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?

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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.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
  • Inductive generalization
  • Predictive argument
  • Argument from authority
  • Argument from analogy
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The statement uses the words "as ... similarly" to place two ideas side by side: changing worn-out garments for new ones, and the soul changing worn-out bodies for new ones. We need to name the type of argument this comparison represents.

Step 2: Key Approach:
An inductive generalization draws a general rule from many repeated instances. A predictive argument forecasts a future event from a present trend. An argument from authority leans on an expert or accepted source to back a claim. An argument from analogy uses a familiar, well understood case to support a claim about a less familiar or less directly observable one, based on their shared pattern.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Here there is no repeated pattern being generalised from many cases, so it is not an inductive generalization. There is no forecast about a future event, so it is not predictive. No expert or authority is cited to back the claim about the soul, so it is not an argument from authority. What the sentence actually does is take a familiar, everyday case (a person discarding old clothes for new ones) and use its structure to support a claim about something harder to observe directly (the soul discarding old bodies for new ones). This transfer of a pattern from one domain to a different, less familiar domain, on the strength of their shared structure, is the definition of an argument from analogy.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The comparison between garments and bodies is a classic case of arguing by analogy. \[ \boxed{\text{Argument from analogy}} \]
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