Critical thinking: evidence, arguments and judgement: open practice pack: learner worksheet

1. critical-thinking-s01-q01

A café owner says: "Our new blend is the best coffee in town." Which part of this statement would be hardest to settle with evidence?

1. The judgement that the blend is the best
2. That the café sells coffee
3. That the blend is new
4. That the café is located in the town

Answer:

2. critical-thinking-s01-q02

Which of these statements is a factual claim that could, in principle, be checked?

1. Autumn is the loveliest season.
2. The library recorded 4,120 visits last month.
3. Everyone should read more poetry.
4. Blue is a nicer colour than green.

Answer:

3. critical-thinking-s01-q03

A report states: "Sales rose after the shop repainted its front, so customers clearly prefer the new colour." Which part of this is the observation rather than the interpretation?

1. That customers prefer the new colour
2. That the colour caused sales to rise
3. That sales rose after the repainting
4. That the old colour was putting customers off

Answer:

4. critical-thinking-s01-q04

A student writes: "The bus was late three times last week, and it was late again today." Which statement does this evidence support most safely?

1. The bus service is the worst in the region.
2. The bus will be late tomorrow.
3. The bus is never on time.
4. The bus has been late on several recent occasions.

Answer:

5. critical-thinking-s01-q05

Which of these would count as direct evidence that a library's reading club has grown this year?

1. Membership records showing more sign-ups than last year
2. A member's sense that the room seems busier
3. A poster advertising the club
4. The librarian's hope that more people will join

Answer:

6. critical-thinking-s01-q06

A newspaper headline reads: "Town's air is cleaner than ever." The article's only support is one resident saying the air "feels fresher". What is the main weakness?

1. The resident may dislike the town
2. The headline is too short to be informative
3. A single personal impression is not a measurement of air quality
4. The article does not name the newspaper

Answer:

7. critical-thinking-s01-q07

Which statement mixes a factual claim with a value judgement?

1. The council spent £2m on the new footbridge.
2. The council wasted £2m on an unnecessary footbridge.
3. The footbridge opened in March.
4. The footbridge crosses the river.

Answer:

8. critical-thinking-s01-q08

A shop assistant claims the new till system is faster than the old one. Which piece of information would most directly test that claim?

1. Staff opinions about how modern the system looks
2. The price the shop paid for the system
3. The number of tills in the shop
4. Recorded average time per transaction before and after the change

Answer:

9. critical-thinking-s01-q09

"Nobody has proved that the water from the old well is unsafe, so it must be safe to drink." What is wrong with this reasoning?

1. It relies too heavily on the opinion of experts
2. It uses an outdated definition of safety
3. An absence of proof of harm is not itself evidence of safety
4. It assumes the well is old

Answer:

10. critical-thinking-s01-q10

A gardener says: "I used the new feed and my roses bloomed beautifully, so the feed works." What extra information would most help in judging the claim?

1. How comparable roses that went without the feed bloomed that season
2. The price of the feed
3. How many years the gardener has grown roses
4. The colour of the roses

Answer:

11. critical-thinking-s02-q01

"The path floods every winter, and repairs cost more each year. The council should reroute it." Which part is the conclusion: the point being argued for?

1. The path floods every winter
2. The council should reroute the path
3. Repairs cost more each year
4. Winters have become wetter

Answer:

12. critical-thinking-s02-q02

"Because the ferry only runs twice a day, and the crossing takes two hours, a day trip leaves little time ashore." What role does "the crossing takes two hours" play?

1. It is the conclusion of the argument
2. It is an irrelevant aside
3. It contradicts the conclusion
4. It is one of the reasons supporting the conclusion

Answer:

13. critical-thinking-s02-q03

Identify the conclusion: "Membership has fallen for three years running. Our fees are higher than at every nearby club. We must lower the fees."

1. We must lower the fees
2. Membership has fallen for three years running
3. Our fees are higher than at every nearby club
4. Nearby clubs are better run

Answer:

14. critical-thinking-s02-q04

"Trains are quicker than coaches on this route. They are also more expensive. On balance I will take the coach, because I have plenty of time and little money." Which statement is the conclusion?

