Necessary-condition reasoning using “unless”: “Unless you study, you cannot crack CAT.” From the options below, identify the pair that can be true without violating this rule.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: (ii) and (iii)

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Statements with “unless” are common in logical connectives. “Unless you study, you cannot crack CAT” can be read as: if you do not study, then you will not crack CAT. Symbolically, not S -> not C. Equivalently (by contrapositive), C -> S. We must select the option pair that can both be true while respecting this rule.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Rule: not study -> not crack; equivalently, crack -> study.
  • (i) you cracked CAT (C)
  • (ii) you could not crack CAT (not C)
  • (iii) you did study (S)
  • (iv) you didn't study (not S)


Concept / Approach:
From not S -> not C, any case with not S and C together is impossible. From C -> S, if one cracked, studying must also be true; but studying does not guarantee cracking. So pairs must be checked for consistency with both implications.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Check (i)&(iv): C and not S contradict contrapositive (C -> S). Invalid.Check (ii)&(iii): not C and S are compatible. Studying is not sufficient for success; failing despite studying does not violate the rule.Check (iv)&(i): same contradiction as first pair.Hence (ii)&(iii) is the consistent pair.


Verification / Alternative check:
Truth-table intuition: The allowed rows are (S, C), (S, not C), (not S, not C). The disallowed row is (not S, C). Pair (ii)&(iii) matches (S, not C), which is allowed.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • (i)&(iv) and (iv)&(i) force the forbidden combination (cracked without studying).
  • None of these is false since (ii)&(iii) works.


Common Pitfalls:
Reading “unless” as a biconditional. It creates a necessary condition (study is necessary for cracking) but not a sufficient one.


Final Answer:
(ii) and (iii)

More Questions from Logical Connectives

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion