Which of the following best describes a generalization?
A) an argument that guarantees the truth of its conclusion.
B) an argument that claims that something is the cause of something else.
C) an argument that claims a group is likely to have some characteristic on the grounds that a subset of that group has that characteristic.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A generalization is a type of inductive argument. As such, it only shows that its conclusion is likely to be true. But there are many types of arguments that do this. A generalization draws a conclusion from data about a sample of a group. It generalizes that data to the rest of the group. If I claim that all crows are black based on observing thirty thousand crows that are all black, then I have made a generalization.

Which of the Following Best Describes a Generalization