With reference to the above information, which one among the following statements must be true?
- (a) Some supporters of 'party Y' did not agree for the alliance with the 'party X'.
- (b) There is at least one supporter of 'party Y' who knew some supporters of 'party X' as a friend. ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) No supporters of 'party X' supported Z's campaign strategy.
- (d) No supporters of 'party X' knew Z.
Why the answer is (b)
• The passage states that 'some' supporters of Party X who knew Z and supported his strategy had friends in Party Y.
• The term 'some' implies that there is at least one individual in the group of Party X supporters who fits this description.
• Friendship is a mutual relationship; if a supporter of Party X has a friend in Party Y, that friend is a supporter of Party Y who knows the Party X supporter.
• Therefore, it must be true that there is at least one supporter of Party Y who knew some supporters of Party X as a friend.
• This logical deduction directly supports option (b) as the only statement that must be true based on the given premises.
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Some supporters of 'party Y' did not agree for the alliance with the 'party X'.
- The passage only states that specific Party X supporters did not agree to the alliance; it provides no information about the stance of Party Y supporters regarding the alliance.
- (c) No supporters of 'party X' supported Z's campaign strategy.
- The passage explicitly mentions supporters of Party X who 'supported his campaign strategy,' so it is false to claim that no such supporters existed.
- (d) No supporters of 'party X' knew Z.
- The passage explicitly mentions supporters of Party X who 'knew Z,' so it is false to claim that no such supporters existed.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.