Deck 9: Evaluating Inductive Generalizations

Question 1

Juan wants to join a ski club so he can go skiing. He remembers that when he went to college in Pennsylvania, the college had a ski club. The same was true when he went to college in Arizona and in Colorado. He reasons that since those other colleges had ski clubs, most colleges will have one, too.

Answer 1

S: the colleges in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Colorado that Juan attended
T: all colleges
F: has a ski club

Question 2

Which inductive generalization is stronger?

A) Wishing to discover whether audiences were likely to want to see her newest film, a movie producer invited a randomly selected group of 300 potential viewers of the movie. After screening a portion of the movie, she asked participants to fill out a survey ranking their likelihood of viewing the new movie. Only 1/3 of the viewers were positive about the film, so the producer concluded that it was not going to be a success.
B) Wishing to discover whether audiences were likely to want to see her newest film, a movie producer invited a randomly selected group of 100 potential viewers of the movie. After screening a portion of the movie, she asked participants to fill out a survey ranking their likelihood of viewing the new movie. Only 1/3 of the viewers were positive about the film, so the producer concluded that it was not going to be a success.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Write a Complete Analysis plus Evaluation for each of the following passages

-According to the writers at Fortune, insider trading is inevitable. However, if that were true, then there wouldn't be laws against it, and insider trading is illegal.

Answer 3

This passage contains an argument. The issue is whether insider trading is inevitable. The unstated conclusion is that insider trading is not inevitable. The first premise is that if insider trading is inevitable, then there wouldn't be laws against it. The second premise is that there are laws against insider trading.
This argument is a deductive truth-functional argument.
According to the writers at Fortune, 1. insider trading is inevitable. However, 2. if that were True, then there wouldn't be laws against it, and 3. insider trading is illegal.
4. Insider trading is not inevitable.

Question 4

It's clear that college students text a lot. While walking across campus today I noticed five students texting.

Question 5

I've read four novels by Russian authors and each of them was intellectually challenging. This must mean that every Russian novel is intellectually challenging.

Question 6

Which inductive generalization is stronger?

A) In a recent survey of 500 people at the Spring Valley mall, the vast majority declared that a college education was a valuable aid to having a good life. Therefore, most Spring Valley residents think that having a college education will help them have a good life.
B) In a recent survey of 25 people at the Spring Valley mall, the vast majority declared that a college education was a valuable aid to having a good life. Therefore, most Spring Valley residents think that having a college education will help them have a good life.

Question 7

Write a Complete Analysis plus Evaluation for each of the following passages

-University of Connecticut students overwhelmingly favor an 8.67 percent tuition hike recommended by President Michael Hogan. Student body President Meredith L. Zaritheny sent out the student survey to all undergraduates. Zaritheny said she was taken aback by the strong response to the survey. She said she got 18,855 responses, with 92 percent in favor of the 8.67 percent increase."-The Hartford Courant

Question 8

Write a Complete Analysis plus Evaluation for each of the following passages

-A recent survey demonstrates that about one half of all Americans consume caffeine every day. The second annual HealthSaver 2008 Caffeinated Cities Survey was conducted to determine the caffeine consumption habits and attitudes of consumers across the US, and to learn more about cultural views and health benefits of this caffeine. The telephone survey of people in 20 major metropolitan areas in the US considered numerous caffeine sources, including coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks, chocolate, pain relievers and caffeine pills. Nearly half (49%) of all respondents nationwide said they drink caffeinated coffee every day, while cola and tea tied with a 20% daily consumption rate, the survey found.--Marketingcharts.com

Question 9

Which inductive generalization is stronger?

A) Clearly, mining is becoming less dangerous in the United States. A team of researchers from the Association of Mine Operators surveyed over 50 mine workers union officials, and the vast majority said that there had been fewer safety violations and fewer accidents in the last five years than in the five preceding years.
B) Clearly, mining is becoming less dangerous in the United States. A team of researchers from the Association of Mine Operators surveyed over 50 owners of independent mining companies, and the vast majority said that they had fewer safety violations and fewer accidents in the last five years than in the five preceding years.

Question 10

I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.-Herb Caen

Question 11

House Republicans have been arguing that entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare need to be reduced by up to 10%. But is depriving our elderly of all government assistance really what we want to do? I don't think so. These are the people who have sacrificed for us, their children, and they deserve better in their old age.

Question 12

The food at Albertson's is really expensive. Yesterday my husband bought a small pack of pork chops and three baking potatoes, and it came to almost ten dollars.

Question 13

Voters in Dade County, Florida, are opposed to a bill introduced in the U. S. Senate that will relax the trade embargo with Cuba. In a Miami Herald telephone survey of 1150 randomly selected registered voters throughout Dade County, over 75% of respondents said they were opposed to any bill that would change the Cuban trade embargo.

Question 14

Which inductive generalization is stronger?

A) Our university's women's basketball team has won its last three games. Thus, it seems obvious that the team will repeat as champions this year.
B) Our university's women's basketball team has won its last six games. Thus, it seems obvious that the team will repeat as champions this year.

Question 15

Which inductive generalization is stronger?

A) In a psychology class experiment to determine how many students suffer from test anxiety, student researchers visited three freshman-level courses and had students fill out survey questionnaires. Since 53% of respondents admitted to having test anxiety, it's safe to conclude that about half of all students on campus have test anxiety.
B) In a psychology class experiment to determine how many students suffer from test anxiety, student researchers visited one freshman-level course, one sophomore-level course, and one senior course and had students fill out survey questionnaires. Since 53% of respondents admitted to having test anxiety, it's safe to conclude that about half of all students on campus have test anxiety.