Possibility Cases in Syllogism

Possibility questions are where most marks are lost, because they invert the usual test. Instead of asking whether a conclusion is definitely true, they ask whether an arrangement is possible — whether at least one valid drawing allows it. In SBI Clerk a syllogism set almost always hides one or two possibility conclusions, so understanding the difference between 'definite' and 'possible' is what separates a full score from a careless three-out-of-five.

Definite Versus Possible

A definite conclusion must be true in every drawing the statements allow. A possibility conclusion only needs to be true in at least one legal drawing. So the two tests point in opposite directions: for a definite conclusion you hunt for a single drawing that breaks it, while for a possibility conclusion you hunt for a single drawing that supports it. Knowing which test to run the moment you spot the word 'possibility' saves you from checking the wrong thing under time pressure.

Spotting the Possibility Wording

The exam signals a possibility question with phrases like 'All A being B is a possibility' or 'Some A can never be C'. The word possibility, or a phrase like 'can be' or 'is a possibility', is your cue to switch tests. A negative-possibility conclusion such as 'Some A being C is not possible' is true only when no legal drawing allows that overlap at all, so you must confirm every drawing forbids it before marking it true.

The Key Possibility Shortcut

There is a fast rule that clears most possibility questions instantly: if the statements do not already force circles apart, a positive possibility is usually true. 'All A are B' plus 'Some B are C' does not force A and C apart, so 'All A being C is a possibility' holds — you can slide A inside C. But if a 'No' statement already separates two terms, no possibility can reconnect them. Check for a blocking 'No' first, and the answer often appears before you finish drawing.

Solved Examples

Example: 'Some Morks are Zephyrs', 'No Zephyrs are Table'. Is 'All Morks being Table is a possibility' true? The 'No' statement keeps Zephyr and Table apart, but Morks that are not Zephyrs can still lie inside Table, so the possibility holds — a valid drawing allows it.

✗ Marking a possibility false just because it is not definitely true  |  ✓ Searching for one drawing that makes the possibility work

Why Candidates Lose These Marks

The commonest error is treating possibility exactly like a definite conclusion and rejecting it because it is not always true — but a possibility never needs to be always true, only sometimes true. The opposite error is accepting a possibility that a 'No' statement has already blocked. Both mistakes come from not pausing to register which kind of question is being asked. Build the habit of underlining the word 'possibility' the instant you see it, then deliberately switch to hunting for a single supporting drawing rather than a breaking one. Because these questions are worth the same mark as the easy definite ones yet trip up most of the room, getting them right is the cheapest way to pull ahead of other candidates on the same syllogism set, so give them the extra ten seconds they deserve.