1. Trains are quicker than coaches on this route
2. Trains are more expensive than coaches
3. The speaker will take the coach
4. The speaker has little money

Answer:

15. critical-thinking-s02-q05

"The hall's roof leaks whenever it rains hard. Two concerts have been cancelled this season. Repairing the roof should be the committee's first priority." How many distinct reasons are offered for the recommendation?

1. None
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four

Answer:

16. critical-thinking-s02-q06

"Every entrant must be a resident of the county, and Ravi lives two counties away, so Ravi cannot enter." Which statement, if it turned out to be false, would break the argument?

1. Ravi lives two counties away
2. Entrants must pay a fee
3. The contest is popular
4. Ravi wants to enter

Answer:

17. critical-thinking-s02-q07

A speaker says: "Some say the market should move to Saturdays. I disagree. Traders report that Wednesday footfall is their best of the week." What is the speaker's conclusion?

1. Traders would prefer to trade on Saturdays
2. Wednesday footfall is disappointing
3. The market should close altogether
4. The market should not move to Saturdays

Answer:

18. critical-thinking-s02-q08

"Reading before bed helps me sleep, so the school should set reading homework in the evening." Where is the weakest link between the reason and the conclusion?

1. The claim that reading can be enjoyable
2. The claim that the school already sets homework
3. The leap from one person's experience to a policy for every pupil
4. The claim that good sleep is worth having

Answer:

19. critical-thinking-s02-q09

"Because the bridge is closed, deliveries take longer; and because deliveries take longer, stock runs low." What kind of structure is this?

1. A chain, in which each conclusion becomes the reason for the next step
2. Two unrelated observations placed side by side
3. A single claim repeated in different words
4. A conclusion offered with no reasons at all

Answer:

20. critical-thinking-s02-q10

"The scheme is popular, well funded, and already running in three neighbouring towns. Therefore it will work here." Which of these is offered as a reason rather than as the conclusion?

1. The scheme will work here
2. The scheme is already running in three neighbouring towns
3. The scheme should be adopted nationally
4. The scheme is the only available option

Answer:

21. critical-thinking-s03-q01

"We should hold the fair on the green, because more people will come." Which assumption does this argument depend on?

1. The green is owned by the council
2. Fairs are a long-standing local tradition
3. A larger turnout would be a good thing for the fair
4. The weather on the day will be dry

Answer:

22. critical-thinking-s03-q02

"Sunita passed the advanced course, so she can supervise the workshop." Which unstated assumption is required?

1. Passing the advanced course qualifies someone to supervise the workshop
2. Sunita enjoys supervising other people
3. The workshop runs every week
4. Other candidates failed the course

Answer:

23. critical-thinking-s03-q03

"Buy the larger tin of paint. It costs less per litre." What is being assumed?

1. The smaller tin is faulty in some way
2. Paint is sold only in tins
3. The larger tin holds a different colour
4. The buyer will actually use enough paint for the extra not to be wasted

Answer:

24. critical-thinking-s03-q04

"Our advert must be working: sales rose in the week it first appeared." Which assumption is doing the most work here?

1. The advert was expensive to produce
2. Nothing else that week could account for the rise in sales
3. Sales figures are compiled weekly
4. The advert was seen by at least one person

Answer:

25. critical-thinking-s03-q05

"The new filter removes 99% of particles, so the water will be safe to drink." Which assumption is required?

1. The filter is inexpensive to buy
2. The water currently tastes unpleasant
3. Filters of this kind are widely used
4. The hazards in this water are the particles the filter removes

Answer:

26. critical-thinking-s03-q06

"Everyone in the choir can read music, so we can rehearse from the new score straight away." What must be assumed?

