Two very famous sportsmen Mark and Steve happened to be brothers and played for country A. Mark teased James, an opponent from country B: "There is no way you are good enough to play for your country." James replied, "Maybe not, but at least I am the best player in my own family." Which one of the following can be inferred from this conversation?
A. Mark was not as good as Steve B. Steve was not as good as Mark C. James and Steve were great friends D. James played better than Steve
GATE 2017 · General Aptitude · Verbal Reasoning · medium
Answer: From James's reply, we infer that Steve was not as good as Mark. Answer: B.
Parse the insult structure: Mark says James is not good enough to play for country B. This implies Mark thinks he (and Steve) are better than James.
Decode James's comeback: James says 'at least I am the best player in my own family.' Here 'my own family' refers to Mark's family (Mark and Steve, who are the brothers under discussion). James is saying: James > Mark AND James > Steve. This means Mark is not the best — and since Mark's family contains only Mark and Steve, and James claims to beat both, Steve must be ranked below James too.
Draw the inference about Steve vs Mark: James is claiming he (James) is better than both Mark and Steve. If James > Mark > Steve (a possible ordering), then Steve is not as good as Mark. The specific inference supported is: Steve was not as good as Mark, because Mark managed to make the national team for country A and consider himself better, yet James — who beats all in Mark's family — still says Steve is below James. The comparison of Steve vs Mark: if James beats the 'best' of that family (Mark, who insulted James), Steve who is lesser is certainly below Mark.