Which statement best describes deductive reasoning?

Which statement best describes deductive reasoning?

• A. Drawing a specific conclusion from a general premise
• B. Forming a general rule by observing many examples
• C. Reasoning based on cause and effect
• D. Guessing based on similarities

Answer: (A)

Deductive reasoning moves from a general statement to a specific conclusion. You start with a broad premise and apply it to a particular case to arrive at a precise result. For example, if the general rule is that all humans are mortal and you know something is a human, you can conclude that this thing is mortal. The key is that, when the general premise is true and the reasoning is valid, the conclusion follows with certainty. This differs from forming a general rule by observing many examples, which is inductive reasoning; it also differs from reasoning based on cause and effect, which looks at how one event leads to another, and from guessing based on similarities, which relies on likenesses rather than applying a general rule.

Deductive reasoning moves from a general statement to a specific conclusion. You start with a broad premise and apply it to a particular case to arrive at a precise result. For example, if the general rule is that all humans are mortal and you know something is a human, you can conclude that this thing is mortal. The key is that, when the general premise is true and the reasoning is valid, the conclusion follows with certainty. This differs from forming a general rule by observing many examples, which is inductive reasoning; it also differs from reasoning based on cause and effect, which looks at how one event leads to another, and from guessing based on similarities, which relies on likenesses rather than applying a general rule.