1. The choir has rehearsed together before
2. The new score is written in a notation the members can actually read
3. The new piece is technically difficult
4. The choir performs in public

Answer:

27. critical-thinking-s03-q07

"The clinic should extend its opening hours, because patients say they struggle to attend." Which assumption links the reason to the recommendation?

1. The hours patients struggle with are the ones that would be added
2. Patients answer surveys honestly
3. The clinic has spare consulting rooms
4. Other clinics already open for longer

Answer:

28. critical-thinking-s03-q08

"This bread must be the best in the shop: it sold out first." Which assumption is required for the reasoning to hold?

1. Bread is baked fresh each day
2. The shop keeps accurate sales records
3. Selling out first reflects quality rather than price or the quantity baked
4. Customers buy bread frequently

Answer:

29. critical-thinking-s03-q09

"We can cut the training budget: last year every trainee passed their assessment." What is assumed?

1. The trainees enjoyed the training
2. The training spending was not the reason they all passed
3. Assessments are marked fairly
4. The budget is currently large

Answer:

30. critical-thinking-s03-q10

"A survey found that most residents want a quieter high street, so the council should ban all vehicles from it." Which assumption is the least defensible?

1. That residents were asked their view
2. That some residents dislike noise
3. That vehicles currently use the high street
4. That a total ban is what achieving a quieter street requires

Answer:

31. critical-thinking-s04-q01

Four people comment on whether a footbridge is structurally sound. Whose statement carries most weight on that specific question?

1. A resident who crosses the bridge every day
2. A councillor who approved the bridge's budget
3. A commuter who finds the bridge attractive
4. An engineer who has inspected the bridge and published her measurements

Answer:

32. critical-thinking-s04-q02

A company's own leaflet reports that its product outperforms every rival. Why should this be treated with caution?

1. Leaflets are always inaccurate
2. The company is too small to run product tests
3. The company has a direct interest in the result and chose how to test and report it
4. The rival firms were not consulted beforehand

Answer:

33. critical-thinking-s04-q03

Which detail would most increase your confidence in a published survey result?

1. The result matches what you already believed
2. The report states how respondents were selected and how many replied
3. The report presents its findings in colourful charts
4. The survey was published very recently

Answer:

34. critical-thinking-s04-q04

A witness describes a car she glimpsed at dusk from 200 metres away, six months ago. What is the main reason for caution?

1. The viewing conditions and the delay make accurate recall difficult, whatever her honesty
2. Witnesses in general cannot be trusted
3. She may not own a car herself
4. Dusk is not a precise time of day

Answer:

35. critical-thinking-s04-q05

An article about a medicine cites "leading experts" but names none and links to no studies. What is the weakness?

1. Experts rarely agree with one another
2. Medicines are a complicated subject
3. The claim cannot be checked because the sources are not identified
4. The article is longer than it needs to be

Answer:

36. critical-thinking-s04-q06

Two written accounts of a meeting conflict on an important point. Which would best help you decide between them?

1. Whichever account is longer and more detailed
2. Whichever writer sounds more confident
3. Whichever account is written more elegantly
4. Minutes taken at the time, or a recording made during the meeting

Answer:

37. critical-thinking-s04-q07

A blogger with no legal training reviews a contract; a solicitor reviews the same contract. On the question of the contract's legal effect, what follows?

1. The solicitor's relevant expertise makes her reading the better starting point
2. Both readings are equally authoritative
3. The blogger's reading is worthless in every respect
4. Expertise makes no difference to reliability

Answer:

38. critical-thinking-s04-q08

A study of a sleep aid was funded by the company that makes it. What is the appropriate response?

1. Dismiss the study entirely
2. Note the potential conflict and look closely at the method and at independent replications
3. Accept it, because studies are scientific
4. Accept it only if the company is a well-known one

Answer:

39. critical-thinking-s04-q09

Which of these is a primary source about last year's rainfall in a particular town?

1. A magazine feature reflecting on how wet the year felt
2. A neighbour's recollection of the winter
3. A blog post summarising a news report on the weather
4. The local weather station's own recorded daily measurements

Answer:

40. critical-thinking-s04-q10

An online reviewer praises a hotel and links to a booking site that pays her a commission on every booking. How should the review be weighed?

