If a term is the major term in the conclusion, what is its role?

• A. It appears as the minor term in the conclusion
• B. It appears as the predicate in the conclusion
• C. It never appears in the conclusion
• D. It appears only in the premises

Answer: (B)

In a categorical syllogism, the major term is the one that the conclusion says something about. It appears in the conclusion as the predicate, not as the subject. So when the major term is in the conclusion, its role is to be the predicate of that conclusion.

For example, in “All dogs are mammals,” the subject term of the conclusion is dogs (the minor term) and mammals is the predicate (the major term). The premises link the middle term to both, leading to the conclusion that dogs are mammals.

The other options don’t fit because the major term is not the subject of the conclusion, it does appear in the conclusion (as the predicate), and its presence is tied to what is being affirmed about the subject.