Deductive reasoning: Practice 2 (Intermediate)

Combine scheduling blocks and necessary conditions in two original scenarios.

Instructions for this set

Treat all premises as true. Select the one conclusion or arrangement required by the supplied rules; use no outside assumptions.

No calculator is required. List the constraints, apply the extra condition afresh, and test every option. Use a valid example for could and counterexamples for must.

Answer keys and reasoning checked 20 October 2026. These checks do not establish psychometric validity.

Feedback mode has no time limit or negative marking. The optional timed challenge allows 15 minutes and uses the scoring shown on its rules screen. Those settings are not official assessment rules.

Practise with feedback Optional timed challenge

  1. Five demonstrations A, B, C, D and E occupy slots 1–5, once each. A is before C. B is immediately before D. E is not in slot 1 or slot 5. Before means earlier, not necessarily immediately earlier.

    1. Which statement must hold in every valid demonstration schedule?
    1. B occurs before D
    2. A occupies slot 1
    3. E occurs before C
    4. D occupies slot 5

    Reference: q-d79a563c-268 · Report this question

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    Answer: A. B occurs before D

    The immediate-before rule always puts B before D. By contrast, B D E A C is valid with A fourth, and A C E B D is valid with E after C. D need not be last: B D E A C is a counterexample.
  2. 2. If B occupies slot 3, which demonstration must occupy slot 4?
    1. A
    2. D
    3. E
    4. C

    Reference: q-4792684f-265 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. D

    B is immediately before D, so fixing B in slot 3 forces D into slot 4. A C B D E would put E last and is invalid; A E B D C shows the additional condition is feasible.
  3. 3. Which complete demonstration order is permitted?
    1. C A E B D
    2. A B E D C
    3. A E C B D
    4. E A C B D

    Reference: q-2b8f415f-252 · Report this question

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    Answer: C. A E C B D

    A E C B D satisfies A before C, the adjacent B D block, and E away from both endpoints. C A reverses precedence, B E D breaks adjacency, and E first violates its position restriction.
  4. 4. If E occupies slot 2 and C occupies slot 3, which demonstration must be first?
    1. B
    2. C
    3. D
    4. A

    Reference: q-387420f5-282 · Report this question

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    Answer: D. A

    A must precede C. With E already second and C third, the only earlier slot available for A is first. The remaining slots are occupied by B then D, giving A E C B D.
  5. 5. Which demonstration cannot occupy slot 5 in any valid schedule?
    1. B
    2. C
    3. D
    4. None of these three

    Reference: q-333175e9-267 · Report this question

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    Answer: A. B

    B must be immediately before D, so B cannot be last. C can be last in B D E A C, while D can be last in A C E B D. Thus B is the only impossible final demonstration among those listed.

  6. For one fictional access request, approval requires training and an ID check. Training plus an ID check does not by itself guarantee approval. Approval always issues a pass. A pass can also be issued for other reasons. A suspension prevents approval. Treat these rules as exhaustive constraints for this exercise; a fact not forced by them may vary.

    6. An access request is approved. Which pair of checks must have been completed?
    1. Training only
    2. Training and ID check
    3. ID check only
    4. Neither check is required

    Reference: q-1f5b2f2f-434 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Training and ID check

    Approval requires both training and an ID check. Both are necessary, so an approved request must have both. This does not reverse the rule into a guarantee of approval for every checked request.
  7. 7. No pass was issued for a request. Which conclusion must follow?
    1. It was approved
    2. Its ID check failed
    3. It was not approved
    4. It was suspended

    Reference: q-daaa69c-420 · Report this question

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    Answer: C. It was not approved

    Approval always issues a pass. No pass therefore rules out approval by contraposition. The request might lack a check or fail for another reason; neither a failed ID check nor suspension is forced.
  8. 8. A request has training and an ID check. What is established about approval?
    1. It must be approved
    2. It must be suspended
    3. It cannot receive a pass
    4. Approval is not determined

    Reference: q-b94b486c-432 · Report this question

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    Answer: D. Approval is not determined

    The checks are necessary but are explicitly not a sufficient guarantee. A checked request can be approved or unapproved while respecting every rule; neither suspension nor pass refusal follows.
  9. 9. A request is suspended. Which outcome is impossible under the access rules?
    1. Approval
    2. Training completed
    3. ID check completed
    4. A pass issued for another reason

    Reference: q-6984b758-432 · Report this question

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    Answer: A. Approval

    Suspension prevents approval, making that outcome impossible. A suspended request can still have completed checks, and the rules do not prohibit a pass issued for another reason.
  10. 10. A request has a pass but no completed training. Which conclusion must follow?
    1. It was approved
    2. It was not approved
    3. Its ID check failed
    4. It was suspended

    Reference: q-162b8b92-434 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. It was not approved

    Approval requires training. With no training, approval is impossible even though a pass exists. The rules expressly permit passes for other reasons, so there is no contradiction in these facts.

Review your method

Return to the deductive reasoning lesson and identify the reasoning step behind each mistake before repeating the set.

Choose your practice difficulty

Difficulty labels describe the steps needed in these teaching sets; they are not validated ability bands. Start with foundation practice and move on after you can explain your method.

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