Question I got wrong on a screen test which I think I got right

[AngeloMysterioso]

So the question is-

Assume that the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one:

1. True
2. False
3. Not certain?

Great men are ridiculed
I am ridiculed
I am a great man

So I answered 3 - not certain and was marked wrong because the official answer is 2- false. But I still think I'm right! Unless it is because I am female and I was literally supposed to answer as if the statements are from me about myself?

Putting it to the Mumsnet jury- which is the right answer?

What happens if a bloke sits the test? Surely it can't be dependent on who you are?

So here is the test

Part 2

I am a great man
It is not for you to say. Greatness is only something that can be said of other people. So, irrespective of the first two sentences, the last statement is 'false'.
Unless you are Donald Trump in his parallel universe.

Part 3

I am pretty sure you are right -- but I also find the question to be badly phrased.

I take it to be a kind of logic question -- Given that statements (A) and (B) are true, what can be deduced about the truth of statement (C).
(A being 'great men are ridiculed', etc)

The answer is (C): the truth of (C) is compatible with (A) and (B) both being true; but the falsehood of (C) is also compatible with (A) and (B) being true.

The trouble with this question is that the concept of 'uncertainty' doesn't totally correspond to 'logical deduction.' You can be certain that you are not a great man, even though it doesn't follow from the other statements.

However, they're in no position to know what you are certain of! One can be certain of false things! Perhaps you have unusual views about your gender, and are big-headed too, and are completely convinced you are a great man. I don't know. They don't know either. So they can't even say that (3) is the right answer on this understanding of the question.

TL; DR
You should definitely tell them to revise the answer sheet.

And here are the answers.

I've just done a trial test online and a similar question popped up.

X organises Christmas parties
It's the 22 December

X will organise a party soon.

I think this is even worse. The party could have been earlier, but it doesn't make it false.

Just realised I forgot to add page 1 of the test!

If it said "Great men alone are ridiculed. I am ridiculed" then "I am a great man" would be true - (1).

If it said "Great men are not ridiculed. I am ridiculed" then "I am a great man" would be false (2).

Your answer to the question as it stands is correct because "Great men are ridiculed" does not mean that insignificant men are not ridiculed, so he could be ridiculed and a great man, or ridiculed and an insignificant man: we don't know (uncertain)

I bet they left out the "not".

It's a sort of syllogism, isn't it? But not a very good one

I feel like there should be an ALL or SOME or NO modifier of some kind in there

Maybe (3) meant that you don't know the answer to the question, rather than actually BEING an answer to the question?

The answer to the Q as posed by OP is 3. The imposing of ridicule does not in of itself confer the 'great man' status; ergo you cannot tell if the respondent is a great man or not based merely on the imposition of ridicule.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of these types of test floating around with either typos or inaccuracies in their marking.

I cant see how it can be anything other than not certain - because nothing in those statements does what ravenmum said.

I think it is a misprint as normally it will be clear that either all are or not so that one leads to the other (if that makes sense)

I study philosophy and in my Reason and Argument module we would be told that the answer is true. As there is no way using ONLY the information provided for the two premises to be true and the conclusion false or for the premises to be false and the conclusion true.

Rephrasing the Q...

All cats have 4 legs
My dog has 4 legs
My dog is a cat

If 1 and 2 are true, is 3 True/false/uncertain.

Answer is uncertain as I haven't provided enough information on what a dog is for it to be confirmed or rejected as a cat.

@AdamNichol, my R+A lecturer would say that 3 is true in those type of phrasing the truth and common sense does not matter in the slightest.

@Learning, I've taught R&A, and I don't see why your lecturer would say 3 is true. Either you've misunderstood or you need a new lecturer

@yossell tbh I think I need a new lecturer , he says one thing and the course leader and seminar tutor say another, but he marks my work so I do as I'm told.

All cats have 4 legs
My dog has 4 legs
Therefore my dog is a cat
is a classic example of false reasoning.The fact that all cats have 4 legs does not also mean that all animals with 4 legs are cats.
I think the question was trying to be clever and was intending to provide this format but without the "therefore" before the last statement it doesn't work.so it's "uncertain".