Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability · UPPCS (Uttar Pradesh)

What the official syllabus says

Preliminary Examination, Paper-II, General Studies-II:
Logical reasoning and analytical ability.

This area tests whether a candidate can reason correctly from given information. The breakdown below groups the common question types; the more mechanical, pattern-based types (series, coding, analogies, figures) are listed under General Mental Ability.

Topics in detail

Deductive logic

Deductive and inductive reasoning: certainty compared with probability
Syllogisms: all, some, no and some-not statements, and the conclusions that follow
Solving syllogisms with Venn diagrams; possibility-type conclusions
Logical connectives: if-then, only if, unless, either-or, neither-nor
Conditional statements and their contrapositive; common fallacies (affirming the consequent)
Truth-teller and liar puzzles

Statement-based reasoning

Statement and assumptions: what is implicit in a statement
Statement and conclusions: what definitely follows
Statement and arguments: strong and weak arguments
Statement and courses of action: practical and relevant actions
Cause and effect: independent causes, common causes and effects
Strengthening and weakening an argument
Inferences from a short passage: definitely true, probably true, false, data inadequate

Analytical puzzles

Linear and circular seating arrangements
Ordering and ranking: tallest, heaviest, position from either end
Scheduling puzzles: days, months, floors, sequences of events
Grouping and selection with conditions: who must, may or cannot be together
Matching puzzles: people, professions, places, colours
Drawing a grid or table to hold the conditions and eliminating cases

Data and decisions

Data sufficiency: whether given statements are enough to answer a question
Analysing tables and conditions to reach a logical answer
Checking consistency of a set of statements

Critical reasoning

Finding the conclusion of an argument and the premises that support it
Spotting the flaw in an argument: hasty generalisation, false cause, circular reasoning
Resolving an apparent paradox or contradiction between two facts
Finding an argument that follows the same pattern of reasoning
Evaluating evidence: relevance, sufficiency and reliability

Syllogism: what follows directly

Statement	Conclusions that always follow
All A are B	Some A are B; some B are A
No A is B	No B is A; some A are not B; some B are not A
Some A are B	Some B are A
Some A are not B	No direct conversion follows

Working method

Write the conditions down in short form before solving; fix the certain ones first.
In syllogisms, draw the least overlapping diagram that satisfies the statements, then test each conclusion.
Answer from the information given, not from what is true in real life.

Overlaps

Reading arguments closely is shared with Comprehension.
Venn diagrams also appear in the set theory of Elementary Mathematics.