Induction and Deduction

Description: Induction and Deduction Quiz
Number of Questions: 14
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Tags: philosophy philosophy of science induction deduction
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Which of the following is an example of inductive reasoning?

  1. All swans are white.

  2. The sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. 2 + 2 = 4.

  4. Gravity pulls objects towards the center of the Earth.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Inductive reasoning is a type of logical reasoning that draws a general conclusion from specific observations. In this case, we have observed that the sun has risen every day in the past, so we conclude that it will rise tomorrow as well.

Which of the following is an example of deductive reasoning?

  1. All swans are white.

  2. The sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. 2 + 2 = 4.

  4. Gravity pulls objects towards the center of the Earth.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Deductive reasoning is a type of logical reasoning that draws a specific conclusion from a general premise. In this case, we know that 2 + 2 = 4 is a true statement, so we can conclude that it will always be true.

Which of the following is a characteristic of inductive reasoning?

  1. It is based on specific observations.

  2. It draws a general conclusion from specific observations.

  3. It is always true.

  4. It is a type of logical fallacy.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Inductive reasoning is a type of logical reasoning that draws a general conclusion from specific observations. It is not always true, but it can be used to make informed predictions about the future.

Which of the following is a characteristic of deductive reasoning?

  1. It is based on general premises.

  2. It draws a specific conclusion from a general premise.

  3. It is always true.

  4. It is a type of logical fallacy.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Deductive reasoning is a type of logical reasoning that draws a specific conclusion from a general premise. It is always true, provided that the premises are true.

Which of the following is an example of a logical fallacy?

  1. All swans are white.

  2. The sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. 2 + 2 = 4.

  4. Affirming the consequent.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Affirming the consequent is a type of logical fallacy that occurs when someone assumes that because the consequent of a conditional statement is true, the antecedent must also be true. For example, the statement "If it is raining, then the ground is wet" is true. However, the statement "The ground is wet, therefore it is raining" is not necessarily true.

Which of the following is an example of a valid deductive argument?

  1. All men are mortal.

  2. Socrates is a man.

  3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a valid deductive argument because the conclusion follows logically from the premises. The premise "All men are mortal" is a general statement that applies to all men, including Socrates. The premise "Socrates is a man" is a specific statement that identifies Socrates as a member of the class of men. The conclusion "Therefore, Socrates is mortal" is a specific statement that follows logically from the premises.

Which of the following is an example of an invalid deductive argument?

  1. All swans are white.

  2. This swan is white.

  3. Therefore, all swans are white.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

This is an invalid deductive argument because the conclusion does not follow logically from the premises. The premise "All swans are white" is a general statement that applies to all swans. The premise "This swan is white" is a specific statement that identifies a particular swan as being white. However, the conclusion "Therefore, all swans are white" is not a logical consequence of the premises. It is possible that there are other swans that are not white.

Which of the following is an example of a strong inductive argument?

  1. I have seen 100 white swans, therefore all swans are white.

  2. The sun has risen every day for the past 100 years, therefore the sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. All of the planets in our solar system orbit the sun, therefore all planets in the universe orbit a star.

  4. I have seen a lot of people get sick after eating shellfish, therefore shellfish is bad for you.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

This is a strong inductive argument because the evidence is very strong. We have observed that the sun has risen every day for the past 100 years, which is a very large sample size. This gives us a high degree of confidence that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Which of the following is an example of a weak inductive argument?

  1. I have seen 100 white swans, therefore all swans are white.

  2. The sun has risen every day for the past 100 years, therefore the sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. All of the planets in our solar system orbit the sun, therefore all planets in the universe orbit a star.

  4. I have seen a lot of people get sick after eating shellfish, therefore shellfish is bad for you.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a weak inductive argument because the evidence is not very strong. We have only observed 100 white swans, which is a relatively small sample size. This does not give us a high degree of confidence that all swans are white.

Which of the following is an example of a hasty generalization?

  1. I have seen 100 white swans, therefore all swans are white.

  2. The sun has risen every day for the past 100 years, therefore the sun will rise tomorrow.

  3. All of the planets in our solar system orbit the sun, therefore all planets in the universe orbit a star.

  4. I have seen a lot of people get sick after eating shellfish, therefore shellfish is bad for you.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is an example of a hasty generalization because the conclusion is drawn from a very small sample size. We have only observed 100 white swans, which is not a representative sample of all swans. Therefore, we cannot conclude that all swans are white.

Which of the following is an example of a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy?

  1. I got sick after eating shellfish, therefore shellfish is bad for you.

  2. The stock market crashed after the president gave a speech, therefore the president's speech caused the stock market crash.

  3. I won the lottery after I wore my lucky charm, therefore my lucky charm caused me to win the lottery.

  4. The crime rate went down after the police department hired more officers, therefore hiring more officers caused the crime rate to go down.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is an example of a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy because the conclusion is drawn from a temporal relationship between two events. Just because one event happened after another event does not mean that the first event caused the second event.

Which of the following is an example of a slippery slope fallacy?

  1. If we allow same-sex marriage, then people will start marrying animals.

  2. If we legalize marijuana, then people will start using harder drugs.

  3. If we give the government more power, then they will eventually become tyrannical.

  4. If we don't stop climate change, then the world will end.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is an example of a slippery slope fallacy because it assumes that a small change will lead to a series of increasingly negative consequences. There is no evidence to support the claim that allowing same-sex marriage will lead to people marrying animals.

Which of the following is an example of a circular argument?

  1. God exists because the Bible says so.

  2. The Bible is true because it is the word of God.

  3. Evolution is a fact because scientists say so.

  4. Scientists are credible because they use the scientific method.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is an example of a circular argument because the conclusion is used to support one of the premises. The premise "The Bible says so" is used to support the conclusion "God exists". However, the premise "The Bible says so" is only true if God exists. Therefore, the argument is circular.

Which of the following is an example of a straw man fallacy?

  1. My opponent says that we should raise taxes, but that's just a straw man argument. He's only saying that to make me look bad.

  2. The professor said that we should read the book, but that's just a straw man argument. He's only saying that because he wants us to buy the book.

  3. The politician said that we should support the war, but that's just a straw man argument. He's only saying that to make his opponent look like a coward.

  4. The scientist said that we should believe in evolution, but that's just a straw man argument. He's only saying that because he's an atheist.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is an example of a straw man fallacy because the opponent's argument is misrepresented. The opponent is not actually saying that we should raise taxes just to make the speaker look bad. The speaker is simply attributing this motive to the opponent in order to discredit their argument.

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