1. It is certainly false
2. It should be ignored because it appeared online
3. It may still contain useful detail, but the incentive to be positive must be taken into account
4. Commission arrangements have no bearing on a review

Answer:

41. critical-thinking-s05-q01

Argument: "The new cycle lane has made the road safer. Collisions fell after it opened." Which finding would most weaken this?

1. Traffic on the road fell by two thirds over the same period, for unrelated reasons
2. Cyclists report that they feel safer than before
3. The lane cost more to build than planned
4. A neighbouring town also built a cycle lane

Answer:

42. critical-thinking-s05-q02

Argument: "Pupils who eat breakfast at school do better in tests, so free school breakfasts raise attainment." Which finding would most strengthen it?

1. Breakfast is popular with pupils
2. Most schools already serve breakfast in some form
3. The tests are marked by external examiners
4. Schools that introduced free breakfasts saw attainment rise relative to closely matched schools that did not

Answer:

43. critical-thinking-s05-q03

Argument: "This tonic cures colds. I took it and recovered within a week." Which fact most weakens the claim?

1. The tonic has an unpleasant taste
2. The tonic is sold in many shops
3. Untreated colds typically clear up in about a week anyway
4. The speaker rarely catches colds

Answer:

44. critical-thinking-s05-q04

Argument: "Our helpline must be excellent: 95% of people who filled in the feedback form rated it highly." Which finding would most weaken this?

1. The feedback form was available online
2. Only 3% of callers completed the form, and dissatisfied callers rarely bother to do so
3. The helpline is open at weekends
4. The rating scale ran from one to five

Answer:

45. critical-thinking-s05-q05

Argument: "Wearing high-visibility clothing reduces night-time accidents among runners." Which finding would most strengthen it?

1. A trial that randomly assigned runners high-visibility or ordinary kit found fewer incidents in the high-visibility group
2. High-visibility clothing is inexpensive
3. Many runners already choose to wear it
4. Drivers say bright colours catch the eye

Answer:

46. critical-thinking-s05-q06

Argument: "The library should close on Mondays, because Monday has the fewest visitors." Which finding would most weaken this?

1. Mondays are quiet in most public buildings
2. Monday visitors are largely people whose circumstances prevent them attending on any other day
3. The library currently opens six days a week
4. Staff would prefer a different day off

Answer:

47. critical-thinking-s05-q07

Argument: "Since the parking ban, high-street takings have dropped, so the ban is hurting shops." Which finding would most weaken it?

1. Shopkeepers dislike the ban
2. The ban was introduced at short notice
3. Some shoppers arrive by bus
4. Takings fell by a similar amount in nearby towns that introduced no ban at all

Answer:

48. critical-thinking-s05-q08

Argument: "Our training works. Trainees scored higher at the end of the course than at the start." Which finding would most strengthen the claim that the training caused the gain?

1. Trainees enjoyed the sessions
2. The final test was harder than the first
3. A comparable group who did not train showed no gain over the same period
4. The trainer is highly experienced

Answer:

49. critical-thinking-s05-q09

Argument: "Nobody complained about the new timetable, so passengers are happy with it." Which finding would most weaken it?

1. Timetables are revised every year
2. The complaints form was removed from the website when the timetable changed
3. The timetable is printed clearly at every stop
4. Some passengers travel on the route daily

Answer:

50. critical-thinking-s05-q10

Argument: "Villages with more trees have lower summer temperatures, so planting trees cools a village." Which further finding would most strengthen the causal claim?

1. Villages that planted trees recorded falling summer temperatures afterwards, while similar villages that planted none showed no change
2. Tree-lined streets are widely considered attractive
3. Trees provide habitat for birds and insects
4. Tree planting is popular with residents

Answer:

51. critical-thinking-s06-q01

Ice-cream sales and swimming-pool attendance rise and fall together across the year. What is the most likely explanation?

