WGU D265 Critical Thinking: Reason and Evidence — Practice
Questions, OA Exam Review & Detailed Explanations.
PROPOSITIONS Are statements that can be true or false
NON-PROPOSITONS Are sentences that are not statements about matters of fact or
fiction. They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS Have no internal logic structure, meaning whether they
are true or false does not depend on whether a part of
them is true or false. They are simply true or false on
their own.
(Example: Harry Potter wears glasses. The sky is blue.)
COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS Have internal logic structure, meaning they are composed of
simple propositions. Whether they are true or false depends
on whether their parts are true or false. (Example: The sky is
blue, but it does not look blue to me right now. The cat ate the
food, but he did not like it. The GDP of Canada is either $3
trillion or $12 trillion.)
Words used to identify Independent AND, OR, EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
Propositions
, CONCLUSION INDICATORS THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS
THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT, IMPLIES THAT,
WHEREFORE, AND AS A RESULT.
PREMISE INDICATORS BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS, SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the
conclusion.
-mathematical arguments, logical arguments, arguments from
definition.
INDUCTION ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises make the conclusion
probable.
-analogies, authority, causal inferences, extrapolations, etc.
INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as
OR ABDUCTION the correct explanation.
FORMAL FALLACY Concerns the structure of an argument
INFORMAL FALLACY Concerns the informational content of an argument
A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF Bad Argument Structure
Which piece of information would be the Whether the name of the author and the publication are
most helpful to know in assessing the identified
credibility of a news story?
Which questions are most appropriate for Who funded it? & Does it try to get you to distrust other
evaluating the credibility of an sources?
information source?
While researching a topic on the internet, It is not feasible to determine which site is more credible
a student encounters two different from the information provided.
websites, one of that looks more official
than the
other and includes tables, charts,
and statistics, while the other does
not.
What is the line of reasoning this
student should employ to determine
which site is more credible?
In which way should an information Skeptically, because the source may lack credibility.
source be approached if it is stating
that it is the
only source of real information and that
other sources cannot be trusted?
PRINCIPLE OF CHARITY The principle of charity suggests we should try to understand
ideas before criticizing them.
Which of the following are reasons for It is morally right to give others the benefit of the doubt.
applying the principle of charity? It allows for a clearer understanding of the issue.
Questions, OA Exam Review & Detailed Explanations.
PROPOSITIONS Are statements that can be true or false
NON-PROPOSITONS Are sentences that are not statements about matters of fact or
fiction. They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS Have no internal logic structure, meaning whether they
are true or false does not depend on whether a part of
them is true or false. They are simply true or false on
their own.
(Example: Harry Potter wears glasses. The sky is blue.)
COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS Have internal logic structure, meaning they are composed of
simple propositions. Whether they are true or false depends
on whether their parts are true or false. (Example: The sky is
blue, but it does not look blue to me right now. The cat ate the
food, but he did not like it. The GDP of Canada is either $3
trillion or $12 trillion.)
Words used to identify Independent AND, OR, EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
Propositions
, CONCLUSION INDICATORS THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS
THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT, IMPLIES THAT,
WHEREFORE, AND AS A RESULT.
PREMISE INDICATORS BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS, SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the
conclusion.
-mathematical arguments, logical arguments, arguments from
definition.
INDUCTION ARGUMENTS Arguments where the premises make the conclusion
probable.
-analogies, authority, causal inferences, extrapolations, etc.
INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as
OR ABDUCTION the correct explanation.
FORMAL FALLACY Concerns the structure of an argument
INFORMAL FALLACY Concerns the informational content of an argument
A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF Bad Argument Structure
Which piece of information would be the Whether the name of the author and the publication are
most helpful to know in assessing the identified
credibility of a news story?
Which questions are most appropriate for Who funded it? & Does it try to get you to distrust other
evaluating the credibility of an sources?
information source?
While researching a topic on the internet, It is not feasible to determine which site is more credible
a student encounters two different from the information provided.
websites, one of that looks more official
than the
other and includes tables, charts,
and statistics, while the other does
not.
What is the line of reasoning this
student should employ to determine
which site is more credible?
In which way should an information Skeptically, because the source may lack credibility.
source be approached if it is stating
that it is the
only source of real information and that
other sources cannot be trusted?
PRINCIPLE OF CHARITY The principle of charity suggests we should try to understand
ideas before criticizing them.
Which of the following are reasons for It is morally right to give others the benefit of the doubt.
applying the principle of charity? It allows for a clearer understanding of the issue.
