Syllogism – What follows logically? Premises: 1) All books written by Prabhakar are textbooks. 2) Some of his books are published by ABC Publishing Company.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Some textbooks written by Prabhakar are published by ABC Publishing Company.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This is a basic syllogism problem about set relations. We are told that every book by Prabhakar falls inside the set “textbooks,” and that a subset of Prabhakar’s books are published by ABC Publishing Company. We must determine what conclusion necessarily follows.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • P1: If a book is written by Prabhakar, then it is a textbook.
  • P2: Some of Prabhakar’s books are published by ABC.
  • No other information about ABC’s overall catalogue is given.


Concept / Approach:
Translate to sets: Let P = {Prabhakar’s books}. Let T = {textbooks}. Let A = {books published by ABC}. P is a subset of T (P ⊆ T). P ∩ A is non-empty (because “some of his books are published by ABC”). Therefore, the intersection P ∩ A consists of textbooks (since P ⊆ T).


Step-by-Step Solution:

From P1: every element of P is in T.From P2: there exists at least one element in P that is also in A.Therefore: there exists at least one book that is both in T and A and is by Prabhakar.Hence, “Some textbooks written by Prabhakar are published by ABC.”


Verification / Alternative check:

Try to deny the conclusion: If none of the ABC-published Prabhakar books were textbooks, P1 would be violated. So the conclusion must be true.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A: Claims ABC publishes only textbooks—too strong.B: Adds “other than ABC,” which is not derivable.D: Says all ABC books are by Prabhakar—unsupported.E: Introduces “critical essays,” not mentioned in the premises.


Common Pitfalls:

Confusing “all P are T” with “all T are P.” Only the first is given.


Final Answer:
Some textbooks written by Prabhakar are published by ABC Publishing Company.

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