1. Eating ice cream makes people want to swim
2. Warm weather independently raises both
3. Swimming makes people crave ice cream
4. The pattern is a coincidence with no explanation at all

Answer:

52. critical-thinking-s06-q02

A school reports that pupils who take private music lessons achieve higher marks. Which alternative explanation should be considered first?

1. Families able to afford lessons may also provide other advantages that raise marks
2. Music lessons are enjoyable
3. Marks are recorded once a term
4. Music teachers tend to be strict

Answer:

53. critical-thinking-s06-q03

A hospital finds that patients treated in its newest ward recover faster than those elsewhere. What is a plausible alternative to "the ward heals people faster"?

1. New buildings feel cheerful
2. Nurses prefer working in new wards
3. Recovery is difficult to measure precisely
4. Less serious cases may be the ones assigned to that ward

Answer:

54. critical-thinking-s06-q04

After a town installed street lighting on a footpath, recorded crime on that path rose. Which alternative explanation most deserves testing?

1. Lighting causes crime
2. Crime figures are meaningless
3. Better lighting may have increased the reporting of incidents that were already occurring
4. Offenders prefer brightly lit places

Answer:

55. critical-thinking-s06-q05

A shop owner notices that takings are highest on the days she wears her lucky scarf. What is the most reasonable next step?

1. Wear the scarf every day
2. Conclude that the scarf raises takings
3. Conclude that customers notice the scarf
4. Check whether those days share something else, such as market days or pay days

Answer:

56. critical-thinking-s06-q06

A study finds that people who take long holidays live longer than those who do not. Before accepting that holidays extend life, what should be considered?

1. Whether holidays are enjoyable
2. Whether the study appeared in print
3. Whether healthier and wealthier people are both more able to take long holidays and more likely to live longer
4. Whether holidays are becoming shorter over time

Answer:

57. critical-thinking-s06-q07

A gardener's tomatoes did much better this year after she switched compost. Which factor most needs ruling out before the compost is credited?

1. The weather differed from last year's
2. The tomatoes were a familiar variety
3. Compost is sold in bags
4. She has gardened for many years

Answer:

58. critical-thinking-s06-q08

Which of these best describes reverse causation?

1. Two things rise together because of a third factor
2. The supposed effect is in fact the cause
3. A result appears purely by chance
4. A sample fails to represent the wider group

Answer:

59. critical-thinking-s06-q09

Runners who stretch before exercise report fewer injuries. A sceptic suspects reverse causation. What would that look like in this case?

1. Stretching prevents injuries
2. A third factor causes both stretching and low injury rates
3. Runners who are already free of injury find stretching comfortable and so do more of it
4. Injuries are recorded inaccurately

Answer:

60. critical-thinking-s06-q10

A region's recorded cases of a condition doubled in the year a new screening programme began. What is the most cautious interpretation?

1. The condition has become twice as common
2. Screening causes the condition
3. The earlier figures must have been falsified
4. More cases are being detected, so the true change in occurrence is not yet clear

Answer:

61. critical-thinking-s07-q01

A sailing magazine surveys its own readers and reports that 80% of people enjoy sailing. What is the main problem?

1. 80% is too round a figure to be credible
2. The survey was carried out too recently
3. Readers of a sailing magazine are not representative of people in general
4. Enjoyment cannot be measured by a survey

Answer:

62. critical-thinking-s07-q02

A report states that a town's average household income is £46,000, while the most common household income is £24,000. What does this suggest?

1. One of the two figures must be wrong
2. A small number of very high incomes are pulling the average up
3. Most households earn about £46,000
4. Incomes are spread evenly across the town

Answer:

63. critical-thinking-s07-q03

A trial of a new tutoring method involved eight pupils, all of whom improved. What is the appropriate conclusion?

1. The result is worth following up, but too few pupils were involved to generalise confidently
2. The method works for all pupils
3. The method does not work
4. Sample size makes no difference to what can be concluded

Answer:

64. critical-thinking-s07-q04

"Crime doubled in our village last year." Which piece of information matters most before reacting?

