Question

Select each statement that represents inductive reasoning.

a) All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

b) The first five students who entered the classroom were carrying backpacks. Therefore, all students entering the classroom will have backpacks.

c) If it rains, then the streets will be wet. The streets are wet; therefore, it must have rained.

d) The sum of the angles in a triangle is always 180 degrees. This triangle has angles that sum to 180 degrees; therefore, it is a triangle.

Answer 1

In the examples given, statements b) and c) represent inductive reasoning because they generalize from specific observations or use specific instances to infer a general conclusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

Inductive reasoning involves moving from specific observations to broad generalizations, whereas deductive reasoning involves moving from a general premise to a specific conclusion. Let's identify which statements represent inductive reasoning:

b) The first five students who entered the classroom were carrying backpacks. Therefore, all students entering the classroom will have backpacks. (This is an example of inductive reasoning)

c) If it rains, then the streets will be wet. The streets are wet; therefore, it must have rained. (This is also considered inductive, as it infers a specific cause from a general observation, despite seeming deductive)

The other statements provided are examples of deductive reasoning because they apply general principles to come to specific conclusions. Statement a) uses the general premise 'All men are mortal' and applies it to a specific individual, Socrates. Statement d) applies the general rule about triangles to a specific triangle.