Question 1

The most commonly used form of inference is arguably&#8230;&#10;A) Modus ponens&#10;B) Argument by analogy&#10;C) Inference to the best explanation&#10;D) Enumerative induction

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Before evaluating a theory, we should make sure that it meets the minimum requirement of&#8230;&#10;A) Validity&#10;B) Cogency&#10;C) Conservatism&#10;D) Consistency

Accepted Answer

Consistency is a fundamental requirement for evaluating a theory, as it ensures that the theory does not contain any internal contradictions.

Question 3

A theory that is internally consistent is free of&#8230;&#10;A) Content&#10;B) Contradictions&#10;C) External data&#10;D) Qualifications

Accepted Answer

A theory that is internally consistent does not contain contradictions within its own framework or premises, meaning all parts of the theory are compatible with each other.

Question 4

The standards used to judge the worth of explanatory theories are known as&#8230;&#10;A) The criteria of adequacy&#10;B) The rules of consistency&#10;C) The criteria of evaluation&#10;D) The norms of theory

Accepted Answer

The criteria of adequacy are the standards used to judge the worth of explanatory theories, assessing their effectiveness, coherence, simplicity, and how well they match with observed phenomena.

Question 5

If we show that a theory contains a contradiction. . .&#10;A) We should evaluate the theory by the criteria of adequacy.&#10;B) We have refuted it.&#10;C) We have shown that the theory is fruitful.&#10;D) We have applied the criterion of scope.

Accepted Answer

Showing that a theory contains a contradiction directly refutes it, as a theory that contradicts itself cannot be logically consistent or valid.

Question 6

A theory with scope is one that explains or predicts phenomena&#8230;&#10;A) That it was introduced to explain in the first place&#10;B) Visible to the naked eye&#10;C) Other than that which it was introduced to explain&#10;D) That are unknown

Accepted Answer

A theory with scope is considered powerful and robust if it can explain or predict phenomena beyond those it was initially designed to address, indicating its applicability to a broader range of situations or phenomena.

Question 7

A hypothesis that cannot be verified independently of the phenomenon it is supposed to explain is said to be&#8230;&#10;A) Simple&#10;B) Ad hoc&#10;C) Fruitful&#10;D) Incoherent

Accepted Answer

Ad hoc hypotheses are those formulated to explain a phenomenon but cannot be independently verified or tested outside of that specific context. They are often considered to be a less robust form of scientific explanation because they are tailored to fit a particular set of observations and may not be applicable more broadly.

Question 8

The third step in the TEST formula is&#8230;&#10;A) Satisfy the criteria of adequacy&#10;B) State the theory and check for consistency&#10;C) Scrutinize alternative theories&#10;D) Specify test conditions

Accepted Answer

The third step in the TEST formula is to scrutinize alternative theories, which involves evaluating other possible explanations to ensure that the theory in question is the most plausible and adequately explains the phenomena or situation at hand.

Question 9

A fruitful theory is one that&#8230;&#10;A) Makes the most sense&#10;B) Makes the fewest assumptions&#10;C) Makes conservative predictions&#10;D) Makes novel predictions

Accepted Answer

A fruitful theory is one that makes novel predictions, as it can lead to new discoveries and advancements in understanding.

Question 10

In inference to the best explanation, if an explanation is the best among competitors, then the argument is&#8230;&#10;A) Sound&#10;B) Logically conclusive&#10;C) Valid&#10;D) Inductively strong

Accepted Answer

Inference to the best explanation suggests that if an explanation is the best among its competitors, it makes the argument inductively strong, meaning it is likely true based on the evidence, rather than being logically conclusive, valid, or sound in the strict logical sense.

Question 11

An ad hoc hypothesis is one that&#8230;&#10;A) Conflicts with our established beliefs&#10;B) Does not meet the minimum requirement of consistency&#10;C) Cannot be verified independently of the phenomenon it is supposed to explain&#10;D) Relies on too many assumptions

Accepted Answer

The answer of An ad hoc hypothesis is one that&#8230;&#10;A)...

Question 12

If a theory is externally inconsistent, we have reason to believe that it is&#8230;&#10;A) False&#10;B) True&#10;C) Internally inconsistent&#10;D) Internally consistent

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a theory is externally inconsistent, we...

Question 13

If a theory is untestable, then it is&#8230;&#10;A) Extremely useful&#10;B) Useful only in science&#10;C) Worthless&#10;D) Uncommon

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a theory is untestable, then it...

Question 14

If a theory predicts something other than what it was introduced to explain, it is&#8230;&#10;A) Fruitful&#10;B) Conservative&#10;C) Testable&#10;D) Superfluous

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a theory predicts something other than...

Question 15

Conservativism is a measure of how well a theory&#8230;&#10;A) Expands the theory's fruitfulness&#10;B) Fits with our well established beliefs&#10;C) Fits with our preferred theory&#10;D) Discredits older theories

Accepted Answer

The answer of Conservativism is a measure of how well...

Question 16

A theory that makes a minimal number of assumptions is said to be&#8230;&#10;A) Conservative&#10;B) Simple&#10;C) Ad hoc&#10;D) Testable

Accepted Answer

The answer of A theory that makes a minimal number...

Question 17

The best theory is the eligible theory that&#8230;&#10;A) Cannot be undermined by evidence&#10;B) Meets the criterion of consistency&#10;C) Meets the criteria of adequacy better than any of its competitors&#10;D) Most scientists believe in

Accepted Answer

The answer of The best theory is the eligible theory...

Question 18

A theoretical explanation is an attempt to explain&#8230;&#10;A) How something is done&#10;B) Why something is the case or why something happened&#10;C) The meaning of terms or states of affairs&#10;D) How an action is carried out

Accepted Answer

The answer of A theoretical explanation is an attempt to...

Question 19

If there is some way to determine whether a theory is true or false, the theory is said to be...&#10;A) Transparent&#10;B) Simple&#10;C) Fruitful&#10;D) Testable

Accepted Answer

The answer of If there is some way to determine...

Question 20

Einstein's theory of relativity gained a great deal of credibility by successfully predicting&#8230;&#10;A) That light travels in straight lines&#10;B) That light is a gas&#10;C) That light comes from stars&#10;D) That light &#34;bends&#34; around massive objects

Accepted Answer

The answer of Einstein's theory of relativity gained a great...

Question 21

What is the TEST formula? How is it applied to theories?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the TEST formula? How is...

Question 22

Why is a fruitful theory more likely to be true than an unfruitful theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is a fruitful theory more likely...

Question 23

What is the minimum requirement of consistency? What is the difference between internal and external consistency?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the minimum requirement of consistency?...

Question 24

Why are conservative theories more likely to be true than ones that aren't conservative?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why are conservative theories more likely to...

Deck 10: Inference to the Best Explanation