Question

which of the following is an example of inductive reasoning? a. i heard on the radio that the first day of summer will be cool, so it will be cool that day. b. june is the coolest summer month where i live, so it will probably be cool this june. c. it has been cool every day this summer so far, so tomorrow will likely be cool too. d. it was cool on the first day of summer, so the entire summer will be cool.

Explanation:

Inductive reasoning involves drawing a general conclusion or probable prediction based on specific observed instances.

• Option A relies on a single external report, not observed patterns.
• Option B uses a general trend of past Junes to predict one June, but it is a broader annual pattern rather than specific recent observations.
• Option C uses specific, recent daily observations (every day so far this summer is cool) to make a probable prediction about the next day, which fits inductive reasoning.
• Option D draws an overly broad general conclusion from one single instance, which is a hasty generalization rather than standard inductive reasoning based on multiple specific observations.

Answer:

C. It has been cool every day this summer so far, so tomorrow will likely be cool too.