What is a syllogism?

A syllogism is best understood as a form of deductive reasoning that involves three components: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. This logical structure allows one to derive a conclusion from the relationship between the premises. For example, if the major premise states that all humans are mortal and the minor premise asserts that Socrates is a human, the conclusion logically follows that Socrates is mortal. This method of reasoning is foundational in various fields, including philosophy and formal logic.

The other options do not accurately describe a syllogism. While a metaphor may play a role in literary analysis, it does not pertain to logical reasoning. Summarizing a literary text is a different skill that involves condensing the main points without necessarily drawing logical conclusions. Lastly, narrative techniques that deepen character development focus on storytelling methods rather than the logical structure that defines a syllogism.