Verbal Reasoning and Logic
What you must understand
Verbal reasoning tests whether you can draw valid inferences from statements, spot assumptions, and evaluate arguments. Core concepts: deductive validity (the conclusion must follow if premises are true), inductive strength (probable support), necessary versus sufficient conditions, and logical operators - all, some, none, if…then, unless, only if. You also need to recognise common fallacies such as affirming the consequent, circular reasoning, and confusing correlation with cause.
Traps to watch
- Reversal errors: "If A then B" does not mean "if B then A".
- Quantifier slips: "some" means at least one, not most; "not all" is not "none".
- Outside knowledge: answer only from the given statements, even if real life differs.
- Plausible but unsupported: a conclusion may sound sensible yet go beyond the evidence.
- Assumption confusion: the assumption is the unstated link the argument needs, not a restatement of the conclusion.
Rule of thumb and worked example
Diagram conditional statements as arrows (A → B) and check whether the reverse arrow is justified. For assumptions, ask: if this were false, would the argument collapse? If yes, it is a necessary assumption.
Example: "All trained swimmers can float. Maya can float. Therefore Maya is a trained swimmer." This affirms the consequent and is invalid - floating could have other causes. The valid form is: All trained swimmers float; Maya is a trained swimmer; therefore Maya floats.
Practise translating everyday sentences into formal symbols to expose the logical structure.