PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 3
PASSPOINTPRO
WGU D265 Critical Thinking
REASON AND EVIDENCE
QUIZ 3
Cognitive Biases and Heuristics
50 Multiple-Choice Questions
Answers and Explanations Included
Focused Concept Review | Scenario-Based Practice
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 1
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 3
Quiz Instructions
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. Each item has one defensible answer. The correct
answer and explanation appear immediately after the options for guided review.
Coverage: Fast and deliberate thinking, heuristics, availability and representativeness, anchoring,
confirmation bias, hindsight bias, overconfidence, belief perseverance, motivated reasoning, self-serving
bias, attribution errors, group biases, status quo bias, sunk-cost reasoning, loss aversion, framing, halo
and horn effects, primacy and recency effects, omission and normalcy biases, planning fallacy, just-
world bias, false consensus, projection, cognitive dissonance, premortems, considering the opposite,
and bias blind spots.
Quiz 3 - Questions 1-50
1. A manager notices and remembers only reports that support her existing strategy. This best
illustrates:
A. Random sampling
B. Confirmation bias
C. Modus tollens
D. The placebo effect
Answer: B. Confirmation bias
Explanation: Confirmation bias favors information that supports an existing belief and discounts contrary
evidence. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used
in the question.
2. During a salary negotiation, the first number mentioned strongly shapes all later offers. This is:
A. Anchoring bias
B. Hindsight bias
C. Selection bias
D. The conjunction fallacy
Answer: A. Anchoring bias
Explanation: Anchoring occurs when an initial value exerts excessive influence on later estimates or
judgments. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used
in the question.
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 2
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 3
3. After seeing several news stories about plane crashes, a traveler greatly overestimates the chance
of a crash. This is:
A. The sunk-cost effect
B. The halo effect
C. Base-rate reasoning
D. The availability heuristic
Answer: D. The availability heuristic
Explanation: The availability heuristic judges frequency or probability by how easily examples come to mind.
The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the
question.
4. A quiet person who enjoys books is judged more likely to be a librarian than a salesperson, even
though salespeople are far more common. This reflects:
A. The endowment effect
B. Status quo bias
C. Representativeness with base-rate neglect
D. Random error
Answer: C. Representativeness with base-rate neglect
Explanation: The stereotype seems representative, but the judgment improperly neglects the much larger
base rate for salespeople. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the
definition used in the question.
5. After an election result is announced, someone says, 'I knew that candidate would win all along.'
This is:
A. Framing effect
B. Hindsight bias
C. Omission bias
D. The placebo effect
Answer: B. Hindsight bias
Explanation: Hindsight bias makes an outcome appear more predictable after it is already known. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 3
PASSPOINTPRO
WGU D265 Critical Thinking
REASON AND EVIDENCE
QUIZ 3
Cognitive Biases and Heuristics
50 Multiple-Choice Questions
Answers and Explanations Included
Focused Concept Review | Scenario-Based Practice
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 1
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 3
Quiz Instructions
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. Each item has one defensible answer. The correct
answer and explanation appear immediately after the options for guided review.
Coverage: Fast and deliberate thinking, heuristics, availability and representativeness, anchoring,
confirmation bias, hindsight bias, overconfidence, belief perseverance, motivated reasoning, self-serving
bias, attribution errors, group biases, status quo bias, sunk-cost reasoning, loss aversion, framing, halo
and horn effects, primacy and recency effects, omission and normalcy biases, planning fallacy, just-
world bias, false consensus, projection, cognitive dissonance, premortems, considering the opposite,
and bias blind spots.
Quiz 3 - Questions 1-50
1. A manager notices and remembers only reports that support her existing strategy. This best
illustrates:
A. Random sampling
B. Confirmation bias
C. Modus tollens
D. The placebo effect
Answer: B. Confirmation bias
Explanation: Confirmation bias favors information that supports an existing belief and discounts contrary
evidence. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used
in the question.
2. During a salary negotiation, the first number mentioned strongly shapes all later offers. This is:
A. Anchoring bias
B. Hindsight bias
C. Selection bias
D. The conjunction fallacy
Answer: A. Anchoring bias
Explanation: Anchoring occurs when an initial value exerts excessive influence on later estimates or
judgments. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used
in the question.
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 2
, PASSPOINTPRO | D265 QUIZ 3
3. After seeing several news stories about plane crashes, a traveler greatly overestimates the chance
of a crash. This is:
A. The sunk-cost effect
B. The halo effect
C. Base-rate reasoning
D. The availability heuristic
Answer: D. The availability heuristic
Explanation: The availability heuristic judges frequency or probability by how easily examples come to mind.
The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the
question.
4. A quiet person who enjoys books is judged more likely to be a librarian than a salesperson, even
though salespeople are far more common. This reflects:
A. The endowment effect
B. Status quo bias
C. Representativeness with base-rate neglect
D. Random error
Answer: C. Representativeness with base-rate neglect
Explanation: The stereotype seems representative, but the judgment improperly neglects the much larger
base rate for salespeople. The other choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the
definition used in the question.
5. After an election result is announced, someone says, 'I knew that candidate would win all along.'
This is:
A. Framing effect
B. Hindsight bias
C. Omission bias
D. The placebo effect
Answer: B. Hindsight bias
Explanation: Hindsight bias makes an outcome appear more predictable after it is already known. The other
choices either describe a different reasoning concept or fail to satisfy the definition used in the question.
D265 Quiz 3 | Page 3
