In which figure does the major premise contain the middle term as the predicate and the minor premise as subject?

• A. Figure I
• B. Figure II
• C. Figure III
• D. Figure IV

Answer: (B)

The arrangement of the middle term across the two premises defines the figure. Here, the middle term appears as the predicate in the major premise (All P are M) and as the subject in the minor premise (All M are S). That specific pattern is the hallmark of the second figure. An example helps it click: take P = poets, M = humans, S = mortals. Then the major premise says all poets are humans, the minor premise says all humans are mortals, and the conclusion follows that all poets are mortals. This exact position of the middle term—predicate in the major premise and subject in the minor premise—identifies the second figure.