General Vocab

Question 1

quixotic

Answer 1

• foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals
• capricious, unpredictable

Question 2

ubiquitous

Answer 2

existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread

Question 3

Inductive

Answer 3

Inductive is used to describe reasoning that involves using specific observations, such as observed patterns, to make a general conclusion. This method is sometimes called induction. Induction starts with a set of premises, based mainly on experience or experimental evidence. It uses those premises to generalize a conclusion.

For example, let’s say you go to a cafe every day for a month, and every day, the same person comes at exactly 11 am and orders a cappuccino. The specific observation is that this person has come to the cafe at the same time and ordered the same thing every day during the period observed. A general conclusion drawn from these premises could be that this person always comes to the cafe at the same time and orders the same thing.

While inductive reasoning can be useful, it’s prone to being flawed. That’s because conclusions drawn using induction go beyond the information contained in the premises. An inductive argument may be highly probable, but even if all the observations are accurate, it can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Question 4

Deductive

Answer 4

Deductive reasoning (also called deduction) involves starting from a set of general premises and then drawing a specific conclusion that contains no more information than the premises themselves. Deductive reasoning is sometimes called deduction (note that deduction has other meanings in the contexts of mathematics and accounting).

Here’s an example of deductive reasoning: chickens are birds; all birds lay eggs; therefore, chickens lay eggs. Another way to think of it: if something is true of a general class (birds), then it is true of the members of the class (chickens).

Deductive reasoning can go wrong, of course, when you start with incorrect premises. For example, look where this first incorrect statement leads us: all animals that lay eggs are birds; snakes lay eggs; therefore, snakes are birds.

The scientific method can be described as deductive. You first formulate a hypothesis—an educated guess based on general premises (sometimes formed by inductive methods). Then you test the hypothesis with an experiment. Based on the results of the experiment, you can make a specific conclusion as to the accuracy of your hypothesis.

Question 5

Inductive vs. deductive reasoning

Answer 5

Inductive reasoning involves starting from specific premises and forming a general conclusion, while deductive reasoning involves using general premises to form a specific conclusion.

Conclusions reached via deductive reasoning cannot be incorrect if the premises are true. That’s because the conclusion doesn’t contain information that’s not in the premises. Unlike deductive reasoning, though, a conclusion reached via inductive reasoning goes beyond the information contained within the premises—it’s a generalization, and generalizations aren’t always accurate.

Question 6

discrete

Answer 6

• constituting a separate entity : individually distinct
• consisting of distinct or unconnected elements : noncontinuous
• taking on or having a finite or countably infinite number of values

Question 7

transient

Answer 7

1. • passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory
     - passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn
2. affecting something or producing results beyond itself

Question 8

Epistemology

Answer 8

the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity

Question 9

volition

Answer 9

the power of choosing or determining : will

Question 10

vindicate

Answer 10

confirm

Question 11

extant

Answer 11

currently or actually existing

Question 12

dearth

Answer 12

• scarcity that makes dear
• an inadequate supply : lack

Question 13

sovereignty

Answer 13

1. a: supreme power especially over a body politic
   b: freedom from external control : autonomy
   c: controlling influence

2: one that is sovereign
especially : an autonomous state

Question 14

Idiosyncracy

Answer 14

• a peculiarity of constitution or temperament : an individualizing characteristic or quality
• individual hypersensitiveness (as to a drug or food)
• eccentricity

Question 15

Taxonomy

Answer 15

Classification
the study of the general principles of scientific classification

Question 16

Spurious

Answer 16

• of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : forged
• of a deceitful nature or quality

Question 17

Rigmarole

Answer 17

something (such as a procedure or an explanation) that is long, complicated, and tedious

Question 18

bespoke

Answer 18

custom-made

Question 19

pervasive

Answer 19

existing in or spreading through every part of something

Question 20

secular

Answer 20

• of or relating to the worldly or temporal
• not overtly or specifically religious

Question 21

anathema

Answer 21

• someone or something intensely disliked or loathed
  —usually used as a predicate nominative
• cursed

Question 22

Axiomatic
Axiom

Answer 22

• Self-evident, taken for granted.
• an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth

Question 23

Pervade

Answer 23

: to become diffused throughout every part of

Question 24

remit

Answer 24

Chiefly British. A set of instructions, a brief; an area of authority or responsibility. Frequently in within (also beyond, etc.) one’s remit.

Question 25

dearth

Answer 25

lack
inadequate supply
scarcity that makes dear

Question 26

idiosyncratic

Answer 26

a peculiarity of constitution or temperament : an individualizing characteristic or quality