AIRMEN LEADERSHIP SCHOOL LATEST
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Observing how worried his subordinates looked while waiting to hear about the
organizational restructure, SSgt Steven says, "It's a commonly known fact that a
restructure is mostly for the leadership of the organization, so I wouldn't worry too much.
We all know that the enlisted folks are the people that do most of the work around here
and they wouldn't want to change that!" Afterwards, his subordinates started joking
about it.
Because of ______, SSgt Steven's comments will MOST likely _____his effectiveness.
a. critical thinking hindrances; not change
b. critical thinking hindrances; decrease
c. characteristics of a critical thinker; increase
d. characteristics of a critical thinker; not change - ✔✔b. CORRECT: SSgt Steven's
effectiveness will most likely decrease because of Critical Thinking Hindrances which,
according to the Critical Thinking chapter, include 1) Basic Human Limitations:
Confirmation Bias & Selective Thinking and 2) Use of Language: Assuring expressions.
SSgt Steven's statement "...We all know that the enlisted folks are the people that do
most of the work around here." is evidence of Confirmation Bias and selective thinking
and his statement "It's a commonly known fact..." is an example of Assuring
,expressions. These statements create a false sense of security for his subordinates and
can ultimately decrease effectiveness and bring on unwarranted stress.
✔✔Irrelevant Comparison - ✔✔This is when you are making a comparison that is
irrelevant or inappropriate. One example of this is making a claim that printer A makes
better copies than printer B, while ignoring the fact that only printer B can fax, copy, and
scan.
✔✔Pragmatic Fallacy - ✔✔This is arguing something is true because "it works," even
though the cause of this something and the outcome are not demonstrated.
✔✔Critical Thinkers - ✔✔must be willing to investigate veiwpoints different from their
own view, but at the same time recognize when to doubt claims that do not merit such
investigation.
✔✔Free thinker - ✔✔a person who forms their own opinions about important subjects
(religion/politics) instead of accepting what other people say.
✔✔Healthy skepticism - ✔✔examining issues from as many sides as possible; rationally
looking for the good and bad points of the various sides examined; accepting the fact
that we may be in error ourselves; and maintaining the goal of getting at the truth (or
close to the truth (or as close to the truth as possible), rather than trying to please
others or find fault with their views. Too much skepticism will lead one to doubt
everything and commit oneself to nothing, while too little will lead one to gullibility.
✔✔Highly motivated - ✔✔being able to put in the necessary work sufficient evaluate the
multiple sides of issues.
✔✔Intellectual humility - ✔✔means adhering tentatively to recently acquired opinions;
being prepared to examine new evidence and arguments, even if such examinations
leads one to discover flaws in one's own cherished beliefs; to begin thinking in terms of
'degress of certainty' or 'shades of grey'.
✔✔Open-minded - ✔✔
✔✔The Use of Language - ✔✔The choice of words themselves can conceal the truth,
mislead, confuse, or deceive us.
✔✔Ambiguity - ✔✔A word or expression that can be understood in more than one way.
✔✔Assuring Expression - ✔✔These expressions are those that disarm you from
questioning the validity of an argument. Expressions such as "As everyone knows..."
and "Common sense tells us that..." can often lead a person to believe something that is
not true.
,✔✔Meaningless Comparisons - ✔✔Meaningless comparisons include language that
implies something is superior but retreats from that view. One example would be an
advertisement claiming that a battery lasts "up to 30% longer, but does not say it will
last 30% longer."
✔✔Doublespeak Jargon - ✔✔This is the use of technical language to make the simple
seem complex, the trivial seem profound, or the insignificant seem important, all done
intentionally to impress others. An example of this would be referring to a family as "a
bounded plurality of role-playing individuals" or a homeless person as a "non-goal
oriented member of society."
✔✔Emotive Content - ✔✔The intentional use of words to arouse feelings about a
subject to bias others positively or negatively, in order to gain influence or power. Some
examples are: Naming detergents "Joy" and "Cheer" (positive), not "Dreary" or
"Tedious" (negative) and the military using the phrase "neutralizing the opposition" (less
negative) than saying something like "killing".
✔✔False Implications - ✔✔This is the use of language that is clear and accurate but
misleading because it suggests something false. One example is when the dairy
industry cleverly expresses fat content as a percentage of weight, not of calories.
✔✔Faulty Logic or Perception - ✔✔Faulty logic or perception leads to misconceptions,
which are the basis of false or mistaken ideas.
✔✔Apophenia and Superstition - ✔✔It is the erroneous perception of the connections
between unrelated events. An example would be someone who irrationally believes
wearing their hat while watching a football game can influence the score.
✔✔Argument from Ignorance - ✔✔Is a logical fallacy claiming something is true
because it has not been proven false.
