The statement, "Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs" is an example of

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The statement presented is: 'Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs.'

Option 1: inductive reasoning. This option fits because the conclusion about all insects is drawn from observations of a subset (insects examined so far) and generalizing to the whole group. It uses accumulation of specific instances to infer a broader rule.

Option 2: deductive reasoning. Deduction would start from a general rule or principle and apply it to a specific case to draw a conclusion. Example: If all insects have six legs (a general rule), then this particular insect has six legs. The given statement does the reverse, making a broad generalization first, so this option does not describe the reasoning used.

Option 3: hypothesis testing. Hypothesis testing involves forming a testable hypothesis and then collecting data to see if it supports or refutes it, often with statistical analysis and a formal decision rule. The statement does not outline any testing procedure or statistical evaluation, so it does not characterize hypothesis testing.

Option 4: reductive reasoning. Reductive reasoning is not a standard term in this context and does not describe the logical move being made. The claim is not about breaking things down into simpler components or reducing concepts, so this label is inappropriate.

Option 5: parsimony. Parsimony (Occam’s razor) favors simpler explanations, but the statement does not rely on preferring the simplest explanation; it simply generalizes from observed instances without weighing alternative, simpler accounts. Therefore, this is not a description of the reasoning style used.

25SP_ENV1_60200 Chapter 2 Reading Review

The statement, "Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs" is an example of

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