Deck 7: Inductive Arguments

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a causal argument?

A) an event that brings about a change or effect
B) an argument that God must exist since the universe would not exist without a first cause
C) an argument that concludes one thing is the cause of other things
D) an argument that uses the word "because"

Answer 1

C
Explanation: Causal arguments are argument about what causes something. Such arguments conclude that one thing has caused another. They typically employ the word "because," but do not always do so. Other types of argument may also use the word "because."

Question 2

Which of the following best describes a controlled experiment?

A) an experiment in which a scientist is in charge
B) an experiment divided into two groups: a control group and an experimental group
C) an experiment that studies the effects of leadership on others
D) None of these answers is correct.

Answer 2

B
Explanation: A controlled experiment attempts to establish that correlation is due to some particular factor rather than some other, unknown factor. It does this by dividing the studied sample into two groups. The experimental group is the group that is studied while under the influence of the hypothesized factor, while the control group is a group that is like the experimental group in every respect other than it is not under the influence of the hypothesized factor. If some unknown cause were at work, it would show up in both the control group and the experimental group.

Question 3

Which of the following is true of metaphors?

A) Metaphors are typically factually true.
B) Metaphors are a type of analogy.
C) It is always clear when a claim is using a metaphor.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: A metaphor is a type of analogy in which words indicating that an analogy is being made are dropped. "He is like a mad dog" is an analogy. "He is a mad dog" is (usually) a metaphor. (It would not be a metaphor if "he" referred to a dog that is in fact mad.) Whether something is intended as a metaphor may be unclear. "The Patriots crushed the Giants" may be used as a metaphor, but someone from a different culture may believe that the claim should be taken literally, e.g., that one team physically flattened out a different team.

Question 4

Which of the following can lead to placing the blame for harmful actions on the wrong person?

A) use of modus tollens arguments
B) the use of valid deductive, instead of inductive, arguments
C) failure to correctly perceive the cause of an action
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the argument for God's existence known as the argument from design?

A) an argument that claims that the universe bears many similarities to designed objects (such as watches) and, therefore, the universe is probably designed by God
B) an argument that claims that since there is evil in the world and God is both capable and willing to prevent evil, we should believe that God exists
C) an argument that we should not believe in God because God was designed by human beings
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 6

Which of the following is a word or phrase that typically indicates an analogy?

A) "therefore"
B) "because"
C) "similar to"
D) "dream journal"

Question 7

Which of the following words or phrases tend to indicate that an argument is inductive?

A) "necessarily"
B) "therefore"
C) "proposition"
D) "mostly likely"

Question 8

Which of the following is true of generalizations?

A) Arguments based on generalization are either true or false.
B) A good generalization's sample could have been taken at any time.
C) A good generalization does not need to be representative.
D) A good generalization has all true premises.

Question 9

Why do polls,properly carried out,play a particularly important role in democratic nations?

A) Polls allow pollsters to influence public opinion.
B) Push polls can help voters make informed choices.
C) Polls are means of gauging whether the public consents to the laws and actions of the government.
D) Voters can use polls to determine who is in the lead in an election and to execute the will of the majority by voting for the candidate who is ahead.

Question 10

Which of the following is a factor in determining the success of an argument by analogy?

A) the extent of the similarities between the objects compared
B) the extent of the dissimilarities between the objects compared
C) the relevance of the similarities in the premises to those alleged to hold in the conclusion
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

Which is the following is true of polls?

A) Reliable polls use a sample that is representative of the entire population.
B) Phoning people at home at dinner time is best method for conducting a poll.
C) Polls are rarely reliable.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a type of inductive argument?

A)modus ponens
B)generalization
C)analogy
D)causal argument

Question 13

Which of the following best describes a generalization?

A) an argument that guarantees the truth of its conclusion.
B) an argument that claims that something is the cause of something else.
C) an argument that claims a group is likely to have some characteristic on the grounds that a subset of that group has that characteristic.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 14

Which of the following may result in a biased poll?

A) a poll with a unrepresentative sample
B) a poll with a loaded question
C) a poll with a question specifically written to get a certain answer
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 15

Which of the following is true of correlations?

A) A correlation always indicates a causal relationship.
B) A positive correlation holds when the occurrence of one event decreases the chance of another event occurring.
C) A correlation is when two events occur together at a rate higher than mere chance would predict.
D) None of these answers are correct.

Question 16

Which of the following are true of generalizations?

A) Generalizations, because they are so general, cannot provide evidence for their conclusions.
B) Polls are a type of generalization.
C) Generalizations are a type of deductive argument.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 17

Which of the following is one criterion for evaluating causal arguments as successful?

A) The conclusion goes beyond the premises.
B) A correlation exists.
C) The data is not up-to-date.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a self-selected sample?

A) a sample chosen by one person who is also a member of the sample
B) a sample chosen at random
C) a sample in which only people interested in the poll agree to take part
D) a sample consisting of nothing but millionaires

Question 19

Which of the following is true of inductive arguments?

A) If the conclusion of an inductive argument is true, then the premises must be true as well.
B) If the premises of an inductive argument are all true, then the conclusion must be as well.
C) If the premises of an inductive argument are all true, then the conclusion might still be false.
D) Inductive arguments can be expressed in categorical syllogisms.

Question 20

The information collected in the Freshman Survey is used to make which of the following type of argument?

A) inductive argument
B) deductive argument
C) ad hominem argument
D) dream journal argument

Question 21

If two objects are correlated,then one must be the cause of the other.

Question 22

Causal arguments are a type of inductive argument.

Question 23

If the occurrence of one event makes less likely the occurrence of another event,then there is a positive correlation between the two events.

Question 24

Analogies can be used to refute arguments.

Question 25

An argument by analogy attempts to conclude that two things are alike in some respect on the ground that they are alike in other respects.

Question 26

Most causal relationships are simple.

Question 27

A generalization is an inductive argument that seeks to establish a conclusion about an individual based on the characteristics of a group to which that individual belongs.

Question 28

Controlled experiments can only establish the existence of a correlation between two events and not a causal relationship.

Question 29

The extent of the similarities between two objects is the only factor that determines how successful an argument by analogy is.

Question 30

Analogies can be used in arguments.

Question 31

How a question is worded can affect the outcome of a poll.

Question 32

The only purpose anyone has in conducting a poll is to collect information.

Question 33

A randomly selected sample is always representative.

Question 34

Polls are never reliable.

Question 35

Deductive arguments can be true or false.

Question 36

A smaller sample is generally more reliable than a larger sample.

Question 37

It is always clear when someone is using a metaphor.

Question 38

"And it necessarily follows" typically indicates that an argument is inductive.

Question 39

Most decisions based on the likely harmful and beneficial outcomes of an action are clear-cut.

Question 40

In the context of conducting a poll,sampling is a method of collecting data about the opinions of a population.