Cancer is a disease that has afflicted humans for thousands of years. Therefore, many of the ancient Romans must have died of cancer.
A) Deductive, valid.
B) Deductive, invalid.
C) Inductive, strong.
D) Inductive, sound.
E) Inductive, weak.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The argument is based on the observation that cancer has afflicted humans for thousands of years, and thus it is likely that many ancient Romans died of cancer. The conclusion is a generalization based on this observation, which is strong but not conclusive. Therefore, the argument is an example of inductive reasoning. Since the argument is based on a reasonable explanation of the available evidence and the generalization seems to be fairly well-supported, the argument is considered strong.

Cancer Is a Disease That Has Afflicted Humans for Thousands