Question:medium

Given below are two statements 1 and 2, and two conclusions I ans II.
Statement 1: All bacteria are microorganisms.
Statement 2: All pathogens are microorganisms.
Conclusion I: Some pathogens are bacteria.
Conclusion II: All pathogens are not bacteria.
Based on the given statements and conclusions, which option is logically correct?

Show Hint

When sets are only given as subsets of a bigger set, but nothing is said about their overlap, both overlap and disjointness remain logically valid.
  • Only conclusion I is correct
  • Only conclusion II is correct
  • Either conclusion I or II is correct
  • Neither conclusion I nor II is correct
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Given information:
Bacteria (B) and Pathogens (P) are both subsets of Microorganisms (M).


Step 1: Interpret the statements.

• B ⊆ M
• P ⊆ M

No direct relationship between Bacteria (B) and Pathogens (P) is specified. Hence, they may overlap or they may be completely disjoint.


Step 2: Analyze Conclusion I.

Conclusion I: “Some pathogens are bacteria.”

This conclusion is possible because both B and P are subsets of M, so an overlap between them is allowed.

However, it is not definite, as no statement guarantees such an overlap.


Step 3: Analyze Conclusion II.

Conclusion II: “All pathogens are not bacteria.”

This means B and P are completely disjoint sets.

This is also possible, since nothing in the given information contradicts this scenario.


Step 4: Logical inference.

Since both overlapping and non-overlapping cases are logically possible, neither conclusion can be said to follow definitively.

Therefore, either Conclusion I or Conclusion II may be correct, but not both.

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