Verbs for Reasoning

Good thinking has its own vocabulary, and these five verbs describe the intellectual moves that lead from a question to an answer.

This quiz covers deduce, postulate, surmise, encompass, and prevail, five verbs for reasoning, theorizing, and ultimately succeeding. You will find them in analytical writing, strategic discussions, and any setting where the quality of thinking determines the quality of outcome.

Worth noting: to deduce is to follow a chain of logic from solid evidence to a firm conclusion; to surmise is to suppose something is likely based on incomplete information. Deduction is reasoned; surmise is informed guesswork.