WGU D265 Critical Thinking Reason and
Evidence Questions and Answers
1. 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.
Answer Where are the keys to my car?
2. 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.
Answer It has had a great year.
,3. Propositions
Answer Statements that can be true or false.
4. Non-propositions
Answer Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or fiction). They do not make
a claim that can be true or false.
5. 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?
Answer The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
6. 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.
Answer The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer. The
company will not be able to keep up productivity.
7. Simple propositions
Answer 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.
8. Complex propositions
Answer 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.
9. 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? No- body 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.
Answer The new employee wants to succeed.
10. 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 cover- age 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.
Answer Many people are not sure where they can go to get care.
Evidence Questions and Answers
1. 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.
Answer Where are the keys to my car?
2. 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.
Answer It has had a great year.
,3. Propositions
Answer Statements that can be true or false.
4. Non-propositions
Answer Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or fiction). They do not make
a claim that can be true or false.
5. 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?
Answer The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
6. 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.
Answer The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer. The
company will not be able to keep up productivity.
7. Simple propositions
Answer 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.
8. Complex propositions
Answer 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.
9. 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? No- body 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.
Answer The new employee wants to succeed.
10. 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 cover- age 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.
Answer Many people are not sure where they can go to get care.
