Why (B) is right: reasoning by analogy
A Method of reasoning explanation from our free library. The question below is original, written for this page. Then the full breakdown: why the right answer is right, and why each wrong answer is wrong.
The question
Learning a language is like learning a musical instrument: in both cases, short daily practice sessions produce better results than occasional long ones. So language learners should practice a little every day.
Which one of the following most accurately describes the method of reasoning used above?
- It cites a scientific study of language learners.
- It draws an analogy between language learning and learning an instrument. Correct
- It generalizes from a survey of successful learners.
- It attacks the character of those who disagree.
- It proves that daily practice guarantees fluency.
Why (B) is correct
The whole argument runs on a comparison: language learning is like instrument learning, and what works for instruments should work for languages. That is reasoning by analogy, choice (B).
On method questions, match the answer to the argument's actual machinery. Here the machinery is 'X is like Y, so what holds for Y holds for X.' The wrong answers invent machinery that is not there: studies, surveys, attacks, proofs.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
(A) Out of scope
No study is mentioned. The evidence is the comparison to music practice, not research data.
(C) Out of scope
No survey appears. The argument reasons from one familiar case to a similar one, not from data about many learners.
(D) Misdescribes the method
Nobody is attacked. There is not even an opponent in the argument.
(E) Too strong
The conclusion is a recommendation ('should practice'), not a guarantee of fluency. This answer upgrades a suggestion into a proof.
Last updated October 12, 2026