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Muhammad is 4. His family has a cat who is orange. Muhammad’s best friend, Aamir, also has a cat. Aamir’s cat is also orange. Muhammad, therefore, believes that all cats are orange. Muhammad has made an error in

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Muhammad is 4. His family has a cat who is orange. Muhammad’s best friend, Aamir, also has a cat. Aamir’s cat is also orange. Muhammad, therefore, believes that all cats are orange. Muhammad has made an error in

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The scenario describes Gandhi-like generalization from a small sample: Muhammad has observed orange cats (his own and his friend’s), and he concludes that all cats are orange. 
Option A: inductive reasoning. This is the correct classification because inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to a general conclusion, which is exactly what Muhammad does—inferring a broad rule from a limited set of examples. 
Option B: deductive reasoning. This would involve starting with a general principle and applying it to a specific case to arrive at a logical, guaranteed conclusion. Here, Muhammad’s conclusion isn’t guaranteed by any universal rule he began with; it’s a broad generalization from few instances, so deductive reasoning does not apply. 
Option C: both inductive and deductive reasoning. Since the scenario Doesn’t mix explicit deductive steps with inductive generalization, saying it’s both would mischaracterize the reasoning process here. There’s no deduction chain presented. 
Option D: neither inductive nor deductive reasoning. This would be incorrect because the act of generalizing from observed instances to a broader claim is a classic example of inductive reasoning, so at least one category applies. 
In short, Muhammad’s error is a typical overgeneralization from limited data, which is a hallmark of inductive reasoning, not a valid deductive argument.

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