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Quizzes > High School Quizzes > Arts & Humanities

Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning Practice Quiz

Practice core concepts for exam success

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Sydney ArendeUpdated Aug 24, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Grade: Grade 10
Study OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art promoting Logic Face-Off, a dynamic quiz for high school students.

Use this deductive vs inductive reasoning quiz to practice telling which type each claim uses and what follows from it. Answer 20 short questions now, see your score at the end, and spot gaps before your next logic test or class.

From which type of premises to what type of conclusion does deductive reasoning typically move?
From data patterns to a forecast
From anecdotes to a hypothesis
From general rules to necessary particular conclusions (Correct because deduction applies general principles to specific cases to yield conclusions that must be true if premises are true)
From particular cases to a general rule
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Which description best fits inductive reasoning?
Deriving universally certain conclusions from a single premise
Deriving probable generalizations from specific observations (Correct because induction uses specific instances to infer a general claim with some degree of probability)
Using definitions to prove equivalences
Applying axioms to reach a guaranteed result
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If all mammals are warm-blooded and whales are mammals, then whales are warm-blooded. This is an example of:
Inductive generalization
Analogical reasoning
Statistical inference
Deductive reasoning (Correct because the conclusion follows necessarily from the universal premises)
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Observing that the sun has risen every day of your life and concluding it will rise tomorrow is an example of:
Definition
Induction (Correct because it infers a probable future event from repeated past observations)
Deduction
Tautology
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In a valid deductive argument, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be:
Undetermined
Possibly true or false
Probably true
Certainly true (Correct because validity guarantees necessity from true premises)
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A strong inductive argument is best described as one in which:
The premises are definitions
The premises make the conclusion highly probable (Correct because inductive strength concerns probability, not necessity)
The conclusion is guaranteed by the premises
The conclusion is necessarily false
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Selecting 200 randomly chosen voters and concluding that 52% of all voters support a policy exemplifies:
Analogical induction
Reductio ad absurdum
Enumerative induction (Correct because it generalizes from a sample to a population proportion)
Deductive syllogism
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Affirming the consequent (If P then Q; Q; therefore P) is a fallacy in:
Inductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning (Correct because the form does not guarantee the conclusion, making it deductively invalid)
Statistical reasoning only
Analogical reasoning only
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Reasoning that because two systems share many relevant features, they likely share another feature is called:
Apriori necessity
Deductive equivalence
Causal inference
Analogical induction (Correct because it infers similarity in an unobserved attribute from similarities in observed attributes)
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If an argument is valid but has a false premise, then it is:
Sound
Cogent
Strong
Unsound (Correct because soundness requires both validity and true premises)
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A cogent inductive argument must be:
Strong with true, relevant, and sufficiently comprehensive premises (Correct because cogency combines inductive strength with acceptable premises)
Weak but sound
Valid with true premises
Based only on deductive rules
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Modus tollens has which valid form?
All P are Q; some Q are R; therefore some P are R
If P then Q; Q; therefore P
P or Q; not P; therefore not Q
If P then Q; not Q; therefore not P (Correct because denying the consequent validly yields the negation of the antecedent)
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In deductive reasoning, a single counterexample can show invalid form.
False (Correct because a single counterexample shows an argument form is invalid only if it matches the form; otherwise it may just refute a universal premise)
True
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Reductio ad absurdum is primarily a deductive technique.
True (Correct because it deduces a contradiction from an assumption to refute it)
False
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A deductively valid argument with a false conclusion must have at least one false premise.
False
True (Correct because validity preserves truth from premises to conclusion; a false conclusion implies not all premises were true)
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Which move turns an inductive pattern into a deductive one?
Replacing data with opinions
Using a larger but biased sample
Adding a universal premise that covers all relevant cases (Correct because universality converts probabilistic support into necessity if true)
Removing premises to avoid exceptions
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The principle of the uniformity of nature underlies which reasoning type most directly?
Truth tables
Proof by contradiction
Inductive reasoning across time and space (Correct because induction often assumes similar conditions yield similar outcomes)
Deductive reasoning from definitions
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Which diagnostic best separates weak from strong analogical arguments?
Relevance and degree of similarity in features tied to the conclusion (Correct because strength depends on relevant, causally connected similarities)
Length of the argument
Number of analogs only
Presence of numerous irrelevant similarities
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Bayesian updating of beliefs after observing evidence is a form of:
Syllogistic deduction
Definition-based necessity
Deductive proof
Inductive reasoning via probabilistic inference (Correct because it revises degrees of belief based on evidence)
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Which best explains why deductive reasoning is non-ampliative?
It does not add new content beyond the premises (Correct because conclusions are contained within the information of the premises)
It increases probability of the conclusion
It relies on sampling
It requires analogies
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Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze deductive and inductive arguments to identify their key characteristics.
  2. Evaluate logical reasoning techniques for accuracy and validity.
  3. Apply deductive reasoning to derive specific conclusions from general premises.
  4. Apply inductive reasoning to generate generalizations from specific instances.
  5. Compare and contrast deductive and inductive methods to determine the most effective approach in different contexts.

Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning Cheat Sheet

  1. Deductive Reasoning - Lock in your logic goggles! Deductive reasoning zooms from broad premises down to a pinpoint conclusion, guaranteeing that if your starting facts are true, your result must be true. Think of it as a detective following an unbreakable trail from clue A to conclusion B.
  2. Inductive Reasoning - Ready to spot patterns like a pro? Inductive reasoning builds general rules based on specific observations, so every time you see the sun climb the eastern sky, you grow more confident it'll dawn that way tomorrow. It's like being a scientist piecing together nature's hidden puzzles.
  3. Key Difference: Guarantee vs. Probability - Here's the showdown: deductive reasoning guarantees the truth when your premises are solid, while inductive reasoning offers a probable leap based on the evidence you've gathered. Both are your brain's secret weapons - just pick the right tool for the logic job!
  4. Deductive Arguments - Time for a practice round: a deductive argument is valid if the conclusion logically follows and sound if the premises hold up. Picture "All birds have feathers; a sparrow is a bird; therefore, a sparrow has feathers" - that's logic that never misses.
  5. Inductive Arguments - Flex your inference skills: inductive arguments grow stronger as observations pile up and are cogent when those observations are true. Observing 100 white swans and concluding "All swans are white" is hopeful - but beware, one black swan can shake your world!
  6. Logical Fallacies - Watch out for sneaky missteps like hasty generalizations or affirming the consequent - these logical potholes can trip up even the best thinkers. Spotting fallacies is like finding cheats in your reasoning video game and ejecting them instantly.
  7. Abductive Reasoning - Meet the logic of "best guess" detectives! Abductive reasoning picks the most plausible explanation - for example, wet pavement likely means it rained. It's your go-to for real‑world mysteries where you need a smart hypothesis, stat.
  8. Hypothesis Testing - In deductive reasoning, you kick off with a grand theory and zoom in through experiments and observations to see if it holds water. It's like launching a rocket - plan your theory, fuel it with data, and watch it soar or crash.
  9. Theory Development - Inductive reasoning is your creative lab for new theories: observe trends, notice patterns, and draft models that might explain the world. Think of yourself as a logic artist painting big ideas from tiny data strokes.
  10. Mixing Methods - For the ultimate analytical power-up, blend inductive and deductive reasoning - use induction to dream up hypotheses and deduction to verify them. This dynamic duo transforms you into a critical-thinking superhero.
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