WGU D265 Critical Thinking: Reason and
Evidence ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
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 answers✔✔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 answers✔✔It has had a great year.
Propositions - Correct answers✔✔Statements that can be true or false.
Non-propositions - Correct answers✔✔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 answers✔✔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.
- The company does not have enough computers. - Correct answers✔✔The computer is not
fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer. The company will not be able to keep up
productivity.
Simple propositions - Correct answers✔✔Simple propositions have no internal logical structure,
meaning whether they are true or false does not depend on whether part of them is true or false.
They are simply true or false on their own.
,Complex propositions - Correct answers✔✔Complex propositions have internal logical
structure, meaning they are composed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false
depends on whether their parts are true or false.
If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on time. How many times have
we heard the manager complain about tardiness? Nobody likes a 7 a.m. start time, but it was in
the job description. We should remind the new employee how important this is.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- The new employee wants to succeed.
- How many times have we heard the manager complain about tardiness?
- The employees look out for each other.
- If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on time. - Correct
answers✔✔The new employee wants to succeed.
The U.S. healthcare system is difficult to navigate, and this negatively affects many of us. Many
people are unsure exactly how their health insurance coverage works and are not sure where they
can go to get care. What can be done to improve this? If changes are not made soon, the problem
will only get worse.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- Many people are not sure where they can go to get care.
- The U.S. healthcare system is difficult to navigate, and this negatively affects many of us.
- What can be done to improve this?
- Many people are unsure exactly how their health insurance coverage works and are not sure
where they can go to get care. - Correct answers✔✔Many people are not sure where they can go
to get care.
Bad inferential structure - Correct answers✔✔Every argument with the same structure as this
argument is bad (invalid or weak). The premises do not, in fact, demonstrate or maybe even
, support the conclusion. In other words, we can accept the premises as true without being
compelled to accept the conclusion. There is something wrong with this argument's general
structure.
False premise - Correct answers✔✔This particular argument has a premise/assumption that is
false. There is something wrong with this argument's particular content.
Conclusion Indicators - Correct answers✔✔Therefore, so, it follows that, hence, thus, entails
that, we may conclude that, implies that, wherefore, as a result
Premise Indicators - Correct answers✔✔Because, for, given that, in that, as, since, as indicated
by
"Since we cannot go out until the restaurant opens, and given that we are trying to save money,
we should just hang out here until closer to dinner."
Which statements are the premises of the following argument? Choose 2 answers.
- We cannot go out until the restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
- We should just hang out here until closer to dinner.
- We can have a good time without spending money. - Correct answers✔✔- We cannot go out
until the restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
Most students in the class scored less than 70% on the exam. This means that the exam was too
difficult to accurately assess student learning. Therefore, as exams are supposed to accurately
assess student learning, the exam must be revised and readministered.
Evidence ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
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 answers✔✔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 answers✔✔It has had a great year.
Propositions - Correct answers✔✔Statements that can be true or false.
Non-propositions - Correct answers✔✔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 answers✔✔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.
- The company does not have enough computers. - Correct answers✔✔The computer is not
fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer. The company will not be able to keep up
productivity.
Simple propositions - Correct answers✔✔Simple propositions have no internal logical structure,
meaning whether they are true or false does not depend on whether part of them is true or false.
They are simply true or false on their own.
,Complex propositions - Correct answers✔✔Complex propositions have internal logical
structure, meaning they are composed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false
depends on whether their parts are true or false.
If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on time. How many times have
we heard the manager complain about tardiness? Nobody likes a 7 a.m. start time, but it was in
the job description. We should remind the new employee how important this is.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- The new employee wants to succeed.
- How many times have we heard the manager complain about tardiness?
- The employees look out for each other.
- If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on time. - Correct
answers✔✔The new employee wants to succeed.
The U.S. healthcare system is difficult to navigate, and this negatively affects many of us. Many
people are unsure exactly how their health insurance coverage works and are not sure where they
can go to get care. What can be done to improve this? If changes are not made soon, the problem
will only get worse.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- Many people are not sure where they can go to get care.
- The U.S. healthcare system is difficult to navigate, and this negatively affects many of us.
- What can be done to improve this?
- Many people are unsure exactly how their health insurance coverage works and are not sure
where they can go to get care. - Correct answers✔✔Many people are not sure where they can go
to get care.
Bad inferential structure - Correct answers✔✔Every argument with the same structure as this
argument is bad (invalid or weak). The premises do not, in fact, demonstrate or maybe even
, support the conclusion. In other words, we can accept the premises as true without being
compelled to accept the conclusion. There is something wrong with this argument's general
structure.
False premise - Correct answers✔✔This particular argument has a premise/assumption that is
false. There is something wrong with this argument's particular content.
Conclusion Indicators - Correct answers✔✔Therefore, so, it follows that, hence, thus, entails
that, we may conclude that, implies that, wherefore, as a result
Premise Indicators - Correct answers✔✔Because, for, given that, in that, as, since, as indicated
by
"Since we cannot go out until the restaurant opens, and given that we are trying to save money,
we should just hang out here until closer to dinner."
Which statements are the premises of the following argument? Choose 2 answers.
- We cannot go out until the restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
- We should just hang out here until closer to dinner.
- We can have a good time without spending money. - Correct answers✔✔- We cannot go out
until the restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
Most students in the class scored less than 70% on the exam. This means that the exam was too
difficult to accurately assess student learning. Therefore, as exams are supposed to accurately
assess student learning, the exam must be revised and readministered.
