CCTST Inductive Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher surveys 50 college students and finds that 80% prefer online classes. She concludes that most college students nationwide prefer online classes. This is an example of:
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive generalization (Correct answer)
- Analogical reasoning
- Causal reasoning
Correct answer: Inductive generalization
Inductive generalization draws a broad conclusion about a population based on observations from a sample.
Question 2: Which of the following would MOST strengthen an inductive argument?
- Increasing the size of the sample observed (Correct answer)
- Using formal logical symbols
- Making the conclusion more specific
- Reducing the number of premises
Correct answer: Increasing the size of the sample observed
Larger, more representative samples produce stronger inductive support for generalizations.
Question 3: Every crow observed in the last 200 years has been black. Therefore, all crows are black. The primary weakness of this argument is:
- The premise is false
- Future or unobserved crows could be non-black (Correct answer)
- Black is not a verifiable property
- Crows are too rare to generalize about
Correct answer: Future or unobserved crows could be non-black
Inductive conclusions always risk being overturned by new evidence, such as a white crow being discovered.
Question 4: A doctor notices that three patients who ate at the same restaurant developed food poisoning. She suspects the restaurant is the source. This reasoning is best described as:
- Deductive syllogism
- Enumerative induction
- Abductive inference (Correct answer)
- Analogical argument
Correct answer: Abductive inference
Abductive inference selects the best explanation for a set of observed facts, often called 'inference to the best explanation.'
Question 5: Which scenario illustrates a biased sample that weakens an inductive argument?
- Surveying only gym members to conclude that most Americans exercise daily (Correct answer)
- Observing ten different bird species to conclude birds have feathers
- Testing a drug on 1,000 randomly selected patients
- Measuring rainfall over 30 years in multiple locations
Correct answer: Surveying only gym members to conclude that most Americans exercise daily
Surveying gym members introduces selection bias because they are not representative of the general American population.
Question 6: In inductive reasoning, the term 'probabilistic conclusion' means:
- The conclusion is always false
- The conclusion follows necessarily from the premises
- The conclusion is likely but not guaranteed to be true (Correct answer)
- The conclusion cannot be tested
Correct answer: The conclusion is likely but not guaranteed to be true
Unlike deductive conclusions, inductive conclusions are probable, not certain, even when premises are true.
Question 7: Students who study more than 10 hours per week earn higher grades. Maria studies 12 hours per week. Therefore, Maria probably earns high grades. This argument is:
- Deductively valid
- Inductively strong (Correct answer)
- Inductively weak
- Formally invalid and weak
Correct answer: Inductively strong
The argument is inductively strong because the premises provide good probabilistic support for the conclusion.
CCTST Inductive Reasoning 2
A researcher surveys 50 college students and finds that 80% prefer online classes.
She concludes that most college students nationwide prefer online classes.
This is an example of: