Question

“Where there is poverty, there are always thieves.” Which of the following statements, if true, would show that the above statement is false?

• A. America is a rich country and there are thieves in America.
• B. Bhutan is a poor country and there are no thieves in Bhutan.
• C. Bangladesh is a poor country and there are many thieves in Bangladesh.
• D. Nepal is a rich country and there are no thieves in Nepal.

Hint:

To falsify a universal conditional statement “If A, then B,” find one case where A happens but B does not — that’s a valid counter-example.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The original statement says: \[ \text{“Where there is poverty, there are always thieves.”} \] This means: \[ \text{If a country is poor, then it must have thieves.} \] We need a statement that contradicts this logic. That is, a poor country without thieves. Option (a): Rich country with thieves – irrelevant (does not contradict original statement).
Option (b): Poor country (Bhutan) without thieves – this directly contradicts the original claim. This falsifies the statement.
Option (c): Poor country with thieves – aligns with the original, not a contradiction.
Option (d): Rich country without thieves – irrelevant to the original statement. Therefore, the correct answer is (b). % Final Answer \[ \boxed{\text{(b)}} \]