Statement: While presenting a recent stage show, a famous actor declared that he has a practice of either taking full payment or taking no payment at all for his stage shows. Conclusions: I. The actor took full payment for his recent stage show. II. The actor took no payment for his recent stage show. Which option is correct?
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AIf only Conclusion I follows
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BIf only Conclusion II follows
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CIf either Conclusion I or II follows
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DIf neither Conclusion I nor II follows
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EIf both Conclusions I and II follow
Answer
Correct Answer: If either Conclusion I or II follows
Explanation
Introduction / Context:The actor states an exclusive practice: for any stage show, he either accepts full payment or accepts none. We need to determine what can be concluded about the specific recent show he presented.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Policy: exactly one of two possibilities applies for any show—Full or None.
- We assume the actor follows his stated practice for the recent show.
Concept / Approach:An “either–or” exclusive rule yields a disjunction: for the recent show, Full Payment OR No Payment must hold, but there is no information to decide which disjunct is true.
Step-by-Step Solution:
• Conclusion I alone is not compelled; II alone is not compelled.• However, the disjunction “either I or II” is necessarily true given the exclusive practice.Verification / Alternative check:Consider both permissible cases; each satisfies the policy and the statement. Since the policy exhausts the possibilities, at least one of I or II must be true.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:Choosing only I or only II asserts more than is known; choosing both is impossible under exclusivity; “neither” contradicts the policy.
Common Pitfalls:Forgetting that “either…or” in such policies is exclusive; presuming one side without evidence.
Final Answer:If either Conclusion I or II follows.