1. The name of the village
2. Who published the figure
3. Whether other villages were mentioned in the same report
4. The underlying counts: two incidents becoming four is not the same as 200 becoming 400

Answer:

65. critical-thinking-s07-q05

A poll conducted by telephone between 10am and 4pm on weekdays asks who will win the local election. Which limitation matters most?

1. Telephone polling is an old-fashioned method
2. People reachable by phone during working hours differ from the electorate as a whole
3. Elections are inherently unpredictable
4. The poll should have asked about policies instead

Answer:

66. critical-thinking-s07-q06

A drink is advertised as containing "30% less sugar". What must you know to judge the claim?

1. The flavour of the drink
2. The size of the bottle and nothing else
3. Whether the drink is sold in supermarkets
4. Less sugar than what: the comparison point

Answer:

67. critical-thinking-s07-q07

An advertisement says that nine out of ten dentists surveyed recommended a toothpaste. Which question would sharpen your reading of this?

1. How long dentists spend in training
2. Which flavour of the toothpaste was tested
3. How many dentists were approached, and how they were selected
4. Whether toothpaste is necessary at all

Answer:

68. critical-thinking-s07-q08

A charity reports that donations rose 200% after a campaign. Which fact would most change how impressive this sounds?

1. Donations rose from £50 to £150
2. The campaign ran for a month
3. The charity has many long-standing supporters
4. Donations are counted monthly

Answer:

69. critical-thinking-s07-q09

A study reports that a treatment halves the risk of a rare complication. Why is the absolute risk also needed?

1. Halving cannot be measured reliably
2. Percentages are inherently unreliable
3. Rare events cannot be studied at all
4. Halving a risk of 2 in 10,000 is a far smaller real change than halving a risk of 2 in 10

Answer:

70. critical-thinking-s07-q10

A researcher tests twenty different food additives for a link with headaches and finds one significant result. What should be borne in mind?

1. The other nineteen tests were a waste of effort
2. Testing many possibilities makes at least one chance finding likely, so the result needs independent confirmation
3. The finding proves that additive causes headaches
4. Headaches are not a suitable subject for study

Answer:

71. critical-thinking-s08-q01

"Either we cut the bus service or the council goes bankrupt." What is the flaw in this reasoning?

1. It appeals to the audience's emotions
2. It attacks the person rather than the argument
3. It relies on an anonymous source
4. It presents only two options when others may exist

Answer:

72. critical-thinking-s08-q02

"You cannot trust her argument about the housing plan. She has never owned a house." What is the flaw?

1. It targets the person rather than what she actually argued
2. It generalises from a very small sample
3. It confuses correlation with cause
4. It appeals to long-standing tradition

Answer:

73. critical-thinking-s08-q03

"We have always held the village fête in June, so June is the right month for it." Which flaw is this?

1. A false choice between two options
2. An appeal to tradition: long practice is treated as a justification on its own
3. Circular reasoning
4. A hasty generalisation from few cases

Answer:

74. critical-thinking-s08-q04

"My opponent wants to review the parking rules, which means she wants to abolish parking altogether." What has happened here?

1. A credible source has been dismissed without reason
2. A statistic has been misread
3. The opponent's position has been exaggerated into a more extreme one that is easier to attack
4. Two separate events have been confused

Answer:

75. critical-thinking-s08-q05

"The manual is reliable, because it says on its first page that it is reliable." What is the flaw?

1. The claim is used as its own support
2. The manual is out of date
3. The author of the manual is unknown
4. The evidence offered is anecdotal

Answer:

76. critical-thinking-s08-q06

"If we let pupils choose one lesson a term, before long they will choose to do nothing at all." What is the weakness?

1. It relies on an unnamed expert
2. It reverses cause and effect
3. It asserts a chain of consequences without showing that each step follows
4. It appeals to the audience's pity

Answer:

77. critical-thinking-s08-q07

"Three of my neighbours dislike the new bins, so the whole town dislikes them." Which flaw is this?

