CRITICAL THINKING: REASON AND EVIDENCE D265

CRITICAL THINKING: REASON AND
EVIDENCE D265




Whichwsentencewiswawnon-proposition?

-wIfwthewburglarwdidwnotwgowoutwthewfrontwdoor,wtheywmustwhavewgonewoutwawwindow.
-wThewearthwiswthewthirdwplanetwfromwthewsun.
-wWherewarewthewkeyswtowmywcar?
-wMountwEverestwiswthewtallestwmountainwinwthewworld.w-wans-
✔✔Wherewarewthewkeyswtowmywcar?

Didwthewcompanywreallywclosewthatwdeal?
wItwhaswhadwawgreatwyear.wWherewiswthewpresidentwrightwnow?
wLet'swgowaskwwhetherwthewdealwwaswclosed.


Inwthewabovewparagraph,wwhichwsentencewexpresseswawproposition?w

-wWherewiswthewpresidentwrightwnow?
-wDidwthewcompanywreallywclosewthatwdeal?
-wLet'swgowaskwwhetherwthewdealwwaswclosed.
-wItwhaswhadwawgreatwyear.w-wans-✔✔Itwhaswhadwawgreatwyear.

Propositionsw-wans-✔✔Statementswthatwcanwbewtrueworwfalse.

Non-propositionsw-wans-
✔✔Sentenceswthatwarewnotwstatementswaboutwmatterswofwfactw(orwfiction).wTheywdown
otwmakewawclaimwthatwcanwbewtrueworwfalse.

Whichwsentencewexpresseswawcomplexwproposition?

-wBirthdaywpartieswcanwbewreallywfun.
-wThewcatwatewthewfood,wbutwdidwnotwlikewit.
-wToowmanywemployeeswarewusedwtowhigh-
stresswworkwenvironmentswinwthewUnitedwStates.

,-wWhywdidwthewmonkeywescape,wandwwhowiswresponsible?w-wans-
✔✔Thewcatwatewthewfood,wbutwdidwnotwlikewit.

Ifwthewcomputerwiswnotwfixed,wthenwthewcompanyweitherwneedswtowbuywawnewwoneworw
willwnotwbewablewtowkeepwupwproductivity.
Whichwofwthewfollowingwbreakswdownwthewcomplexwpropositionwabovewintowthewsimple
wpropositions?


-
wIfwthewcomputerwiswnotwfixed,wthenwthewcompanywneedswtowbuywawnewwone.wThewco
mpanywwillwnotwbewablewtowkeepwupwproductivity.
-
wThewcomputerwiswnotwfixed.wThewcompanywneedswtowbuywawnewwcomputer.wThewco
mpanywwillwnotwbewablewtowkeepwupwproductivity.
-
wThewcomputerwiswnotwfixed.wThewcompanyweitherwneedswtowbuywawnewwoneworwwillwn
otwbewablewtowkeepwupwproductivity.
-wThewcompanywdoeswnotwhavewenoughwcomputers.w-wans-
✔✔Thewcomputerwiswnotwfixed.wThewcompanywneedswtowbuywawnewwcomputer.wThewc
ompanywwillwnotwbewablewtowkeepwupwproductivity.

Simplewpropositionsw-wans-
✔✔Simplewpropositionswhavewnowinternalwlogicalwstructure,wmeaningwwhetherwtheywar
ewtrueworwfalsewdoeswnotwdependwonwwhetherwpartwofwthemwiswtrueworwfalse.wTheywar
ewsimplywtrueworwfalsewonwtheirwown.

Complexwpropositionsw-wans-
✔✔Complexwpropositionswhavewinternalwlogicalwstructure,wmeaningwtheywarewcompos
edwofwsimplewpropositions.wWhetherwtheywarewtrueworwfalsewdependswonwwhetherwthei
rwpartswarewtrueworwfalse.

