SBI PO Previous Papers : Reasoning - Argumentation (Set 1)

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Directions (1-5) : In making decision about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish be-tween "Strong" arguments and "Weak" arguments so far as they relate to the questions. "Strong" arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. "Weak" arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the questions or may be related to a trivial aspect of the questions. (Asked in SBI Banks PO Exam. 20.08.2000) 

Instructions : Each question be-low is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a "Strong" argument and which is a "Weak" argument. 

Give answer (1) if only argument I is "strong".

Give answer (2) if only argument II is "strong". 

Give answer (3) if either I or II is "strong". 

Give answer (4) if neither I nor II is "strong", and 

Give answer (5) if both I and II are "strong". 

1. Statement : Should government established higher level Institutes of Technology (IIT's) be privatised ?

Arguments : 

I . Yes, privatisation will make these institutes financially healthy, competitive and quality conscious. II. Yes, privatisation is the key of the new era-can we survive without it ? 

2. Statement : Should vacations of court judges be reduced ? 

Arguments : 

I. Yes, it will speed up judicial process and many people are likely to get justice in reasonable time. II. Yes, it is a sign of British legacy, why should we carry it further ? 

3. Statement : Should the practice of transfers of clerical cadres employees from one city to an-other government offices be stopped ? 

Arguments : 

I. No, transfer of employees is a routine administrative matter and we must continue it. 

II. Yes, it involves lot of governmental expenditure and inconvenience to many compared to the benefits it yields. 

4. Statement : Should higher qualification be the only criteria for internal promotions in any organisation ? 

Arguments : 

I. Yes, why not? In fact only higher qualification is more important than other factors.

II. No, quality of performance and other factors are more important than mere higher qualification in case of internal promotion. 

5. Statement : Should Indian scientists working abroad be called back to India ? 

Arguments : 

I. Yes, they must serve the motherland first and forget about discoveries, honours, facilities and all. II. No, we have enough talent, let them stay where they want. 

Directions (6-10) : In making decisions about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between 'strong' arguments and 'weak' arguments so far as they relate to the question. 'Strong arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. 'Weak' arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the questions or may be related to a trivial aspect of the question. (SBI Banks PO Exam. 11.02.2001) 

In each question below a state-ent is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a 'strong argument. 

Give answer (1) if only argument - I is strong. 

Give answer (2) if only argument II is strong.

Give answer (3) if either I or II is strong. 

Give answer (4) if neither I nor II is strong. 

Give answer (5) if both I and II are strong. 

6. Should the school teachers be necessarily involved in the census activities ? 

Arguments : 

I. No, this will adversely affect the quality of teaching programme.

II. Yes, the teachers are the best fit for this job. 

7. Should India engage into a dialogue with neighbouring countries 'to stop cross border tension ?' 

Arguments : 

I. Yes, this is the only way to reduce the cross border terrorism and stop loss of innocent lives. 

II. No, neighbouring countries cannot be relied upon in such matters, they may still engage in subversive activities. 

8. Should all the utility services be immediately brought under essential services to avoid frequent agitation and strikes by the employees ? 

Arguments :

I. No, otherwise how the employees may voice their grievances and demands. 

II. Yes, the employees are be-coming more and more greedy and they take the general public for a ride by striking work. 

9. Should all the unauthorised structures in the city be immediately demolished ?

Arguments : 

I. No, where will the people re-siding in such houses live ?

II. Yes, this will give a clear mes-sage to general public and they will refrain from constructing unauthorised buildings. 

10. Should the railways in India be privatised in a phased manner like other public sector enterprises ? 

Arguments : 

I. Yes, this 's the only way to bring in competitiveness and provide better service to the public.

II. No, this will pose a threat to national security of our country as multinationals will enter into the fray. 

Directions (11-15) : In making decisions about important questions it is desirable to be able to distinguish between 'strong' arguments and 'weak' arguments so far as they relate to the question. 'Strong arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. 'Weak' arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the question or may be related to trivial aspect of the question. (Asked in BI Associate Banks PO Exam. 21.07.2002)

Each question below is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a 'strong argument and which is a 'weak' argument. 

Give answer (1) if only argument I is strong 

Give answer (2) if only argument II is strong 

Give answer (3) if either I or II is strong. 

Give answer (4) if neither I nor H is strong. 

Give answer (5) if both I and II are strong. 

11. Should the tenure of the President be longer ? 

Arguments 

I. No. The President of India is non-executive head. Therefore, there is no need to extend his tenure. 

II. Yes. It will provide an opportunity to President to guide he Government to fulfil the long term objectives. 

12. Should there be concentration of foreign investment in only few States ? 

I. No. It is against the policy of overall development of country. 

II. Yes. Because a large number of States lack infrastructure to attract foreign investment. 

13. Should there be a complete ban on opening up of new management educational institutions ? 

I. Yes. There are more institutions than required and there is no need to open up new institutions. 

II. No. We need more professional managers in coming days because the future scenario will be very competitive. 

14. Should private organisations be allowed to carry on security related research activities ? 

I. No. Private organisations are easily vulnerable to our enemies and therefore, they should not be permitted to carry on such researches. 