✔✔False Analogies - ✔✔False analogies is making illogical analogies to support the
validity of a particular claim. Arguing that two children sharing the same bedroom is
wrong because double-celling of criminals in a penitentiary can lead to bad behavior
✔✔Slippery Slope Fallacy - ✔✔This fallacy is an argument that assumes an adverse
chain of events will occur, but offers no proof.
ex: :Because regulators have controlled smoking in public places, their ultimate goal is
to control everything else in our lives."
✔✔Ad Hominem Fallacy - ✔✔This type of fallacy is when one is criticizing the person
making an argument, not the argument itself.
, ✔✔Ad Populum - ✔✔This bandwagon fallacy is an appeal to the popularity of the claim
as a reason for accepting the claim.
✔✔Emotional Appeal - ✔✔An emotional appeal is making irrelevant emotional appeals
to a claim (since emotion often influences people more effectively than logical
reasoning).
✔✔Evading the Issue, Red Herring - ✔✔Evading the Issue, Red Herring
✔✔Fallacy of False Dilemma - ✔✔Either/or Fallacy is intentionally restricting the
number of alternatives, thereby omitting relevant alternatives from consideration.
✔✔Poisoning the Well - ✔✔This is when one is creating a prejudicial atmosphere
against the opposition, making it difficult for the opponent to be received fairly.
✔✔Basic Human Limitations - ✔✔These limitations remind us that we are not perfect
and that our understanding of facts, perceptions, memories, built-in biases, etc.,
precludes us from ever seeing or understanding the world with total objectivity and
clarity.
✔✔Confirmation Bias and Selective Thinking - ✔✔This is the process where one tends
to notice and look for what confirms one's beliefs, and to ignore, not look for, or
undervalue what contradicts one's beliefs.
✔✔False Memories and Confabulation - ✔✔This is being unaware that your memories
are often "manufactured" to fill in the gaps in our recollection, or that some memories of
facts, over time, can be unconsciously replaced with fantasy.
✔✔Personal Biases and Prejudices - ✔✔These result from our own unique life
experiences and worldview, which makes it difficult to remain objective and think
critically.
✔✔Physical and Emotional Hindrances - ✔✔Physical and emotional hindrances can
severely affect our ability to think clearly and critically. These include stress, fatigue,
drugs, and related hindrances.
✔✔Testimonial Evidence - ✔✔We should not rely on the testimonies and vivid stories of
others to substantiate one's own beliefs, testimonies are inherently subjective,
inaccurate, unreliable, biased, and occasionally fraudulent.
✔✔The _________________Leadership Theory considers one's ability to complete a
specific task and the use of four leadership styles to aid in his or her development. -
✔✔Situational
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Observing how worried his subordinates looked while waiting to hear about the
organizational restructure, SSgt Steven says, "It's a commonly known fact that a
restructure is mostly for the leadership of the organization, so I wouldn't worry too much.
We all know that the enlisted folks are the people that do most of the work around here
and they wouldn't want to change that!" Afterwards, his subordinates started joking
about it.
Because of ______, SSgt Steven's comments will MOST likely _____his effectiveness.
a. critical thinking hindrances; not change
b. critical thinking hindrances; decrease
c. characteristics of a critical thinker; increase
d. characteristics of a critical thinker; not change - ✔✔b. CORRECT: SSgt Steven's
effectiveness will most likely decrease because of Critical Thinking Hindrances which,
according to the Critical Thinking chapter, include 1) Basic Human Limitations:
Confirmation Bias & Selective Thinking and 2) Use of Language: Assuring expressions.
SSgt Steven's statement "...We all know that the enlisted folks are the people that do
most of the work around here." is evidence of Confirmation Bias and selective thinking
and his statement "It's a commonly known fact..." is an example of Assuring
,expressions. These statements create a false sense of security for his subordinates and
can ultimately decrease effectiveness and bring on unwarranted stress.
✔✔Irrelevant Comparison - ✔✔This is when you are making a comparison that is
irrelevant or inappropriate. One example of this is making a claim that printer A makes
better copies than printer B, while ignoring the fact that only printer B can fax, copy, and
scan.
✔✔Pragmatic Fallacy - ✔✔This is arguing something is true because "it works," even
though the cause of this something and the outcome are not demonstrated.
✔✔Critical Thinkers - ✔✔must be willing to investigate veiwpoints different from their
own view, but at the same time recognize when to doubt claims that do not merit such
investigation.
✔✔Free thinker - ✔✔a person who forms their own opinions about important subjects
(religion/politics) instead of accepting what other people say.
✔✔Healthy skepticism - ✔✔examining issues from as many sides as possible; rationally
looking for the good and bad points of the various sides examined; accepting the fact
that we may be in error ourselves; and maintaining the goal of getting at the truth (or
close to the truth (or as close to the truth as possible), rather than trying to please
others or find fault with their views. Too much skepticism will lead one to doubt
everything and commit oneself to nothing, while too little will lead one to gullibility.
✔✔Highly motivated - ✔✔being able to put in the necessary work sufficient evaluate the
multiple sides of issues.