Ifwthewnewwemployeewwantswtowsucceed,wthenwtheywneedwtowshowwupwonwtime.wHoww
manywtimeswhavewwewheardwthewmanagerwcomplainwaboutwtardiness?
wNobodywlikeswaw7wa.m.wstartwtime,wbutwitwwaswinwthewjobwdescription.wWewshouldwre
mindwthewnewwemployeewhowwimportantwthiswis.
Whichwiswawsimplewpropositionwthatwiswexpressedwinwthewabovewparagraph?

-wThewnewwemployeewwantswtowsucceed.
-wHowwmanywtimeswhavewwewheardwthewmanagerwcomplainwaboutwtardiness?
-wThewemployeeswlookwoutwforweachwother.
-wIfwthewnewwemployeewwantswtowsucceed,wthenwtheywneedwtowshowwupwonwtime.w-
wans-✔✔Thewnewwemployeewwantswtowsucceed.


ThewU.S.whealthcarewsystemwiswdifficultwtownavigate,wandwthiswnegativelywaffectswman
ywofwus.wManywpeoplewarewunsurewexactlywhowwtheirwhealthwinsurancewcoveragewwor

, kswandwarewnotwsurewwherewtheywcanwgowtowgetwcare.wWhatwcanwbewdonewtowimprov
ewthis?wIfwchangeswarewnotwmadewsoon,wthewproblemwwillwonlywgetwworse.
Whichwiswawsimplewpropositionwthatwiswexpressedwinwthewabovewparagraph?
-wManywpeoplewarewnotwsurewwherewtheywcanwgowtowgetwcare.
-
wThewU.S.whealthcarewsystemwiswdifficultwtownavigate,wandwthiswnegativelywaffectswma
nywofwus.
-wWhatwcanwbewdonewtowimprovewthis?
-
wManywpeoplewarewunsurewexactlywhowwtheirwhealthwinsurancewcoveragewworkswandw
arewnotwsurewwherewtheywcanwgowtowgetwcare.w-wans-
✔✔Manywpeoplewarewnotwsurewwherewtheywcanwgowtowgetwcare.

Badwinferentialwstructurew-wans-
✔✔Everywargumentwwithwthewsamewstructurewaswthiswargumentwiswbadw(invalidworwwe
ak).wThewpremiseswdownot,winwfact,wdemonstrateworwmaybewevenwsupportwthewconclus
ion.wInwotherwwords,wwewcanwacceptwthewpremiseswaswtruewwithoutwbeingwcompelledwt
owacceptwthewconclusion.wTherewiswsomethingwwrongwwithwthiswargument'swgeneralwst
ructure.

Falsewpremisew-wans-✔✔Thiswparticularwargumentwhaswawpremise/
assumptionwthatwiswfalse.wTherewiswsomethingwwrongwwithwthiswargument'swparticularw
content.

ConclusionwIndicatorsw-wans-
✔✔Therefore,wso,witwfollowswthat,whence,wthus,wentailswthat,wwewmaywconcludewthat,wi
mplieswthat,wwherefore,waswawresult

PremisewIndicatorsw-wans-
✔✔Because,wfor,wgivenwthat,winwthat,was,wsince,waswindicatedwby

"Sincewwewcannotwgowoutwuntilwthewrestaurantwopens,wandwgivenwthatwwewarewtryingwt
owsavewmoney,wwewshouldwjustwhangwoutwherewuntilwcloserwtowdinner."
Whichwstatementswarewthewpremiseswofwthewfollowingwargument?wChoosew2wanswers.

-wWewcannotwgowoutwuntilwthewrestaurantwopens.
-wWewarewtryingwtowsavewmoney.
-wWewshouldwjustwhangwoutwherewuntilwcloserwtowdinner.
-wWewcanwhavewawgoodwtimewwithoutwspendingwmoney.w-wans-✔✔-
wWewcannotwgowoutwuntilwthewrestaurantwopens.


-wWewarewtryingwtowsavewmoney.

Mostwstudentswinwthewclasswscoredwlesswthanw70%wonwthewexam.wThiswmeanswthatwt
hewexamwwaswtoowdifficultwtowaccuratelywassesswstudentwlearning.wTherefore,waswexa