UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Illicit process is the general name for the error that occurs when a term is treated as undistributed in a premise but then distributed in the conclusion. This means the conclusion speaks about all members of a class even though the premises did not justify such breadth. It violates the rule that any term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the corresponding premise. Therefore the fallacy described is illicit process.

Option A:
Option A, ambiguous middle, is not the standard name for a recognised categorical fallacy. Although ambiguity can cause errors, it is not specifically about the distribution mismatch between premise and conclusion mentioned in the stem.

Option B:
Option B is correct because illicit process covers both illicit major and illicit minor as specific cases. In each case, the problematic feature is that the conclusion extends the scope of a term beyond what the premises support. This matches the description in the question.

Option C:
Option C, contradictory middle, is not a conventional label in syllogistic logic and does not refer to the distribution of terms between premises and conclusion. It therefore cannot be the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D, circularity, refers to an argument that assumes what it is supposed to prove. While also fallacious, circular reasoning does not primarily concern whether a term is distributed or undistributed.

Illicit process is the general name for the fallacy that occurs when a term is distributed in the conclusion without being distributed in the corresponding premise. This violates the requirement that distribution in the conclusion must be supported by distribution in the premises. The fallacy can take the specific form of illicit major or illicit minor. Hence the description in the stem matches illicit process.

Option A:
Option A, illicit major, occurs when the major term is distributed in the conclusion but not in the major premise. It is one specific type of illicit process. Since the stem speaks in general terms, illicit major alone is too narrow.

Option B:
Option B, illicit minor, arises when the minor term is distributed in the conclusion but not in the minor premise. This is the other specific form of the general fallacy. Again, it does not cover both possibilities mentioned implicitly in the stem.

Option C:
Option C, undistributed middle, is a different fallacy where the middle term is never distributed in either premise. It does not involve a term becoming newly distributed in the conclusion. Therefore undistributed middle is not the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D correctly names illicit process as the overarching fallacy of mis-distribution between premise and conclusion. It captures the improper extension of a term’s scope in the conclusion. Thus illicit process is the most appropriate choice.

The middle term is the one that occurs in each of the two premises but does not appear in the conclusion. Its function is to link the major and minor terms, thereby allowing a relation to be inferred between them. Proper distribution of the middle term is essential for the validity of the syllogism. Hence the term described in the stem is the middle term.

Option A:
Option A, major, is the predicate of the conclusion and appears in the major premise and the conclusion. It is not confined to the premises alone and therefore does not match the description.

Option B:
Option B, minor, is the subject of the conclusion and appears in the minor premise and the conclusion. Like the major term, it is not the connecting term exclusively in the premises.

Option C:
Option C, predicate, is a grammatical role and in logic corresponds to the term that is asserted of the subject in a proposition. While the major term is often a predicate, predicate is not the specific label for the term appearing only in the premises.

Option D:
Option D is correct because the middle term uniquely occupies the central position, joining the premises without entering the conclusion. Its correct distribution ensures that the premises genuinely support the stated relation between subject and predicate in the conclusion.

The fallacy of undistributed middle occurs when the middle term in a syllogism is never taken to refer to all members of its class in any premise. As a result, the premises fail to establish a necessary connection between the major and minor terms. Without a properly distributed middle, the conclusion does not logically follow. Thus the situation described in the stem is the fallacy of undistributed middle.

Option A:
Option A is correct because the defining error is precisely that the middle term is left undistributed in both premises. This allows the argument to illegitimately treat partially overlapping sets as if they were fully connected. Recognising this flaw is essential to testing categorical syllogisms.

Option B:
Option B, illicit major, arises when the major term is undistributed in the premise but distributed in the conclusion, which is a different kind of distribution error. While serious, it is not the same problem as the middle term never being distributed.

Option C:
Option C, illicit minor, similarly involves the minor term being distributed in the conclusion without being distributed in the minor premise. Again, this concerns a different term than the one described in the stem.

Option D:
Option D, four terms, describes a fallacy where a syllogism effectively involves more than three distinct terms, often due to ambiguity. It does not depend on the distribution status of the middle term in the way indicated in the question.

The only wrong statement here is D; all of A, B, C and E are correct. In any valid categorical syllogism, the middle term must be distributed at least once; otherwise the fallacy of undistributed middle occurs.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it isolates D as the single wrong statement.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it wrongly treats A as wrong even though A correctly describes first-figure placement.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it wrongly treats B as wrong even though B correctly states distribution for “All S are P”.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it wrongly treats C as wrong even though “No S are P” distributes both terms.