Logical Reasoning Practice Questions: Build Your Skills With Examples
Practice is essential for logical reasoning tests. Seeing examples, working through the logic, and understanding why answers are correct or incorrect builds the skills you need. This article provides example question types with explanations. Use them to learn the patterns, then practice with full question sets.
Syllogism Examples
Example 1 – All cats are animals. All animals need food. What follows?
- A) All cats need food. ✓ (Valid: All A are B, All B are C → All A are C)
- B) Some cats need food. (True but weaker than A; "all" is stronger)
- C) All animals are cats. (Invalid: reverses the logic)
- D) No cats need food. (Contradicts the premises)
Example 2 – No birds are mammals. All sparrows are birds. What follows?
- A) No sparrows are mammals. ✓ (Valid: No B are M, All S are B → No S are M)
- B) Some sparrows are mammals. (Invalid)
- C) All mammals are birds. (Invalid: reverses and contradicts)
Example 3 – Some students are athletes. All athletes are fit. What follows?
- A) All students are fit. (Invalid: "some" doesn't support "all")
- B) Some students are fit. ✓ (Valid: Some S are A, All A are F → Some S are F)
- C) No students are fit. (Invalid)
Conditional Logic Examples
Example 4 – If it rains, the ground is wet. It is raining. What follows?
- A) The ground is wet. ✓ (Modus ponens: If P then Q, P → Q)
- B) The ground is dry. (Invalid)
- C) It might rain. (Irrelevant; we know it rains)
Example 5 – If you study, you pass. You did not pass. What follows?
- A) You did not study. ✓ (Modus tollens: If P then Q, Not Q → Not P)
- B) You studied. (Invalid)
- C) You might have studied. (Invalid; we can conclude you didn't)
Example 6 – If the door is open, the alarm sounds. The alarm is sounding. What follows?
- A) The door is open. (Invalid: affirming the consequent. Other things could trigger the alarm)
- B) The door might be open. ✓ (Possible, but not necessary)
- C) The door is closed. (Invalid)
- D) Cannot say. ✓ (Best answer: we cannot conclude the door is open from the alarm alone)
Conclusion Identification Examples
Example 7 – "Sales increased after the new campaign. Therefore the campaign caused the increase." Which weakens this?
- A) The campaign was expensive. (Irrelevant)
- B) A competitor went out of business at the same time. ✓ (Alternative explanation)
- C) Sales were already rising before the campaign. ✓ (Undermines causal claim)
- D) The campaign targeted young customers. (Neutral)
Example 8 – "All employees who completed training received certificates. Maria has a certificate." What can we conclude?
- A) Maria completed training. (Invalid: affirming the consequent. Others might have certificates too)
- B) Maria might have completed training. ✓ (Possible)
- C) Maria did not complete training. (Invalid)
- D) Cannot say. ✓ (Best: we don't know the only way to get a certificate)
True/False/Cannot Say Examples
Example 9 – Passage: "The company's revenue grew 10% last year. Costs increased 5%." Statement: "The company's profit increased last year."
- A) True. (Cannot conclude: revenue up, costs up—profit depends on the relative sizes)
- B) False. (Cannot conclude)
- C) Cannot say. ✓ (We don't have profit data. Revenue and cost changes don't determine profit alone.)
Example 10 – Passage: "All participants in the study were over 18. The study included 100 people." Statement: "At least one participant was over 18."
- A) True. ✓ (If all were over 18, then at least one was)
- B) False. (Invalid)
- C) Cannot say. (Invalid; we can conclude true)
Tips for Practice
Work through the logic – Don't just read the answer. Trace the logic step by step. Why is A valid? Why is B invalid?
Learn the invalid forms – Affirming the consequent and denying the antecedent are common traps. Recognise them.
Use elimination – Wrong options often make invalid leaps. Too strong. Reversed. Irrelevant. Eliminate first.
Practice under time – Timed practice builds speed. Start untimed to learn, then add time pressure.
Review mistakes – After each set, review errors. What logic rule did you miss? Address it.
Practice with logical reasoning questions and our aptitude test practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many practice questions should I do?
Aim for 100–200 questions before your test. Quality over quantity. Work through explanations. 20–30 questions per session, 3–5 sessions per week for 2–4 weeks.
Should I memorise the logic rules?
Understand them, don't just memorise. Know why modus ponens works and why affirming the consequent fails. Understanding helps with novel questions.
What if I get stuck on a question?
Eliminate wrong answers. Often you can rule out 2–3 options. From the remainder, pick the best. If still stuck after 60–90 seconds, guess and move on.