WGU D265 Critical Thinking Reason and Evidence
Exam Updated Actual Question and Answer
(2026/2027) | Grade A+
• "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. -✓✓ - The argument includes a false
dichotomy.
- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
• "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. -✓✓ - We cannot go out until the
restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
• A formal fallacy concerns _______, but an informal fallacy concerns _______. -✓✓ the
structure of an argument
By definition, a formal fallacy concerns the structure of an argument and an informal
fallacy concerns the information contained in the argument's structure.
• A formal fallacy is a type of _______. -✓✓ Bad argument structure
Formality is associated with structure.
• A military veteran is engaged in a heated debate about national security with a
reporter who has never served in the military.
Which response best enables the veteran to undermine the reporter's argument?
- Pointing out that the premise of the reporter's argument is flawed
- Pointing out the reporter's well-known reputation for taking faulty positions
- Pointing out the reporter's affiliation with news networks that are known to have a
political slant to their coverage
,- Pointing out that the reporter has never served in the military -✓✓ Pointing out that the
premise of the reporter's argument is flawed
• A pen is a writing utensil. Sometimes, animals are kept in a pen. Thus, sometimes,
animals are kept in a writing utensil.
What fallacy is found in this argument?
- The fallacy of equivocation
- The fallacy of begging the question
- The fallacy of sweeping generalization
- The appeal to popularity fallacy -✓✓ The fallacy of equivocation
• Ad Hominem Fallacy (Latin for "to the man") -✓✓ A fallacy of logic in which a person's
character or motive is attacked instead of the person's argument
• 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 -✓✓ Texas sharpshooter
• Algorithm bubble -✓✓ The curated and personalized version of online reality that a
website shows you when you log on.
• Alief -✓✓ An automatic belief-like attitude that can explain how our instinctual
responses can conflict with our reasoned-out beliefs.
• All dogs are cute. Ginger is a dog. Therefore, Ginger is cute.
Which type of reasoning is illustrated in this example?
- Deductive
- Invalid
- Inductive
- Abductive -✓✓ Deductive
• All dogs can fly. Ginger is a dog. Therefore, Ginger can fly.
Which types of reasoning are illustrated in this example? Choose 2 answers.
- Deductive
- Valid
, - True
- Sound -✓✓ - Deductive
- Valid
• An individual drops hundreds of objects, and each time they fall to the ground. The
individual therefore concludes that if someone drops a pencil, it will fall.
Which terms describe the argument? Choose 2 answers.
- Deductive
- Valid
- Strong
- Cogent -✓✓ - Strong
- Cogent
• appeal to authority fallacy -✓✓ error of accepting a claim merely because an authority
figure endorses it
• appeal to consequences fallacy -✓✓ when one appeals to the bad (or good)
consequences of accepting a claim as a reason to reject (or accept) it as true.
• appeal to force (fallacy of relevance) -✓✓ when one uses a threat to compel
agreement with one's claim
• Appeal to Popularity Fallacy -✓✓ Arguing that a claim must be true because lots of
people believe it.
• Availability heuristic -✓✓ A process where in the mind generalizes based on what is
available to it rather than on what is objectively true.
• Bad inferential structure -✓✓ 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.
• Because flying cars will relieve traffic congestion, and since the research and
development of such vehicles will be expensive, it follows that the government should
encourage industry to develop flying cars and banks should help fund industry research.
Which phrases contain conclusions of this argument? Choose 2 answers.
- Flying cars will relieve traffic congestion
- The research and development of such vehicles will be expensive
- The government should encourage industry to develop flying cars
- Banks should help fund industry research -✓✓ - The government should encourage
industry to develop flying cars
Exam Updated Actual Question and Answer
(2026/2027) | Grade A+
• "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. -✓✓ - The argument includes a false
dichotomy.
- The argument contains black-and-white thinking.
• "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. -✓✓ - We cannot go out until the
restaurant opens.
- We are trying to save money.
• A formal fallacy concerns _______, but an informal fallacy concerns _______. -✓✓ the
structure of an argument
By definition, a formal fallacy concerns the structure of an argument and an informal
fallacy concerns the information contained in the argument's structure.
• A formal fallacy is a type of _______. -✓✓ Bad argument structure
Formality is associated with structure.
• A military veteran is engaged in a heated debate about national security with a
reporter who has never served in the military.
Which response best enables the veteran to undermine the reporter's argument?
- Pointing out that the premise of the reporter's argument is flawed
- Pointing out the reporter's well-known reputation for taking faulty positions
- Pointing out the reporter's affiliation with news networks that are known to have a
political slant to their coverage
,- Pointing out that the reporter has never served in the military -✓✓ Pointing out that the
premise of the reporter's argument is flawed
• A pen is a writing utensil. Sometimes, animals are kept in a pen. Thus, sometimes,
animals are kept in a writing utensil.
What fallacy is found in this argument?
- The fallacy of equivocation
- The fallacy of begging the question
- The fallacy of sweeping generalization
- The appeal to popularity fallacy -✓✓ The fallacy of equivocation
• Ad Hominem Fallacy (Latin for "to the man") -✓✓ A fallacy of logic in which a person's
character or motive is attacked instead of the person's argument
• 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 -✓✓ Texas sharpshooter
• Algorithm bubble -✓✓ The curated and personalized version of online reality that a
website shows you when you log on.
• Alief -✓✓ An automatic belief-like attitude that can explain how our instinctual
responses can conflict with our reasoned-out beliefs.
• All dogs are cute. Ginger is a dog. Therefore, Ginger is cute.
Which type of reasoning is illustrated in this example?
- Deductive
- Invalid
- Inductive
- Abductive -✓✓ Deductive
• All dogs can fly. Ginger is a dog. Therefore, Ginger can fly.
Which types of reasoning are illustrated in this example? Choose 2 answers.
- Deductive
- Valid
, - True
- Sound -✓✓ - Deductive
- Valid
• An individual drops hundreds of objects, and each time they fall to the ground. The
individual therefore concludes that if someone drops a pencil, it will fall.
Which terms describe the argument? Choose 2 answers.
- Deductive
- Valid
- Strong
- Cogent -✓✓ - Strong
- Cogent
• appeal to authority fallacy -✓✓ error of accepting a claim merely because an authority
figure endorses it
• appeal to consequences fallacy -✓✓ when one appeals to the bad (or good)
consequences of accepting a claim as a reason to reject (or accept) it as true.
• appeal to force (fallacy of relevance) -✓✓ when one uses a threat to compel
agreement with one's claim
• Appeal to Popularity Fallacy -✓✓ Arguing that a claim must be true because lots of
people believe it.
• Availability heuristic -✓✓ A process where in the mind generalizes based on what is
available to it rather than on what is objectively true.
• Bad inferential structure -✓✓ 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.
• Because flying cars will relieve traffic congestion, and since the research and
development of such vehicles will be expensive, it follows that the government should
encourage industry to develop flying cars and banks should help fund industry research.
Which phrases contain conclusions of this argument? Choose 2 answers.
- Flying cars will relieve traffic congestion
- The research and development of such vehicles will be expensive
- The government should encourage industry to develop flying cars
- Banks should help fund industry research -✓✓ - The government should encourage
industry to develop flying cars
