Logical Reasoning – UGC NET General Paper I – Practice Questions

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

1. What did Newton’s formulation of the Universal Law of Gravitation do to the knowledge about gravity?

(a) Made it implicit
(b) Formalized it into a theory
(c) Erased it completely
(d) Made it irrelevant

2. Assertion (A): An argument is a reasoned and structured presentation of ideas or claims.
Reason (R): Where a conclusion is supported by premises or evidence.

(a) Both A and R are true, and R is a correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not a correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) Both A and R are false.

3. Which one of the following is not an argument?

(a) The weather forecast predicts rain for tomorrow, so I should take my umbrella.
(b) Janardhan Reddy is a good student because he always does his homework and gets good grades.
(c) Blue is my favorite color.
(d) If I study hard and review my notes, I’ll do well on the exam.

4. Which one of the following is not an argument?

(a) If today is Tuesday, tomorrow will be Wednesday.
(b) Since today is Tuesday, tomorrow will be Wednesday.
(c) Ram insulted me, so I punched him in the nose.
(d) Ram is not at home, so he must have gone to town.

5. Certainty is [June 2010]

(a) An objective fact
(b) Emotionally satisfying
(c) Logical
(d) Ontological

6. Deductive proceeds from [November 2020]

(a) Particular to Universal
(b) Universal to Particular
(c) Particular to Particular
(d) Universal to Universal

7. Inductive reasoning is grounded on [June 2015]

(a) Integrity of nature
(b) Unity of nature
(c) Uniformity of nature
(d) Harmony of nature

8. The reasoning which would be helpful in finding new knowledge of facts about the world is [June 2019]

(a) Speculative
(b) Deductive
(c) Analogical
(d) Inductive

9. Which of the following can be defined as a group of statements that have common conclusion?

(a) Proposition
(b) Argument
(c) Concept
(d) Fallacy

10. The premises provide conclusive grounds for conclusion in

(a) Inductive reasoning
(b) Deductive reasoning
(c) Intuitive reasoning
(d) None of the above

11. A reasoning where we start with a particular statement and conclude with a universal statement is called a

(a) Deductive reasoning
(b) Inductive reasoning
(c) Abnormal reasoning
(d) Transcendental reasoning

12. To be critical, thinking must be

(a) Practical
(b) Socially relevant
(c) Individually satisfying
(d) Analytical

13. Consider the following propositions

A is human and mortal.
B is human and mortal.
C is human and mortal.
D is human and mortal.

Therefore, ‘All humans are mortal’ is an example of:

(a) Deductive argument
(b) Inductive argument
(c) Syllogistic argument
(d) None of the above

14. Which of the following describes a valid deductive argument with true premises?

(a) Sound
(b) Unsound
(c) Fallacious
(d) Ambiguity

15. With which of the following terms can deduction and inference be identified?

(a) Synthetic
(b) Analytic
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of these

16. Statement: If all men are mortal, and if Rama is a man, Rama is also mortal.

(a) The premise is true and the conclusion is true.
(b) The premise is false and the conclusion is false.
(c) The premise is false and the conclusion is true.
(d) The premise is true and the conclusion is false.

17. Evaluate the following statements regarding logical truth and material truth in inductive and deductive reasoning, and select the correct option:

I. Logical truth in deductive reasoning refers to the truth of a conclusion based on the form and structure of the argument, regardless of the actual content.

II. Material truth in inductive reasoning pertains to the actual truth of the premises and conclusion based on factual evidence.

III. In deductive reasoning, an argument can be logically true but materially false if it is valid but has false premises.

Which of the following options is accurate?

(a) Only I and II are true.
(b) Only I and III are true.
(c) All I, II, and III are true.
(d) Only II and III are true.

18. What distinguishes deduction from induction, and what is the role of inferences in these types of reasoning?

(a) Deduction deals with certain conclusions from explicit premises, while induction deals with probable conclusions from patterns, and inferences are used in both.
(b) Deduction and induction are similar, and inferences are not relevant in either.
(c) Deduction deals with probable conclusions from patterns, while induction deals with certain conclusions from explicit premises, and inferences are used only in deduction.
(d) Deduction and induction both rely on explicit premises, and inferences are essential in induction but not in deduction.

19. Which of the following statements is / are true?

1. A deductive argument is considered valid if the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

2. The truth or falsity of statements in inductive reasoning is less absolute than in deductive reasoning.

3. Deductive arguments offer a more definitive link between the truth of the premises and the truth of the conclusion.

4. Inductive reasoning deals with probabilities and likelihoods rather than absolute truths.

(a) 1, 2 and 3 are true
(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 are true
(c) 1 and 4 are true
(d) 1, 2 and 4 are true.

20. Consider the following statements:

1. In a deductive argument, conclusion is entailed by the premises

2. Syllogistic reasoning is deductive in nature that is based on formal validity.

3. Inductive reasoning is about discovering patterns and drawing generalizations from observations and evidence.

4. Inductive knowledge is always innovative,

5. Inductive and deductive are always same in terms of process

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 3 and 4

21. Observe the following argument and pick the correct answer. [June 2023]

‘All pigs are sheep
All sheep are goat
Therefore, all pigs are goats’

A. A valid argument because if the premises were true the conclusion would have been true.
B. An invalid argument because the conclusion does not follow from the premises.
C. The conclusion is probably true.
D. It is a weak argument.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(a) A only
(b) B & D only
(c) C & D only
(d) D only

22. Consider the following statements about deductive reasoning and identify the correct option:

I. A deductively valid argument guarantees the truth of the conclusion if the premises are true.
II. A sound argument is one that is deductively valid and has all true premises.
III. An argument can be sound even if it is not deductively valid.

Which of the following options is correct?

(a) Only I and II are true.
(b) Only II and III are true.
(c) All I, II, and III are true.
(d) Only I is true.