WGU D265 - CRITICAL THINKING - REASON AND
EVIDENCE |QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS|ALREADY
GRADED A+
1. PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: Are statements that can be true or false
2. NON-PROPOSITONS - ANSWER: Are sentences that are not statements
about matters of fact or fiction. They do not make a claim that can be true or
false.
3. SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: 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.)
4. COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: 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 $12 trillion.)
5. Words used to identify Independent Propositions - ANSWER: AND, OR,
EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
6. CONCLUSION INDICATORS - ANSWER: THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS
THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT, IMPLIES
THAT, WHEREFORE, AND AS A RESULT.
7. PREMISE INDICATORS - ANSWER: BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS,
SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
8. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS #$%^&*
- ANSWER: Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the &^%$#$
conclusion. %^&*&^
-mathematical arguments, logical arguments, arguments from
definition. %$#$%^
&*(*&^
9. INDUCTION ARGUMENTS %$#$%^
- ANSWER: Arguments where the premises make the conclusion probable. &*(*&^
-analogies, authority, causal inferences, extrapolations, etc. %$#$%^
&*(&^%
10. INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION OR ABDUCTION - ANSWER:
Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as the correct $#$%^&
explanation. *(*&^%
#$%^&*
&^%$#$
%^&*(&
^%$#$%
^&*(*&
%$#$%^
, WGU D265 - CRITICAL THINKING - REASON AND
EVIDENCE |QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS|ALREADY
GRADED A+
11. FORMAL FALLACY - ANSWER: Concerns the structure of an argument
12. INFORMAL FALLACY - ANSWER: Concerns the informational content of an
argument
13. A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF - ANSWER: Bad Argument Structure
14. Which piece of information would be the most helpful to know in assessing the
credibility of a news story? - ANSWER: Whether the name of the author and
the publication are identified
15. Which questions are most appropriate for evaluating the credibility of an
information source? - ANSWER: Who funded it? & Does it try to get you to
distrust other sources?
16. While researching a topic on the internet, a student encounters two different
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? - ANSWER: It is not feasible to determine which site is more
credible from the information provided.
17. In which way should an information source be approached if it is stating that it is
the only source of real information and that other sources cannot be trusted? -
ANSWER: Skeptically, because the source may lack credibility.
18. PRINCIPLE OF CHARITY - ANSWER: The principle of charity suggests we
should try to understand ideas before criticizing them. #$%^&*
&^%$#$
19. Which of the following are reasons for applying the principle of charity? %^&*&^
- ANSWER: It is morally right to give others the benefit of the doubt. %$#$%^
It allows for a clearer understanding of the issue.
&*(*&^
20. Smith is committed to the belief that technological advancement is always %$#$%^
beneficial and thus never detrimental to human life. Smith reads a carefully &*(*&^
written and sufficiently argued essay in which the author contends that the %$#$%^
human adoption of any new technology involves both advantages and &*(&^%
disadvantages to its adopters. Since Smith is a loyal technophile, Smith accepts
the author's claims about the advantages of technology but rejects the author's $#$%^&
claims about the disadvantages of technology. *(*&^%
Which cognitive bias is Smith demonstrating? - ANSWER: Confirmation Bias #$%^&*
&^%$#$
%^&*(&
^%$#$%
^&*(*&
%$#$%^
EVIDENCE |QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS|ALREADY
GRADED A+
1. PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: Are statements that can be true or false
2. NON-PROPOSITONS - ANSWER: Are sentences that are not statements
about matters of fact or fiction. They do not make a claim that can be true or
false.
3. SIMPLE PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: 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.)
4. COMPLEX PROPOSITIONS - ANSWER: 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 $12 trillion.)
5. Words used to identify Independent Propositions - ANSWER: AND, OR,
EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN.
6. CONCLUSION INDICATORS - ANSWER: THEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS
THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT, IMPLIES
THAT, WHEREFORE, AND AS A RESULT.
7. PREMISE INDICATORS - ANSWER: BECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS,
SINCE, AS INDICATED BY.
8. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS #$%^&*
- ANSWER: Arguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the &^%$#$
conclusion. %^&*&^
-mathematical arguments, logical arguments, arguments from
definition. %$#$%^
&*(*&^
9. INDUCTION ARGUMENTS %$#$%^
- ANSWER: Arguments where the premises make the conclusion probable. &*(*&^
-analogies, authority, causal inferences, extrapolations, etc. %$#$%^
&*(&^%
10. INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION OR ABDUCTION - ANSWER:
Arguments where the best available explanation is chosen as the correct $#$%^&
explanation. *(*&^%
#$%^&*
&^%$#$
%^&*(&
^%$#$%
^&*(*&
%$#$%^
, WGU D265 - CRITICAL THINKING - REASON AND
EVIDENCE |QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS|ALREADY
GRADED A+
11. FORMAL FALLACY - ANSWER: Concerns the structure of an argument
12. INFORMAL FALLACY - ANSWER: Concerns the informational content of an
argument
13. A FORMAL FALLACY IS A TYPE OF - ANSWER: Bad Argument Structure
14. Which piece of information would be the most helpful to know in assessing the
credibility of a news story? - ANSWER: Whether the name of the author and
the publication are identified
15. Which questions are most appropriate for evaluating the credibility of an
information source? - ANSWER: Who funded it? & Does it try to get you to
distrust other sources?
16. While researching a topic on the internet, a student encounters two different
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? - ANSWER: It is not feasible to determine which site is more
credible from the information provided.
17. In which way should an information source be approached if it is stating that it is
the only source of real information and that other sources cannot be trusted? -
ANSWER: Skeptically, because the source may lack credibility.
18. PRINCIPLE OF CHARITY - ANSWER: The principle of charity suggests we
should try to understand ideas before criticizing them. #$%^&*
&^%$#$
19. Which of the following are reasons for applying the principle of charity? %^&*&^
- ANSWER: It is morally right to give others the benefit of the doubt. %$#$%^
It allows for a clearer understanding of the issue.
&*(*&^
20. Smith is committed to the belief that technological advancement is always %$#$%^
beneficial and thus never detrimental to human life. Smith reads a carefully &*(*&^
written and sufficiently argued essay in which the author contends that the %$#$%^
human adoption of any new technology involves both advantages and &*(&^%
disadvantages to its adopters. Since Smith is a loyal technophile, Smith accepts
the author's claims about the advantages of technology but rejects the author's $#$%^&
claims about the disadvantages of technology. *(*&^%
Which cognitive bias is Smith demonstrating? - ANSWER: Confirmation Bias #$%^&*
&^%$#$
%^&*(&
^%$#$%
^&*(*&
%$#$%^
