Syllogism – Study Notes (Assam Police SI – Reasoning Ability)
Syllogism is a deductive argument that uses two premises to reach a conclusion.
In the Police Sub‑Inspector (SI) exam, you will usually encounter categorical syllogisms (statements about whole classes).
A correct syllogism is valid – the conclusion must follow from the premises.
1. Simple Explanation
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Major Premise | The statement that contains the major term (conclusion’s predicate). |
| Minor Premise | The statement that contains the minor term (conclusion’s subject). |
| Conclusion | The statement that follows logically from the two premises. |
| Major Term | Predicate of the conclusion. |
| Minor Term | Subject of the conclusion. |
| Middle Term | Appears in both premises but not in the conclusion. |
| Figure | The arrangement of the three terms in the premises (1–4). |
| Mood | The pattern of quantifiers (A‑All, E‑No, I‑Some, O‑Some not). Example: AAA‑1 (Barbara). |
2. Key Points
| # | Point | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |