Statement and assumption, conclusion and course of action for IBPS PO

Statement-based questions look like the easiest part of the reasoning section: no diagram, no calculation, plain language. That is exactly why candidates lose marks here. They answer from common sense or general knowledge, when the question asks something narrower: what the statement takes for granted, what it proves, or what a sensible person would do about it.

Each type has one test. Learn the test, apply it to every option, and these become some of the fastest marks in the paper.

The four types and their tests

The answer options are usually fixed: (a) only I follows, (b) only II follows, (c) either I or II follows, (d) neither follows, (e) both follow. With three options the choices change to combinations such as "only I and III". Read the option list before you start, because the order is not the same in every paper.

Assumptions

An assumption is something the speaker does not say but must believe for the statement to make sense. The best check is negation. Turn the option into its opposite and read the statement again.

• If the statement now sounds pointless or foolish, the option is assumed.
• If the statement still stands, the option is not assumed, however reasonable it sounds.

Example 1

Statement: A bank's advertisement says, "Open a savings account with us this month and get free accident insurance cover of ₹2 lakh."

• I. Some people will be attracted by the free insurance cover.
• II. No other bank offers free insurance with a savings account.

Negate I: "Nobody will be attracted by the cover." Then there is no reason to advertise it. I is assumed. Negate II: "Some other banks also offer it." The advertisement still makes sense, since the bank only needs its offer to attract people. II is not assumed. Answer (a), only I.

Example 2

Statement: A notice in a housing society reads, "Residents are requested to switch off corridor lights after 11 pm to reduce the electricity bill."

• I. Some residents will read the notice and act on it.
• II. The society is in financial difficulty.

A notice is written on the belief that someone will read and follow it, so I is assumed. Wanting a lower bill needs no crisis behind it. II is not assumed. Answer (a).

Conclusions

A conclusion must be definitely true from the statement. Probable is not enough. Words such as "all", "only", "never", "because of" and "the reason is" in an option are warning signs, because statements rarely give that much.

Example 3

Statement: Of the 120 people who attended a financial-literacy camp in a village, 90 opened a bank account the same day.

• I. Most people who attended the camp opened an account that day.
• II. The camp is the reason these people opened accounts.

90 of 120 is 75%, which is "most". I follows. II claims a cause. Some of the 90 may have planned to open accounts anyway, and the camp simply made it convenient. The statement shows timing, not cause. II does not follow. Answer (a).

Example 4

Statement: A bank's call centre received twice as many complaints this month as last month, most of them about failed UPI transactions.

• I. Failed UPI transactions were the largest source of complaints this month.
• II. The bank's UPI service performed worse this month than last month.

"Most of them" means more than half, so they were the largest source. I follows. For II, more complaints could come from more users, a festival rush or a problem at another bank in the chain. II does not follow. Answer (a).

Courses of action

A course of action is a step that a sensible authority would take about the problem in the statement. A valid action:

• addresses the stated problem, not a related one;
• is practical with normal resources;
• is proportionate, so it does not solve the problem by creating a bigger one;
• is taken by the right body (a branch cannot change national law; a city cannot set RBI policy).

Example 5

Statement: Customers at a branch have complained that the passbook-printing machine has been out of order for two weeks.

• I. The branch should get the machine repaired or replaced at the earliest.
• II. The bank should stop issuing passbooks and ask customers to use the app.
• III. Until the machine works, staff should update passbooks at the counter.

I fixes the cause. III gives relief in the meantime. II punishes every customer, including those who do not use apps, for one broken machine. I and III follow.

Example 6

Statement: Heavy rain has flooded low-lying parts of a city, and water has entered several homes.

• I. The municipal body should pump out the water and move affected families to relief shelters.
• II. The government should ban all construction in the city.

I is immediate and practical. II is sweeping and does nothing for families who are under water today. Answer (a). A targeted long-term step, such as clearing storm-water drains before the next monsoon, would also have been valid.

Strong and weak arguments

This type is less common now. The question asks "Should X be done?", and each option gives a reason. A strong reason is directly related and about a significant consequence (safety, cost, access, fairness). A weak one rests on tradition, a loose comparison, a slogan or a minor point.

For "Should bank branches open on all seven days?", the reason "Yes, it will help people who cannot visit on working days" is strong. The reason "No, branches have always closed on Sundays" is weak, because it rests on custom and gives no consequence.

Traps across all four types

Practice set

1. Statement: The RBI has asked banks to display grievance-redressal contact details at every branch. Assumptions: I. Customers may sometimes need to raise complaints. II. All customers are unhappy with their banks.
2. Statement: ATM frauds reported in a city have risen sharply this year. Courses of action: I. Banks should alert customers about common fraud methods. II. All ATMs in the city should be shut. III. Police and banks should jointly investigate the cases.
3. Statement: Most students in a college now pay their fees online. Conclusions: I. The college accepts online fee payment. II. No student pays fees in cash.
4. Statement: A company announced, "Employees who complete the new data-security course by 31 March will get two extra days of leave." Assumptions: I. The extra leave will encourage some employees to finish the course on time. II. Employees are not interested in data security.
5. Statement: In a district, the number of children enrolled in government schools rose after free midday meals were extended to secondary classes. Conclusions: I. Enrolment in the district's government schools rose. II. Free meals were the only reason enrolment rose.
6. Statement: Many small shopkeepers in a town do not know how to accept digital payments. Courses of action: I. Banks should hold short training sessions for shopkeepers in local markets. II. Shops that do not accept digital payments should be closed.
7. Should the minimum balance requirement be removed from all savings accounts? Arguments: I. Yes, it will make accounts easier for low-income people to keep. II. No, it has always been part of banking.

Answers

1. Only I. Negate I and the display is pointless. II is extreme; a helpline assumes some complaints, not universal unhappiness.
2. I and III. Both are practical and address fraud. II punishes all users and stops a public service.
3. Only I. If most pay online, online payment must be accepted. "Most" leaves room for some who pay in cash, so II does not follow.
4. Only I. An incentive is offered only if it is expected to work. II is not assumed; the incentive is about timing, not a lack of interest.
5. Only I. The rise is stated. "Only reason" is extreme, and the statement does not even establish the cause.
6. Only I. Training addresses the gap. Closing shops harms owners and buyers and is out of proportion.
7. Only I. I is about access, a real consequence. II rests on tradition.

What to do next

• Redo the practice set and, for every assumption option, say the negated version aloud.
• Solve ten statement-based questions a day for a week, two of each type, and log every error by trap.
• Pair this with critical reasoning, which uses the same negation test, and with mains reasoning for where these questions sit in the paper.