SECTION 1: CRITICAL THINKING D265
WGU QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS 100%
CORRECT RATED A+
Validity or Strength of an Argument
Definition:
o Strong Argument: An argument is considered strong if the reasoning
behind it is convincing and persuasive, especially if the premises are
true. Strong arguments provide substantial support for the conclusion.
o Valid Argument: An argument is valid if the premises, assuming
they are true, logically lead to the conclusion. In a valid argument, it's
impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false.
Example:
o Strong: "All humans are mortal. Socrates is a human. Therefore,
Socrates is mortal." (The reasoning is strong and the premises are
true.)
o Valid: If the premises are true, the conclusion follows logically, even
if the premises are not factually accurate. For example, "All fish can
fly. Nemo is a fish. Therefore, Nemo can fly." This is valid, but not
sound (because the first premise is false).
Types of Inferences
1. Deduction
o Definition: Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing a specific
conclusion from a general premise. It works from the general to the
specific, where the conclusion is certain and follows directly from the
premises.
o Example:
Premise 1: All men are mortal.
, Premise 2: Socrates is a man.
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.
In deductive reasoning, if the premises are true, the conclusion
must be true.
2. Induction
o Definition: Inductive reasoning is the process of drawing a general
conclusion from specific observations or examples. It works from the
specific to the general. Inductive conclusions are probable but not
certain.
o Example:
Observation 1: Every swan I've seen is white.
Observation 2: I’ve seen 100 swans in my life.
Conclusion: All swans are white.
While this conclusion might be reasonable based on the
observations, it’s not certain (there might be black swans
elsewhere).
3. Abduction
o Definition: Abductive reasoning is the process of finding the best
explanation for a set of observations. It’s often used to form
hypotheses or theories. Abduction doesn’t guarantee a conclusion but
proposes the most likely explanation.
o Example:
Observation: The grass is wet outside.
Possible explanations:
1. It rained last night.
2. Someone watered the garden.
3. The sprinklers were on.
Conclusion: It probably rained last night.
Abduction works by considering the most plausible cause for
the observed facts.
WGU QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS 100%
CORRECT RATED A+
Validity or Strength of an Argument
Definition:
o Strong Argument: An argument is considered strong if the reasoning
behind it is convincing and persuasive, especially if the premises are
true. Strong arguments provide substantial support for the conclusion.
o Valid Argument: An argument is valid if the premises, assuming
they are true, logically lead to the conclusion. In a valid argument, it's
impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false.
Example:
o Strong: "All humans are mortal. Socrates is a human. Therefore,
Socrates is mortal." (The reasoning is strong and the premises are
true.)
o Valid: If the premises are true, the conclusion follows logically, even
if the premises are not factually accurate. For example, "All fish can
fly. Nemo is a fish. Therefore, Nemo can fly." This is valid, but not
sound (because the first premise is false).
Types of Inferences
1. Deduction
o Definition: Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing a specific
conclusion from a general premise. It works from the general to the
specific, where the conclusion is certain and follows directly from the
premises.
o Example:
Premise 1: All men are mortal.
, Premise 2: Socrates is a man.
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.
In deductive reasoning, if the premises are true, the conclusion
must be true.
2. Induction
o Definition: Inductive reasoning is the process of drawing a general
conclusion from specific observations or examples. It works from the
specific to the general. Inductive conclusions are probable but not
certain.
o Example:
Observation 1: Every swan I've seen is white.
Observation 2: I’ve seen 100 swans in my life.
Conclusion: All swans are white.
While this conclusion might be reasonable based on the
observations, it’s not certain (there might be black swans
elsewhere).
3. Abduction
o Definition: Abductive reasoning is the process of finding the best
explanation for a set of observations. It’s often used to form
hypotheses or theories. Abduction doesn’t guarantee a conclusion but
proposes the most likely explanation.
o Example:
Observation: The grass is wet outside.
Possible explanations:
1. It rained last night.
2. Someone watered the garden.
3. The sprinklers were on.
Conclusion: It probably rained last night.
Abduction works by considering the most plausible cause for
the observed facts.
