WGU D265 Critical Thinking Reason and Evidence
1. Which sentence is a non-proposition?
- If the burglar did not go out the front door, they must have gone out a
window.
- The earth is the third planet from the sun.
- Where are the keys to my car?
- Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
ANS Where are the keys to my car?
2. Did the company really close that deal? It has had a great year. Where is
the president right now? Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
In the above paragraph, which sentence expresses a proposition?
- Where is the president right now?
- Did the company really close that deal?
- Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
- It has had a great year.
, ANS It has had a great year.
3. Propositions
ANS Statements that can be true or false.
4. Non-propositions
ANS Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or
fiction). They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
5. Which sentence expresses a complex proposition?
- Birthday parties can be really fun.
- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
- Too many employees are used to high-stress work environments in
the United States.
- Why did the monkey escape, and who is responsible?
ANS The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
6. If the computer is not fixed, then the company either needs to buy a new
one or will not be able to keep up productivity.
Which of the following breaks down the complex proposition above into
the simple propositions?
,- If the computer is not fixed, then the company needs to buy a new one.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company either needs to buy a new one or
will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The company does not have enough computers.
ANS The computer is not fixed.
, The company needs to buy a new computer. The company will not be
able to keep up productivity.
7. Simple propositions
ANS Simple propositions have no internal logical structure, meaning
whether they are true or false does not depend on whether part of them
is true or false. They are simply true or false on their own.
8. Complex propositions
ANS Complex propositions have internal logical structure, meaning they
are composed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false
depends on whether their parts are true or false.
9. If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on
time. How many times have we heard the manager complain about
tardiness? Nobody likes a 7 a.m. start time, but it was in the job description.
We should remind the new employee how important this is.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- The new employee wants to succeed.
- How many times have we heard the manager complain about tardiness?
- The employees look out for each other.
1. Which sentence is a non-proposition?
- If the burglar did not go out the front door, they must have gone out a
window.
- The earth is the third planet from the sun.
- Where are the keys to my car?
- Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
ANS Where are the keys to my car?
2. Did the company really close that deal? It has had a great year. Where is
the president right now? Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
In the above paragraph, which sentence expresses a proposition?
- Where is the president right now?
- Did the company really close that deal?
- Let's go ask whether the deal was closed.
- It has had a great year.
, ANS It has had a great year.
3. Propositions
ANS Statements that can be true or false.
4. Non-propositions
ANS Sentences that are not statements about matters of fact (or
fiction). They do not make a claim that can be true or false.
5. Which sentence expresses a complex proposition?
- Birthday parties can be really fun.
- The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
- Too many employees are used to high-stress work environments in
the United States.
- Why did the monkey escape, and who is responsible?
ANS The cat ate the food, but did not like it.
6. If the computer is not fixed, then the company either needs to buy a new
one or will not be able to keep up productivity.
Which of the following breaks down the complex proposition above into
the simple propositions?
,- If the computer is not fixed, then the company needs to buy a new one.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company needs to buy a new computer.
The company will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The computer is not fixed. The company either needs to buy a new one or
will not be able to keep up productivity.
- The company does not have enough computers.
ANS The computer is not fixed.
, The company needs to buy a new computer. The company will not be
able to keep up productivity.
7. Simple propositions
ANS Simple propositions have no internal logical structure, meaning
whether they are true or false does not depend on whether part of them
is true or false. They are simply true or false on their own.
8. Complex propositions
ANS Complex propositions have internal logical structure, meaning they
are composed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false
depends on whether their parts are true or false.
9. If the new employee wants to succeed, then they need to show up on
time. How many times have we heard the manager complain about
tardiness? Nobody likes a 7 a.m. start time, but it was in the job description.
We should remind the new employee how important this is.
Which is a simple proposition that is expressed in the above paragraph?
- The new employee wants to succeed.
- How many times have we heard the manager complain about tardiness?
- The employees look out for each other.
