Deck 12: Comparative Reasoning

Question 1

Comparative reasoning can captivate our imaginations and move us emotionally. But, comparative inferences are notoriously weak and unreliable, from a __________________ point of view.
(a) logical
(b) heuristic
(c) rhetorical
(d) conversational

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Words like apt, insightful, vivid, silly, and superficial are better for evaluating sentences that assert comparisons than words like ________.
(a) simple or complex
(b) testable or untestable
(c) true or false
(d) comprehensive or incomplete
(e) familiar or obscure

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an argument based on comparative reasoning?
(a) I think John is Susan's younger brother. So, they have the same mother or the same father.
(b) John's mother always drives John and Susan to school, but she does not pick them up after school.
(c) John and Susan both have hair the color of harvest wheat on a sunny day. They must be brother and sister.
(d) Every day after school John and Susan walk to the bus stop together.
(e) Although younger, John is taller than Susan, but Susan is tall compared to her classmates.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In court when a lawyer argues that a legal precedent applies, the lawyer is using what kind of reasoning to make his or her point?
(a) comparative
(b) ideological
(c) empirical
(d) causal
(e) correlational

Question 5

A successful comparative inference will satisfy five criteria, the one called testability refers to is the ________.
(a) measure of the relative absence of complexity of the comparison
(b) extent to which a comparison captures a greater number of central or essential features
(c) degree of knowledge the listener has about the object to which the unknown is being compared
(d) capacity to project consequences that have the potential to be shown to be false, inapplicable, or unacceptable
(e) capacity to suggest consequences that go beyond those mentioned in the initial comparison

Question 6

Comparative reasoning is the process of ____________.
(a) culling the most viable options for a solution from a pool of both good and bad options
(b) creating lists of pros and cons in order to compare two different options or ideas
(c) comparing one expert's opinion on a subject to another expert's opinion on the same subject
(d) using what is more familiar to make interpretations, explanations, or inferences about what is less familiar

Question 7

A successful comparative inference will satisfy five criteria, the one called comprehensiveness refers to is the ________.
(a) measure of the relative absence of complexity of the comparison
(b) extent to which a comparison captures a greater number of central or essential features
(c) degree of knowledge the listener has about the object to which the unknown is being compared
(d) capacity to project consequences that have the potential to be shown to be false, inapplicable, or unacceptable
(e) capacity to suggest consequences that go beyond those mentioned in the initial comparison.

Question 8

Which of the following does not primarily depend upon comparative reasoning?
(a) Comparisons are like a fine set of carpentry tools-you have to know a tool's purpose, or else it will be useless to you.
(b) Just as there are myriad flowering plants in a well-tended garden, people cultivate an exceptional variety of ways to express comparative reasoning.
(c) Using comparative reasoning as the firm foundation for logically strong arguments is like trying to build a house out of straw in a swamp.
(d) "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all," said Hypatia of Alexandria more than fifteen hundred years ago.

Question 9

Which criterion for a successful comparison does this example have the most difficulty satisfying? "Like a personal spiritual security detail, each of us has an invisible spirit protector who watches over us, guides us away from danger, and helps us know right from wrong."
(a) familiarity
(b) simplicity
(c) comprehensiveness
(d) productivity
(e) testability

Question 10

Which of the following primarily depends upon comparative reasoning?
(a) Randolph knows that John Glenn was a senator. John Glenn was an astronaut. Therefore Randolph knows that John Glenn was an astronaut.
(b) The animal rights activists defended themselves by saying: "We did not steal any animals from the lab. We rescued those monkeys because they were the helpless victims of torture."
(c) Everyone loves ice cream. Children love ice cream. So, everyone's a child.
(d) Either we'll study together tonight for tomorrow's exam, or we will both blow it off. I'm too tired to study tonight. So, we're going to blow it off.

Question 11

When scientific investigators develop and apply a theoretical model in the creative search for novel solutions to problems, they are using which kind of reasoning?
(a) comparative
(b) ideological
(c) empirical
(d) causal
(e) correlational

Question 12

Which criterion for a successful comparison does this example have the most difficulty satisfying? "Asking a member of Congress to explain the income tax code is like asking a fifteen year old to explain their math homework."
(a) familiarity
(b) simplicity
(c) productivity
(d) testability

Question 13

A successful comparative inference will satisfy five criteria, the one called productivity refers to is the ________.
(a) measure of the relative absence of complexity of the comparison
(b) extent to which a comparison captures a greater number of central or essential features
(c) degree of knowledge the listener has about the object to which the unknown is being compared
(d) capacity to project consequences that have the potential to be shown to be false, inapplicable, or unacceptable
(e) capacity to suggest consequences that go beyond those mentioned in the initial comparison

Question 14

When we humans notice something that looks familiar about the new experience, something, which we believe we can understand because of its familiarity, our natural tendency is to try to expand our understanding of the larger new experience from that initial point. Which mental capacity, woven into our very DNA, enables us to do this?
(a) our capacity to go many days without food
(b) our capacity to recognize patterns
(c) our capacity to enjoy music and poetry
(d) our capacity to use, make, and adapt tools

Question 15

The most useful comparisons are those that are based upon structural, functional, central, and essential features to ____________ how we might understand that which is less familiar based on what we know about that which is more familiar.
(a) validly infer
(b) determine
(c) justify
(d) suggest

Question 16

A successful comparative inference will satisfy five criteria, the one called simplicity refers to is the ________.
(a) measure of the relative absence of complexity of the comparison
(b) extent to which a comparison captures a greater number of central or essential features
(c) degree of knowledge the listener has about the object to which the unknown is being compared
(d) is the capacity to project consequences that have the potential to be shown to be false, inapplicable, or unacceptable
(e) is the capacity to suggest consequences that go beyond those mentioned in the initial comparison

