Question:
Which of the following contains a non-sequitur?
Which of the following contains a non-sequitur?
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A non-sequitur has a conclusion that does not logically follow its premise. Find the option where the two halves have no real connection.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- If statisticians are made judges, they will accept or reject arguments based on probability analyses.
- Public trust in politicians is at an all time low and we can't insist that the politicians go back to school.
- Before preparing the annual budget, the CEO of XYZ Steel Limited takes opinion of all the stakeholders.
- In cricket, the batting average does not always reflect a batsman's ability because it does not reflect how many wins he was instrumental for.
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
A non-sequitur is a statement whose conclusion does not logically follow from what came before it; the two parts are joined as if connected, but there is no real logical link between them.
- Option A: If statisticians become judges, it follows naturally that they would judge arguments the way statisticians think, using probability. The conclusion fits the premise.
- Option B: The first half says trust in politicians is low. The second half jumps to "we can't insist politicians go back to school," a completely unrelated idea. Low trust in politicians has nothing to do with sending them back to school, so the second clause does not follow from the first at all. This is the non-sequitur.
- Option C: A CEO gathering stakeholder opinions before setting a budget is a normal, sensible business practice; premise and conclusion are logically connected.
- Option D: This gives a reason, that batting average ignores match-winning contribution, for its conclusion that average does not reflect ability. The reasoning may be debated, but it is a coherent argument, not a random jump.
Option B is the only sentence where the second clause has no logical connection to the first, so it contains the non-sequitur.
Let's summarize:
- A non-sequitur joins two ideas as though one causes or supports the other when it does not.
- Options A, C, and D all have a premise that reasonably supports its conclusion; only Option B jumps to an unrelated idea.
The correct answer is Option B.
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