✔✔Intellectual humility - ✔✔means adhering tentatively to recently acquired opinions;
being prepared to examine new evidence and arguments, even if such examinations
leads one to discover flaws in one's own cherished beliefs; to begin thinking in terms of
'degress of certainty' or 'shades of grey'.
✔✔Open-minded - ✔✔
✔✔The Use of Language - ✔✔The choice of words themselves can conceal the truth,
mislead, confuse, or deceive us.
✔✔Ambiguity - ✔✔A word or expression that can be understood in more than one way.
✔✔Assuring Expression - ✔✔These expressions are those that disarm you from
questioning the validity of an argument. Expressions such as "As everyone knows..."
and "Common sense tells us that..." can often lead a person to believe something that is
not true.
,✔✔Meaningless Comparisons - ✔✔Meaningless comparisons include language that
implies something is superior but retreats from that view. One example would be an
advertisement claiming that a battery lasts "up to 30% longer, but does not say it will
last 30% longer."
✔✔Doublespeak Jargon - ✔✔This is the use of technical language to make the simple
seem complex, the trivial seem profound, or the insignificant seem important, all done
intentionally to impress others. An example of this would be referring to a family as "a
bounded plurality of role-playing individuals" or a homeless person as a "non-goal
oriented member of society."
✔✔Emotive Content - ✔✔The intentional use of words to arouse feelings about a
subject to bias others positively or negatively, in order to gain influence or power. Some
examples are: Naming detergents "Joy" and "Cheer" (positive), not "Dreary" or
"Tedious" (negative) and the military using the phrase "neutralizing the opposition" (less
negative) than saying something like "killing".
✔✔False Implications - ✔✔This is the use of language that is clear and accurate but
misleading because it suggests something false. One example is when the dairy
industry cleverly expresses fat content as a percentage of weight, not of calories.
✔✔Faulty Logic or Perception - ✔✔Faulty logic or perception leads to misconceptions,
which are the basis of false or mistaken ideas.
✔✔Apophenia and Superstition - ✔✔It is the erroneous perception of the connections
between unrelated events. An example would be someone who irrationally believes
wearing their hat while watching a football game can influence the score.
✔✔Argument from Ignorance - ✔✔Is a logical fallacy claiming something is true
because it has not been proven false.
✔✔False Analogies - ✔✔False analogies is making illogical analogies to support the
validity of a particular claim. Arguing that two children sharing the same bedroom is
wrong because double-celling of criminals in a penitentiary can lead to bad behavior
✔✔Slippery Slope Fallacy - ✔✔This fallacy is an argument that assumes an adverse
chain of events will occur, but offers no proof.
ex: :Because regulators have controlled smoking in public places, their ultimate goal is
to control everything else in our lives."
✔✔Ad Hominem Fallacy - ✔✔This type of fallacy is when one is criticizing the person
making an argument, not the argument itself.
, ✔✔Ad Populum - ✔✔This bandwagon fallacy is an appeal to the popularity of the claim
as a reason for accepting the claim.
✔✔Emotional Appeal - ✔✔An emotional appeal is making irrelevant emotional appeals
to a claim (since emotion often influences people more effectively than logical
reasoning).
✔✔Evading the Issue, Red Herring - ✔✔Evading the Issue, Red Herring
✔✔Fallacy of False Dilemma - ✔✔Either/or Fallacy is intentionally restricting the
number of alternatives, thereby omitting relevant alternatives from consideration.
✔✔Poisoning the Well - ✔✔This is when one is creating a prejudicial atmosphere
against the opposition, making it difficult for the opponent to be received fairly.
✔✔Basic Human Limitations - ✔✔These limitations remind us that we are not perfect
and that our understanding of facts, perceptions, memories, built-in biases, etc.,
precludes us from ever seeing or understanding the world with total objectivity and
clarity.
✔✔Confirmation Bias and Selective Thinking - ✔✔This is the process where one tends
to notice and look for what confirms one's beliefs, and to ignore, not look for, or
undervalue what contradicts one's beliefs.
✔✔False Memories and Confabulation - ✔✔This is being unaware that your memories
are often "manufactured" to fill in the gaps in our recollection, or that some memories of
facts, over time, can be unconsciously replaced with fantasy.
✔✔Personal Biases and Prejudices - ✔✔These result from our own unique life
experiences and worldview, which makes it difficult to remain objective and think
critically.
✔✔Physical and Emotional Hindrances - ✔✔Physical and emotional hindrances can
severely affect our ability to think clearly and critically. These include stress, fatigue,
drugs, and related hindrances.
✔✔Testimonial Evidence - ✔✔We should not rely on the testimonies and vivid stories of
others to substantiate one's own beliefs, testimonies are inherently subjective,
inaccurate, unreliable, biased, and occasionally fraudulent.
✔✔The _________________Leadership Theory considers one's ability to complete a
specific task and the use of four leadership styles to aid in his or her development. -
✔✔Situational
