individually false but together exhaust all possibilities (same subject/predicate, one positive + one negative, e.g. "Some A are B" / "Some A are not B"). Then Either I or II follows.

5. In syllogism, can a definite conclusion ever be drawn from two "particular" premises (both Some...)?

   No. Two particular premises (Some/Some-not) never yield a definite conclusion.

6. In Statement and Conclusion questions, what defines a valid conclusion?

   A conclusion that logically and necessarily follows from the information given in the statement, without adding outside knowledge or assumptions.

7. In Statement and Assumption questions, what is an "assumption"?

   Something taken for granted / presupposed by the statement; an unstated idea that must be true for the statement to make sense. Test: if negating it breaks the statement, it is assumed.

8. How do you decide if an assumption is implicit in a statement?

   It must be necessarily presumed by the statement (not merely possible). Generally-known facts, restatements, or far-fetched ideas are NOT valid assumptions.

9. In Cause and Effect reasoning, how is the cause distinguished from the effect?

   The cause is the event that occurs first and produces the result; the effect is the later event produced by the cause. The cause precedes the effect in time.

10. In a Cause-and-Effect pair where both events are independent results of a common third cause, what is the correct relationship label?

    Both are effects of some common/independent cause (neither one causes the other).

11. In coded inequality, what symbols typically represent 'greater than or equal to' and 'less than or equal to'?

    A code is given, e.g. A means '=', B means '>', C means '<', D means '>=' , E means '<='. You substitute the codes then evaluate the relation.

12. In inequalities, how do you combine A > B and B > C?

    A > B > C, so A > C (a definite conclusion). Same-direction strict signs chain to give a strict result.

13. What happens when you combine A > B and B = C in an inequality chain?

    A > B = C, therefore A > C. The equality passes the strict relation through: A is greater than C.

14. In inequality, what can you conclude from A >= B and B >= A?

    A = B (since A is at least B and B is at least A, they must be equal).

15. In inequality, when do you get an "Either-Or" conclusion?

    When two opposite conclusions like A >= B and A <= B (i.e. A > B or A = B) are each not definite alone but together cover all cases, the answer is "Either A > B or A = B".

16. What is the core question to ask in Data Sufficiency problems?

    Whether the given statement(s) provide enough information to answer the question definitely — not what the actual answer is.

17. In a two-statement Data Sufficiency problem, what are the standard answer options?

    (a) Statement I alone sufficient, (b) II alone sufficient, (c) either alone sufficient, (d) both together needed, (e) both together still insufficient.

18. In Linear Seating Arrangement with people facing north, how do 'left' and 'right' relate to the observer's view?

    For a north-facing person, their left is the observer's left/west side reversed: a person's right hand points to the observer's right; left points to observer's left. (Same direction as the reader.)

19. In a single linear row all facing south, how does direction reverse compared to facing north?

    For south-facing people, left and right are reversed relative to the reader: a person's right is the reader's left and vice versa.

20. In a circular arrangement where all members face the centre, how is 'immediate left' determined?

    For a person facing the centre, their immediate left is the next person in the clockwise direction; immediate right is anticlockwise (opposite of facing outward).

21. In a circular arrangement where all members face outward (away from centre), which direction is a person's right?

    For an outward-facing person, the right is the clockwise neighbour and the left is the anticlockwise neighbour (reverse of facing-centre case).

22. In a rectangular/square table arrangement, where do people on opposite sides face?

    Typically those on the longer/opposite sides face each other (one set faces north, the other south), so their left/right are mirrored relative to one another.

See more Reasoning Ability flashcards →

Planning Reasoning Ability for SBI Clerk

Reasoning Ability (SBI Clerk) FAQ