CRITICAL THINKING: REASON AND
EVIDENCE D265 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
"A recent study found that dairy milk is healthier than soy milk. But that
finding is obviously false because the study was conducted by the dairy
industry."
Which fallacy of relevance is depicted in this example?
- Post hoc ergo propter
- Irrelevant appeal
- Begging the question
- Genetic fallacy - CORRECT ANSWER- Genetic fallacy
Aircraft and ships have gone missing all over the planet under unknown
circumstances, but a number of these disappearances have occurred in
an area of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle. So
the claim that the Bermuda Triangle is haunted must be true.
Which fallacy of weak induction best describes this argument?
- Burden of proof shifting
- Slippery slope
- Appeal to ignorance
- Texas sharpshooter - CORRECT ANSWER- Texas sharpshooter
"If you are not at the game rooting for our high school football team, then
you must not have any school spirit."
Which two statements accurately describe this argument? Choose 2
answers.
- The argument includes a false dichotomy..
- The argument assumes the truth of the conclusion in the premise.
,- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
- The argument mistakes causation for correlation. - CORRECT
ANSWER- - The argument includes a false dichotomy.
- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
Which statement is the burden of proof fallacy?
- A mother tells her child it is time to go to bed, and when the child asks
why, the mother responds, "Because I said so."
- Proponents of sex education want to give kids license to have sex with
no consequences.
- A hiker claims that Big Foot is real. When asked for evidence of Big
Foot's existence, the hiker replies, 'prove Big Foot is not real.
- "Since you have not been able to prove you did not steal the bicycle, I
will assume you are guilty." - CORRECT ANSWER- A hiker claims
that Big Foot is real. When asked for evidence of Big Foot's existence,
the hiker replies, 'prove Big Foot is not real.
Since I received high marks in the course, I conclude that Professor
Murdock is a good teacher.
What is the unstated assumption in this argument?
- Students like and respect Mrs. Murdock.
- Mrs. Murdock's class is lacking in educational rigor.
- Students who do homework and study for exams get good grades.
- A teacher is good if the teacher gives good grades. - CORRECT
ANSWER- A teacher is good if the teacher gives good grades.
Which sentence is a non-proposition?
- If the burglar did not go out the front door, they must have gone out a
window.
- The earth is the third planet from the sun.
- Where are the keys to my car?
- Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. - CORRECT
ANSWER- Where are the keys to my car?
, Did the company really close that deal? It has had a great year. Where
is the president right now? Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
In the above paragraph, which sentence expresses a proposition?
- Where is the president right now?
- Did the company really close that deal?
- Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
- It has had a great year. - CORRECT ANSWER- It has had a great
year.
Propositions - CORRECT ANSWER- Statements that can be true or
false.
Non-propositions - CORRECT ANSWER- Sentences that are not
statements about matters of fact (or fiction). They do not make a claim
that can be true or false.
Which sentence expresses a complex proposition?
- Birthday parties can be really fun.
- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
- Too many employees are used to high-stress work environments in the
United States.
- Why did the monkey escape, and who is responsible? - CORRECT
ANSWER- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
If the computer is not fixed, then the company either needs to buy a new
one or will not be able to keep up productivity.
Which of the following breaks down the complex proposition above into
the simple propositions?
- If the computer is not fixed, then the company needs to buy a new one.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company either needs to buy a new one
or will not be able to keep up productivity.
EVIDENCE D265 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
"A recent study found that dairy milk is healthier than soy milk. But that
finding is obviously false because the study was conducted by the dairy
industry."
Which fallacy of relevance is depicted in this example?
- Post hoc ergo propter
- Irrelevant appeal
- Begging the question
- Genetic fallacy - CORRECT ANSWER- Genetic fallacy
Aircraft and ships have gone missing all over the planet under unknown
circumstances, but a number of these disappearances have occurred in
an area of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle. So
the claim that the Bermuda Triangle is haunted must be true.
Which fallacy of weak induction best describes this argument?
- Burden of proof shifting
- Slippery slope
- Appeal to ignorance
- Texas sharpshooter - CORRECT ANSWER- Texas sharpshooter
"If you are not at the game rooting for our high school football team, then
you must not have any school spirit."
Which two statements accurately describe this argument? Choose 2
answers.
- The argument includes a false dichotomy..
- The argument assumes the truth of the conclusion in the premise.
,- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
- The argument mistakes causation for correlation. - CORRECT
ANSWER- - The argument includes a false dichotomy.
- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
Which statement is the burden of proof fallacy?
- A mother tells her child it is time to go to bed, and when the child asks
why, the mother responds, "Because I said so."
- Proponents of sex education want to give kids license to have sex with
no consequences.
- A hiker claims that Big Foot is real. When asked for evidence of Big
Foot's existence, the hiker replies, 'prove Big Foot is not real.
- "Since you have not been able to prove you did not steal the bicycle, I
will assume you are guilty." - CORRECT ANSWER- A hiker claims
that Big Foot is real. When asked for evidence of Big Foot's existence,
the hiker replies, 'prove Big Foot is not real.
Since I received high marks in the course, I conclude that Professor
Murdock is a good teacher.
What is the unstated assumption in this argument?
- Students like and respect Mrs. Murdock.
- Mrs. Murdock's class is lacking in educational rigor.
- Students who do homework and study for exams get good grades.
- A teacher is good if the teacher gives good grades. - CORRECT
ANSWER- A teacher is good if the teacher gives good grades.
Which sentence is a non-proposition?
- If the burglar did not go out the front door, they must have gone out a
window.
- The earth is the third planet from the sun.
- Where are the keys to my car?
- Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. - CORRECT
ANSWER- Where are the keys to my car?
, Did the company really close that deal? It has had a great year. Where
is the president right now? Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
In the above paragraph, which sentence expresses a proposition?
- Where is the president right now?
- Did the company really close that deal?
- Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
- It has had a great year. - CORRECT ANSWER- It has had a great
year.
Propositions - CORRECT ANSWER- Statements that can be true or
false.
Non-propositions - CORRECT ANSWER- Sentences that are not
statements about matters of fact (or fiction). They do not make a claim
that can be true or false.
Which sentence expresses a complex proposition?
- Birthday parties can be really fun.
- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
- Too many employees are used to high-stress work environments in the
United States.
- Why did the monkey escape, and who is responsible? - CORRECT
ANSWER- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
If the computer is not fixed, then the company either needs to buy a new
one or will not be able to keep up productivity.
Which of the following breaks down the complex proposition above into
the simple propositions?
- If the computer is not fixed, then the company needs to buy a new one.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company either needs to buy a new one
or will not be able to keep up productivity.