Question 17

What is another term for comparative reasoning?
(a) pro-and-con thinking
(b) give-and-take thinking
(c) this-is-like-that thinking
(d) bottom-up thinking
(e) top-down thinking

Question 18

Although powerfully persuasive, comparisons are risky. Their soundness, logical strength, and relevance can easily be _______________.
(a) demonstrated
(b) questioned
(c) confirmed
(d) validated
(e) ignored

Question 19

Which of the following primarily depends upon comparative reasoning?
(a) To those who would dismiss evolution as "only a theory," The National Center for Science Education Web site proposes this analogy: "Evolution is only a theory in the same way that Universal Gravity is only a theory."
(b) A good number of residents of Iowa enjoy reading popular fiction. Some who enjoy popular fiction also enjoy windsurfing on their local beaches. So, a good number of residents of Iowa enjoy windsurfing on their local beaches.
(c) It is in each person's financial interest to cheat a little on his or her income tax return. So, it is financially good for the nation if people cheat on their taxes.
(d) Whenever I play the lottery, the number I put in is my birthday. If that's not my lucky number, then I don't have one.

Question 20

A successful comparative inference will satisfy five criteria, the one called familiarity refers to is the ________.
(a) measure of the relative absence of complexity of the comparison
(b) extent to which a comparison captures a greater number of central or essential features
(c) degree of knowledge the listener has about the object to which the unknown is being compared
(d) is the capacity to project consequences that have the potential to be shown to be false, inapplicable, or unacceptable
(e) is the capacity to suggest consequences that go beyond those mentioned in the initial comparison

Question 21

Describe the "Familiarity" criterion as it is applied to the evaluating comparative reasoning. Give an original example of two contrasting comparisons for the same object; first give one that is more familiar and then supply one that is less familiar.

Question 22

The human mind craves pattern. Using examples, briefly describe how our species used its capacity for pattern recognition down through the millennia. Discuss how the use our capacity for pattern recognition is fundamental to human reasoning.

Question 23

Identify the comparisons in this passage and explain what they attempt to convey: "I can't listen to that symphony. The music is so sad that it makes me feel like pulling my heart out. That's what I find so mysterious about music: How can a bunch of sounds be sad? It's like saying a bunch of rocks can get angry or a glass of water can be full of joy. I just don't get it."

Question 24

Because comparative reasoning is notoriously weak from the logical perspective, scientists do not rely on comparative reasoning to generate interesting models and hypotheses.

Question 25

Describe the "Simplicity" criterion as it is applied to the evaluating comparative reasoning. Give an original example of two contrasting comparisons for the same object; first give one that is simpler and then supply one that is more complex.

Question 26

Comparative reasoning is powerfully _____________. This can be a major benefit of the use of comparative reasoning, and at the same time it can be a serious liability.

Question 27

Identify the comparisons in this passage and explain what they attempt to convey: "It is a crime against humanity to fudge a little on your taxes-you know, report less income than you actually earned. I think that people who cheat on their taxes shouldn't be allowed to drive on public roads, send their kids to public schools, or call the police when in danger. Because they steal from the communal well, it is fitting that they shouldn't be allowed to draw from that well when in need."

Question 28

While creative comparisons can be richly suggestive of new ideas, comparative inferences are notoriously inadequate to the task of serving as final proofs of those ideas.

Question 29

_______________inferences are best used to explore assumptions and to tentatively shape expectations about new situations.

Question 30

Describe the "Testability" criterion as it is applied to the evaluating comparative reasoning. Give an original example of two contrasting comparisons for the same object; first give one that is more testable and then supply one that is less testable.

Question 31

Identify the comparisons in this passage and explain what they attempt to convey: "Marta and Mike are cool, but in different ways. If they were cities, Marta would be New York and Mike would be Seattle Jerry, however, would be Clarkston, Michigan. I mean, I like Jerry, but he's not a destination hot spot."

Question 32

However persuasive they may be, logically speaking, comparative inferences are seldom, if ever, acceptable proofs of the truth of their conclusions.

Question 33

The strong critical thinker with a healthy sense of ______________ and a good nose for weak logic will be cautious when comparisons and metaphors, rather than sound arguments, are used as substitutes for solid explanations or as calls to action.

Question 34

Explain why the "Four Tests of the Acceptability of an Argument" are difficult to apply when evaluating comparative inferences.

Question 35

Describe the "Comprehensiveness" criterion as it is applied to the evaluating comparative reasoning. Give an original example of two contrasting comparisons for the same object; first give one that is more comprehensive and then supply one that is less comprehensive.

Question 36

Identify the comparisons in this passage and explain what they attempt to convey: "What's it like being a parent? It is a tough job with long hours and terrible pay. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful experience. When I see my son's face light up with joy when I come home from work, I feel like I'm on top of the world."

Question 37

Describe the "Productivity" criterion as it is applied to the evaluating comparative reasoning. Give an original example of two contrasting comparisons for the same object; first give one that is more productive and then supply one that is less productive.

Question 38

The simplicity and ______________ of comparative reasoning often lead to a false sense of their relevance and applicability.

Question 39

Identify the comparisons in this passage and explain what they attempt to convey: "So you want to know what it is like to work at XYZ company? Well, think of the meanest thing you have ever done. Now, imagine getting paid to do something worse than that every day. It is about as emotionally rewarding as torturing a puppy. But I figure that because I am already in bed with the devil, I might as well try to enjoy it."

Question 40

Comparative reasoning is used in discussions of ___________, such as to compare situations and infer rights and responsibilities.