Ch.10 Test Bank Answers Inference To The Best Explanation

Chapter 10: Inference to the Best Explanation

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 01

1. The most commonly used form of inference is arguably…

a. Modus ponens

b. Argument by analogy

c. Inference to the best explanation

d. Enumerative induction

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 02

2. Before evaluating a theory, we should make sure that it meets the minimum requirement of…

a. Validity

b. Cogency

c. Conservatism

d. Consistency

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 03

3. A theory that is internally consistent is free of…

a. Content

b. Contradictions

c. External data

d. Qualifications

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 04

4. The standards used to judge the worth of explanatory theories are known as…

a. The criteria of adequacy

b. The rules of consistency

c. The criteria of evaluation

d. The norms of theory

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 05

5. If we show that a theory contains a contradiction. . .

a. We should evaluate the theory by the criteria of adequacy.

b. We have refuted it.

c. We have shown that the theory is fruitful.

d. We have applied the criterion of scope.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 06

6. A theory with scope is one that explains or predicts phenomena…

a. That it was introduced to explain in the first place

b. Visible to the naked eye

c. Other than that which it was introduced to explain

d. That are unknown

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 07

7. A hypothesis that cannot be verified independently of the phenomenon it is supposed to explain is said to be…

a. Simple

b. Ad hoc

c. Fruitful

d. Incoherent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 08

8. The third step in the TEST formula is…

a. Satisfy the criteria of adequacy

b. State the theory and check for consistency

c. Scrutinize alternative theories

d. Specify test conditions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 09

9. A fruitful theory is one that…

a. Makes the most sense

b. Makes the fewest assumptions

c. Makes conservative predictions

d. Makes novel predictions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 10

10. In inference to the best explanation, if an explanation is the best among competitors, then the argument is…

a. Sound

b. Logically conclusive

c. Valid

d. Inductively strong

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 11

11. An ad hoc hypothesis is one that…

a. Conflicts with our established beliefs

b. Does not meet the minimum requirement of consistency

c. Cannot be verified independently of the phenomenon it is supposed to explain

d. Relies on too many assumptions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 12

12. If a theory is externally inconsistent, we have reason to believe that it is…

a. False

b. True

c. Internally inconsistent

d. Internally consistent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 13

13. If a theory is untestable, then it is…

a. Extremely useful

b. Useful only in science

c. Worthless

d. Uncommon

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 14

14. If a theory predicts something other than what it was introduced to explain, it is…

a. Fruitful

b. Conservative

c. Testable

d. Superfluous

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 15

15. Conservativism is a measure of how well a theory…

a. Expands the theory’s fruitfulness

b. Fits with our well established beliefs

c. Fits with our preferred theory

d. Discredits older theories

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 16

16. A theory that makes a minimal number of assumptions is said to be…

a. Conservative

b. Simple

c. Ad hoc

d. Testable

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 17

17. The best theory is the eligible theory that…

a. Cannot be undermined by evidence

b. Meets the criterion of consistency

c. Meets the criteria of adequacy better than any of its competitors

d. Most scientists believe in

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 18

18. A theoretical explanation is an attempt to explain…

a. How something is done

b. Why something is the case or why something happened

c. The meaning of terms or states of affairs

d. How an action is carried out

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 19

19. If there is some way to determine whether a theory is true or false, the theory is said to be...

a. Transparent

b. Simple

c. Fruitful

d. Testable

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 20

20. Einstein’s theory of relativity gained a great deal of credibility by successfully predicting…

a. That light travels in straight lines

b. That light is a gas

c. That light comes from stars

d. That light “bends” around massive objects

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 01

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

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 02

2. What are the criteria of adequacy? How are they used to evaluate theories?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 03

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

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 04

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

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 10 Question 05

5. Why are conservative theories more likely to be true than ones that aren’t conservative?