Question

As man casts off worn-out garments and puts on others which are new, similarly the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new. Of the following, which one best typifies the argument?

• A. Inductive generalization
• B. Predictive argument
• C. Argument from authority
• D. Argument from analogy

Hint:

Spot the comparing words "as ... similarly", they signal that a pattern from one familiar case is being carried over to support a claim about a different case.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The sentence compares a person changing worn-out clothes for new ones with the soul changing worn-out bodies for new ones, joined by "as ... similarly".

1. Inductive generalization: this needs several observed cases pooled into one general rule. There is only a single comparison here, no pool of repeated instances, so this label does not fit.
2. Predictive argument: this forecasts a future outcome from a present trend. The sentence makes no forecast about what will happen next, it draws a comparison, so this does not fit either.
3. Argument from authority: this rests on citing an expert or trusted source. No such source is named here to back the claim, so this label is also out of place.
4. Argument from analogy: this uses one familiar case to support a claim about a different, less directly observable case, based on a shared pattern. Garments being discarded and replaced is the familiar case, the soul discarding bodies is the less familiar one, and the sentence explicitly links them with "as ... similarly". This is exactly what an analogy does.

The structure of the sentence is a textbook analogy, so the answer is "argument from analogy".

Let's summarize:

• Comparing words like "as" and "similarly" are a strong signal of an analogy at work.
• An analogy carries over a pattern from a familiar case to support a claim about a less familiar one.

So the correct choice is "argument from analogy".