Question

which of these is an example of inductive reasoning?

○ hundreds of individuals of a species have been observed and all are photosynthetic; therefore, the species is photosynthetic.

○ these organisms live in sunny parts of this area, so they are able to photosynthesize.

○ if horses are always found grazing on grass, they can only be herbivores and not omnivores.

○ if protists are all single - celled organisms, then they are incapable of aggregating.

○ if two species are members of the same genus, they are more alike than each of them could be to a different genus.

Explanation:

Inductive reasoning involves drawing general conclusions from specific observations. The first option observes hundreds of individuals (specific) and concludes about the whole species (general). The other options use deductive reasoning (applying general rules to specific cases or making if - then logical deductions from general statements).

Answer:

A. Hundreds of individuals of a species have been observed and all are photosynthetic; therefore, the species is photosynthetic.