Compound statement basic idea – UGC NET Question

A compound statement is formed when simpler statements are joined using logical connectives such as conjunction, disjunction or conditional. Its overall truth value depends on the truth values of the component statements and the nature of the connective. Propositional logic studies how these complex statements behave. Hence the kind of statement described in the stem is correctly called a compound statement.

Option A:
Option A, atomic statement, denotes a simple statement that is not built up from other statements and contains no logical connectives. It is the basic building block from which compound statements are constructed. Therefore it does not fit the description of being made from two or more simpler statements.

Option B:
Option B is correct because compound statements result from combining atomic propositions with connectives like “and” or “if...then”. Their complexity and truth conditions arise precisely from this combination, which is what the question highlights.

Option C:
Option C, predicate, is a term from predicate logic that refers to a property or relation that can be affirmed of objects. It is not itself the name for a whole statement constructed from simpler statements.

Option D:
Option D, categorical proposition, belongs to traditional logic and has the form “All S are P” or similar; although it can be complex, it is not defined simply by the presence of truth-functional connectives joining multiple simpler statements.