Rajan was not happy that Sajan decided to do the project on his own. On observing his unhappiness, Sajan explained to Rajan that he preferred to work independently. Which one of the statements below is logically valid and can be inferred from the above sentences? A. Rajan has decided to work only in a group. B. Rajan and Sajan were formed into a group against their wishes. C. Sajan had decided to give a part of the project to Rajan. D. Rajan had believed that Sajan and he would be working together.

GATE 2014 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium

Answer: Option D: Rajan had believed that Sajan and he would be working together — the only inference that is both necessary and sufficient to explain Rajan's unhappiness.

1. Extract the logical clue from Rajan's unhappiness: Rajan was unhappy that Sajan worked alone. Unhappiness at an outcome implies the outcome violated a prior expectation. Therefore: Rajan expected Sajan and himself to work together.
2. Eliminate invalid options: A — says Rajan decided to work only in a group; the passage gives no information about Rajan's general working preference. B — says they were formed into a group against their wishes; nothing in the passage supports this. C — says Sajan planned to give part of the project to Rajan; the passage says the opposite — Sajan wanted to work alone. D — says Rajan believed they would work together; this directly and necessarily explains his unhappiness. D is logically valid.