Reasoning Quiz – Statements & Arguments – 3

Hello and welcome to Exampundit. Here is a set of Reasoning Quiz based on Statements and Arguments.

Each question below is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a ‘strong’ argument and which is a ‘weak’ argument.

 

Give answer (a) if only argument I is strong.

Give answer (b) if only argument II is strong.

Give answer (c) if either argument I or II is strong.

Give answer (d) if neither argument I nor II is strong.

Give answer (e) if both argument I and II are strong.

 

  1. Should all beggars on the roads in the big cities in India be forcibly sent to villages?

Arguments:

  1. No, this is grossly unfair and these people may die of hunger if they are sent to villages.
  2. Yes, these people create a bad impression of our country in the eyes of the foreigners who visit our country and hence, should be removed.
Show Answer

Option: E

Explanation: I is strong on humanitarian grounds. II is strong because it is not desirable to compromise on the picture of ourselves that we project to the world.

 

  1. Should all the criminals convicted for committing murder be awarded capital punishment?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, this will be a significant step towards reducing cases of murder in future.
  2. No, nobody has the right to take any person’s life irrespective of the acts of such individuals.
Show Answer

Option: B

Explanation: I is weak because it advocates an extreme action. It does not take into account the cost incurred. II is strong on humanitarian grounds.

 

  1. Should all the professional colleges in India be encouraged to run their own courses without affiliation to any university?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, this is only way to create more opportunities for those who seek professional training.
  2. No, this will dilute the quality of professional training as all such colleges may not be equipped to conduct such courses.
Show Answer

Option: B

Explanation: Argument I is not strong because of two reasons: (i) it is not the only way to create more opportunities for those who seek professional training; (ii) opportunity to get professional training is not enough, quality of the training is equally important. Argument II is strong because chances of degrading of the standard of training can’t be ruled out.

 

  1. Should there be a maximum ceiling imposed on the earnings of an individual in an organisation?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, this will help equitable distribution of earnings to all the employees.
  2. No, the organization should have free hand to decide the pay packets of its employees.
Show Answer

Option: D

Explanation: In reality, a maximum ceiling will reduce the scope of getting higher salary for those who work hard and contribute very much in an organisation’s profit. Hence, I is not true. Therefore, I is not strong. II is not strong because it does not add sufficient reasons to imposing maximum ceiling on the earnings of an individual in an organisation.

 

  1. Should there be a compulsory military training for each college student in India?

Arguments:

  1. No, this goes against the basic democratic right of an individual to choose his/her own programs.
  2. Yes, this is the only way to build a strong and powerful nation.
Show Answer

Option: A

Explanation: I is strong on the basis of Constitutional provisions. II is a weak argument because it is not true that only compulsory military training for each college student of a country will make it strong and powerful.

 

  1. Should all such political parties which have less than ten elected members of parliament be derecognized and be debarred from contesting Lok Sabha seats?

Arguments:

  1. No, this is against the very basic tenet of our constitution.
  2. Yes, this will make the elections more meaningful as there will be fewer competing candidates in a constituency.
Show Answer

Option: B

Explanation: If I were strong then the provision to amend the constitution would not have been there. Hence, I is not strong. Certainly, the number of candidates will be reduced and it will be easier for the electorate to decide about them. Hence, II is a strong argument.

 

  1. Should more number of smaller states be formed from the remaining bigger states?

Arguments:

  1. No, a lot of public money will be wasted in the whole process.
  2. Yes, this will help in better governance and maximizing production in both industrial and agricultural sectors.
Show Answer

Option: E

Explanation: Here both the arguments are strong. Setting up a state will definitely have a lot expenditure. On the other hand, smaller states will have more production since it will be easy to govern the development.

 

  1. Should the subsidy on petroleum products be further reduced?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, the present subsidy is a drain on national resources; let the consumer share the burden.
  2. No, this will have a cascading effect and the prices of all the commodities will sharply increase, creating higher rate of inflation.
Show Answer

Option: E

Explanation: I is strong because it does not make sense to penalize the rest of the country for something I uses. II is strong because it will lead to inflation.

 

  1. Should the term of the elected members of parliament be reduced to two years in India?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, even otherwise the elections are generally held every alternate year in India.
  2. No, every round of parliament election needs huge amount of money and it’s a national waste.
Show Answer

Option: B

Explanation: Reducing the term is not a good alternative. Suppose the parliament gets dissolved every six months, will you then say the term be reduced to six months? Clearly, I is bad logic. II is strong in a country where fiscal deficit is of paramount concern.

 

  1. Should the course fees of all post-graduate courses run by the universities be increased to the level of IlTs and IIMs?

Arguments:

  1. Yes, this will weed out non-serious students out of higher education.
  2. No, the poor brilliant students will not be able to join post-graduate courses.
Show Answer

Option: B

Explanation: I is not strong because there are other ways to weed out non-serious students. II is strong because merit should not be allowed to rot for want of money.