Q.The process of reasoning from particular to general is

Reasoning from particular facts to a general conclusion is the inductive (empirical) method — option (b).

In the Tamil Nadu HSC Class-11 Economics syllabus, two methods of economic reasoning are studied:

• Deductive method — moves from the general to the particular. It starts with a few accepted assumptions or general principles and logically derives particular conclusions (the abstract, analytical, a priori method).
• Inductive method — moves from the particular to the general. It gathers many specific facts and observations and, through generalisation, arrives at a general law or principle (the empirical, a posteriori method). …

Reasoning from the particular to the general is the inductive method; the reverse (general to particular) is the deductive method.

Economists use two broad methods of reasoning:

• Inductive method — starts from particular facts and real-world observations and, by generalising from many such instances, arrives at a general principle or economic law. It is empirical and data-based (for example, observing that many households buy less of a good when its price rises, and generalising this into the law of demand).
• Deductive method — starts from certain general assumptions or premises and logically works down to particular conclusions. …