II. Yes. The Government has not sufficient resources to carry on such researches and the private organisations would manage necessary resources. 

15. Should there be recruitment in banks on the basis of past academic performances rather than through competitive examinations ?

I. Yes. It will be beneficial for those candidates who are unable to bear the expenses of competitive examinations. 

II. No. The past academic performance cannot be made the basis of recruitment because there is no uniformity in the assessment by the universities. 

Directions (16-20) : In making decisions about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between 'strong arguments and 'weak' arguments. Strong arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. 'Weak'  arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the question or may be related to a trivial aspect of the question. (Asked in SBI Bank PO Exam. 18.05.2003)

Each question below is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the argument is a 'strong' argument and which is a 'weak' argument. 

Give answer (1) if only argument I is strong. 

Give answer (2) if only argument II is strong. 

Give answer (3) if either I or II is strong. 

Give answer (4) if neither I nor II is strong. 

Give answer (5) if both I and II are strong. 

16. Should all beggars on the roads in the big cities in India be forcibly sent to villages ? 

Arguments : 

I. No, this is grossly unfair and these people will die of hunger if they are sent to villages. 

II. Yes, these people create a bad impression of our country in the eyes of the foreigners who visit our country and hence should be removed. 

17. Should all the criminals convicted for committing murder be awarded capital punishment ? 

Arguments :

I. Yes, this will be a significant step towards reducing cases of murder in future. 

II. No, nobody has the right to take any person's life irrespective of the acts of such individuals. 

18. Should all the professional colleges in India be encouraged to run their own courses without affiliation to any university ?

Arguments : 

I. Yes, this is only way to create more opportunities for those who seek professional training. 

II. No, this will dilute the quality of professional training as all such colleges may not be equipped to conduct such courses. 

19. Should there be a maximum ceiling imposed on the earnings of an individual in an organization? 

Arguments :

I. Yes, this will help equitable distribution of earnings to all the employees.

II. No, the organization should have free hand to decide the pay packets of its employees.

20. Should there be a compulsory military training for each college student in India ?

Arguments :

I. No, this goes against the basic democratic right of an individual to choose his / her own programs. 

II. Yes, this is the only way to build a strong and powerful nation. 

Solutions :

1. (4) Neither of the arguments is strong. It is true that privatisation may make Institutes of Technology financially healthy and competitive considering the prevalent trend of market. But it cannot be taken as universally true. Hence, argument I is not strong. The second argument lacks any substance and hence it is not strong. 
2. (1) Taking into account the fact that a large number of cases are pending in the courts for a long time, it is desirable that vacations of court judges must be reduced to speed up judicial process. Therefore, argument I seems to be strong. Argument II is based on an example and we know that citing an example is a bad argumentation. 
3. (4) It is not necessary that if any practice which has been in vogue for long time is right and it must be continued. Therefore, argument I is not strong. Argument H is partly true and hence it cannot be strong. 
4. (4) It is an established fact that higher qualification could not be only criteria for any kind of promotion in an organisation. Other factors are also equally important. It is very difficult to assess the higher qualification and other factors on the same scale. Therefore, neither of the arguments is strong. 
5. (4) Neither of the arguments is strong. None of the arguments holds strong vis-a-vis the statement. 
6. (4) None of the arguments is strong. The census activities take a few days and the loss incurred in the classes can be compensated by organising extra classes or pruning the holidays. Therefore, argument I is not strong. Other persons may also accomplish the task of census very well. Therefore, argument II is also not strong. 
7. (1) Only argument I holds strong. In the present context the solution of any major problem lies in the proper dialogue between the concerned parties. Argument II is based on individual's opinion and hence it cannot be strong.
8. (4) None of the arguments is strong. The employees may raise thier de-mands by other means also. 
9. (2) Only argument II is strong. Unauthorised constructions create many other problems. The people may be shifted to some regularised colonies. 
10. (4) The use of the word "only" in the argument I makes it invalid. The policy of open market advocates privatisation. Each country is opening its market for foreign investors. How, privatisation will pose a threat to national security ? 
11. (4) Neither of the arguments is strong enough. The President of India is constitutional head of the State, yet he is an integral part of the Parliament which decides policy matters Therefore, argument I is not strong. The argument II does not mention any specific reason. 
12. (1) Only argument I is strong. We cannot leave the backward region to remain backward. 
13. (2) Managerial skill is required in every sphere of developmental activities and therefore, a complete ban on opening up of new management educational institutions is not justified in any way. Hence, only argument II is strong. 
14. (4) At a glance both the arguments seem to be strong. But considering the very nature of the private organisation, i.e. profit making only, we cannot hand over such great responsibility in the hands of private companies. Again, the argument I does not mention how the private organisations are easily vulnerable to our enemies. 
15. (4) Neither of the arguments is strong enough. None of the arguments passes the desir ability criteria. 
16. (1) The problems of beggars cannot be solved by sending them to villages. Therefore, argument I seems to be strong. 
17. (1) Argument I seems to be strong. 
18. (4) The mention of the term 'only in argument I makes it invalid. Argument II is also invalid. 
19. (4) Neither of the arguments is strong. 
20. (1) Argument I seems to be strong. 

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