Final answer:
Mary Eagle's conclusion that the pencil sharpener was out of order based on the breaking of points is an example of inductive reasoning, which uses specific observations to reach a generalized conclusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the situation provided, Mary Eagle concluded that the sharpener was out of order because it kept breaking the points of three pencils. This is an example of inductive reasoning. Mary observed a series of specific events—the breaking of pencil points—and made a generalized conclusion based on these observations. In inductive reasoning, the truth of the conclusion is probable but not guaranteed; it is based on the pattern of observed evidence.
Deductive reasoning, on the other hand, starts with a general statement and arrives at a specific conclusion by logical steps, with the conclusion necessarily following the premises, assuming the premises are true. The given scenario about the pencil sharpener does not involve a general statement with a logically necessary conclusion, so it does not represent deductive reasoning. Therefore, Mary's conclusion is inductive rather than deductive because she used a specific observation to reach a general conclusion about the sharpener.