Do you know how it feels when the killer is revealed at the end of a murder mystery and it all suddenly makes sense? It's that feeling when all the clues are put right in place and you have a "aha" moment.

On the other hand, have you ever read or seen a riddle where the ending seems to spring up out of nowhere and it seems like the essay writer just found a solution at the last minute? Fans of mystery may not want the clues to be too clear and obvious, but at the same time, these fans want some sense and logic in the way things are solved.

The reader should be able to trace the author's reasoning to see how the author moved from point A to point B. College essey should have a reasonable logical structure. Below we will think of deduction and induction as ways in which authors can structure their reasoning in controversial essays.

Deductive thinking

We often judge a convincing essay by how effectively the author has convinced us of his main reasoning. There are several ways a writer can try to convince his readers, and there are different ways to streamline the reasoning.

Deductive thinking involves starting with generalizations and moving to specific details. Here's a quick example of a paragraph that uses deductive thinking:

Our city must require high school seniors to pass their final exam before leaving school. Many recent high school graduates in our city cannot get jobs because they lack reading and writing skills. A high percentage of today's high school students have below-level math skills, making it difficult for them to work in many positions or succeed in university.

Please note that this short paragraph starts with a general topic sentence that lays out a broad argument and then moves on to specific details that offer support for the benefits of social studies for students and ideas for assignments. This deductive model is fairly common, especially in student essays. Teachers often want students to start with a clear thesis at the beginning of an essay and with clear thematic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. By following this scheme, students can show that they know how to create a clear main idea and then support and develop that idea.

Inductive thinking

The opposite of deductive thinking is inductive thinking, which involves starting with specific details and moving on to a larger concluding point or generalization. This short paragraph provides an example of inductive thinking:

Many students use laptops during class. While some students use their computers to take notes and look up facts related to assignment discussions, many others use computers to compose non-academic emails, play games, and surf the Internet. Laptop computers should be banned in college classrooms to minimize student distractions.

The author of the paragraph came to a conclusion after working through specific details and then coming to the main point.

Useful Links:
How to write a short essay
Tips for writing a small essay