1. Circular reasoning
2. Generalising from a small and unrepresentative sample
3. A false choice between two options
4. Attacking the person rather than the argument

Answer:

78. critical-thinking-s08-q08

"Everyone in the office is using the new app, so it must be the best one available." What is the flaw?

1. It ignores the price of the app
2. It uses an outdated comparison
3. It reverses cause and effect
4. Popularity is treated as proof of quality

Answer:

79. critical-thinking-s08-q09

"Think of the families who will suffer if this proposal fails. That is why the figures against it must be wrong." What has gone wrong?

1. Feeling about the outcome is being used in place of evidence about the figures
2. A sample has been chosen badly
3. A key word has quietly changed meaning
4. An authority has been cited without being named

Answer:

80. critical-thinking-s08-q10

A debate opens with "free access for all" meaning no entry fee, but the same speaker later uses the phrase to mean unrestricted opening hours. What is the flaw?

1. The speaker generalises hastily from few cases
2. The speaker appeals to an authority
3. A key term shifts meaning mid-argument, so the conclusion no longer follows from the premises
4. The speaker offers only two possible options

Answer:

81. critical-thinking-s09-q01

Two rain gauges standing in the same field record 12 mm and 31 mm for the same night. What is the most reasonable first step?

1. Check both gauges for faults or obstruction before treating either figure as correct
2. Average the two figures and move on
3. Accept the higher figure as the safer estimate
4. Discard both and record no reading

Answer:

82. critical-thinking-s09-q02

A supplier's report says a component fails once in 10,000 uses, but your own workshop has recorded three failures in 500 uses. What is the best response?

1. Assume the supplier is being dishonest
2. Assume the workshop is handling the component carelessly
3. Treat the gap as a question to investigate. Conditions of use, batch, and how each figure was gathered
4. Average the two failure rates

Answer:

83. critical-thinking-s09-q03

Two apparently well-conducted studies reach opposite conclusions about a diet. What is the most reasonable position?

1. Adopt whichever conclusion fits your existing habits
2. Withhold a firm conclusion and examine how the studies differ in population, dose, and duration
3. Conclude that research on diet is worthless
4. Accept the more recent study automatically

Answer:

84. critical-thinking-s09-q04

You must decide today, and some relevant information will not arrive in time. Which approach shows the best judgement?

1. Wait indefinitely until certainty is available
2. Choose at random, to avoid being biased
3. Proceed as though the missing information does not matter
4. Choose the option that performs acceptably across the range of things the missing information might turn out to be

Answer:

85. critical-thinking-s09-q05

A colleague presents only the evidence that supports her preferred option. What should you ask for?

1. A shorter summary
2. A different presenter
3. The evidence that tells against the option, and how she weighed it
4. An immediate vote

Answer:

86. critical-thinking-s09-q06

A committee has strong evidence about a proposal's cost and only weak evidence about its safety. How should the weak evidence be treated?

1. Ignored, since it is weak
2. Reported as weak, with the uncertainty carried into the decision rather than hidden
3. Given the same weight as the cost evidence
4. Replaced by the committee's own opinion

Answer:

87. critical-thinking-s09-q07

Which development would most justify revising a conclusion you reached last year?

1. Colleagues expressing disagreement with it
2. The conclusion becoming unpopular
3. The simple passage of time
4. New evidence that the earlier reasoning did not and could not have taken into account

Answer:

88. critical-thinking-s09-q08

You notice that every source you have read on a question agrees with your existing view. What is the most useful corrective?

1. Seek out the strongest case against your view and see whether it survives scrutiny
2. Read further sources that agree, to be certain
3. Stop reading and decide
4. Assume your view must be wrong

Answer:

89. critical-thinking-s09-q09

Two witnesses agree on an unusual detail but disagree about the order in which events occurred. What does this pattern suggest?

1. Both accounts should be treated as worthless
2. The shared unusual detail carries more weight than the disputed order, since memory for sequence is especially fragile
3. One of the witnesses must be lying
4. The order is more reliable than the shared detail

Answer:

90. critical-thinking-s09-q10

A proposal is supported by one large, well-designed study and opposed by three vivid personal stories. How should these be weighed?

1. The study carries more weight on the general question, though the stories may point to effects worth examining
2. The stories outweigh the study because they are concrete
3. Both kinds of evidence count equally
4. Neither should influence the decision

Answer:

91. critical-thinking-s10-q01

"Our online course must be effective: 92% of those who completed it passed the final exam." Which question most undermines the claim as stated?

1. How many weeks the course lasts
2. What proportion of those who started the course completed it
3. Whether the exam is marked online
4. Who designed the course

Answer:

92. critical-thinking-s10-q02

"The town's recycling scheme is failing: the tonnage collected has fallen for two years running." Which additional fact would most change this assessment?

1. The collection lorries are newly purchased
2. Neighbouring towns collect a greater tonnage
3. Residents were surveyed about the scheme last year
4. Households now buy far less packaging, so there is less recyclable material in existence

Answer:

93. critical-thinking-s10-q03

"A survey of our members found 70% support for longer opening hours, so the public wants them." What is the strongest objection?

1. 70% is not a large enough majority to act on
2. Surveys are generally unreliable
3. Members are not the public, so the conclusion reaches beyond the evidence
4. Opening hours are a matter for staff rather than the public

Answer:

94. critical-thinking-s10-q04

"Since the tax on sugary drinks began, sales of those drinks have fallen 12%, so the tax is improving the nation's diet." Which step in this reasoning is least secure?

1. The move from lower sales of one product to a broad improvement in diet
2. The claim that a tax was introduced
3. The claim that sales figures are recorded
4. The claim that sugary drinks are sold

Answer:

95. critical-thinking-s10-q05

"Every complaint we received last month was resolved within a day, so our service is excellent." Which combination of facts would most damage this conclusion?

1. The complaints covered a wide range of issues
2. The manager praised the team's performance
3. Resolution times are logged automatically
4. Most dissatisfied customers left without complaining, and "resolved" means only that the case was closed

Answer:

96. critical-thinking-s10-q06

"Village A's school gets better exam results than Village B's, so Village A's school teaches better." Which evidence would most help settle this?

1. Pupils' attainment on entry at both schools, so progress rather than final results can be compared
2. The age of the two school buildings
3. The population of each village
4. The results each school achieved ten years ago

Answer:

97. critical-thinking-s10-q07

An argument runs: "The scheme saves money; saving money is good; therefore the scheme should be adopted." What is the most important gap?

1. It never states a conclusion
2. It relies on an anonymous source
3. It ignores whether the scheme carries costs other than money that might outweigh the saving
4. It confuses correlation with cause

Answer:

98. critical-thinking-s10-q08

A report concludes that a medicine is safe, on the basis of a six-week trial in healthy adults aged 20 to 30. What is the most precise objection?

1. Six weeks is an unusually long trial
2. The conclusion is broader than the evidence, which says nothing about other ages, longer use, or people who are unwell
3. Medicines cannot be tested safely at all
4. Healthy adults should never take part in trials

Answer:

99. critical-thinking-s10-q09

"The consultation received 400 responses, 300 of them opposing the plan. The plan clearly lacks public support." What is the key weakness?

1. 400 responses is too few to count at all
2. Opponents of plans are usually mistaken
3. People who feel strongly are far likelier to respond, so the responses need not mirror the wider public
4. The consultation should have run for longer

Answer:

100. critical-thinking-s10-q10

Which of these best summarises a careful appraisal of an argument?

1. Decide whether you agree with the conclusion, then judge the reasons accordingly
2. Count the reasons offered and accept the argument if there are several
3. Accept the argument if the person making it is well qualified
4. Check whether the reasons are true, whether they support the conclusion, and what the argument leaves out

Answer: