ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS
What is critical thinking? - Ans ✅✅-"is the art of thinking about thinking while thinking
in order to make thinking better"
What 3 interlinking dimensions is critical thinking comprised of? - Ans ✅✅-1.
Analyzing one's own thinking (breaking into parts)
2. Evaluating one's own thinking (identify strength and weakness)
3. Improving one's own thinking (reconstructing it to make it better)
What is the goal of critical thinking? - Ans ✅✅-to brings one's best thinking to bear in
every realm of one's lief and in any set of circumstance
What are some impediments to sound thinking? - Ans ✅✅-* generalizations
* stereotyping
* fixed vantage point
* forming false beliefs
* dismiss views conflicting w/own
* deceptive thought
What is egocentrism? - Ans ✅✅-the tendency to view everything in relationship to
oneself
What is sociocentrism? - Ans ✅✅-the assumption that one's own social group is
inherently superior to all others
What will a well-cultivated critical thinker do? - Ans ✅✅-* raise vital questions
* gather / assess relevant info
* reach well-reasoned conclusion
* think open-mindedly
* communicate effectively
What is first order thinking? (ordinary thinking) - Ans ✅✅-* Spontaneous and non-
reflective
* Contains insight, prejudice,
good and bad reasoning
* Indiscriminately combined
What is second order thinking? (critical thinking) - Ans ✅✅-first-order thinking that is
consciously realized (analyzed, assessed, and reconstructed)
What is weak-sense critical thinking? - Ans ✅✅-ignore flaws in own thinking and often
seek to "win" through intellectual trickery or deceipt
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, What is strong-sense critical thinking? - Ans ✅✅-defined by a consistent pursuit of
what is intellectually fair and just.
Ethical, empathetic, reasonable, able to change opinion
What is it to be fair-minded? - Ans ✅✅-to bring an unbiased and unprejudiced
perspective to all viewpoints relevant to a situation
What is it to be intellectually unfair? - Ans ✅✅-no responsibility to represent differing
viewpoints
always see yourself as right and just
self-deceptive
What are characteristics of intellectual humility? (trait of critical thinker) - Ans ✅✅-*
discover one's own ignorance on any issue
* don't / can't know everything
* conscious of one's bias / prejudice
* aware of limitations of one's viewpoint
* only claim what you know
*egocentrism is self-deceiving
What are characteristics of intellectual courage? (trait of critical thinker) - Ans ✅✅-*
confront ideas / viewpoints even when uncomfortable
* fairness toward beliefs where there is negativity or has already been dismissed
* challenge popular belief
What are characteristics of intellectual empathy? (trait of critical thinker) - Ans ✅✅-*
inhabit the perspective of others in order to understand them
* reconstruct other viewpoints and reasoning
* ability to reason from premises and ideas not your own
* motivation to be wrong when you had strong conviction you were right
What are characteristics of intellectual integrity? (trait of critical thinker) - Ans ✅✅-*
holding yourself to same standards you expect of others
* practice what you preach
* admit flaws and inconsistencies
* identify weakness in own thinking
* beliefs and actions are consistent with each other
What are characteristics of intellectual perseverance? (trait of critical thinker) - Ans
✅✅-* keep going despite frustrations
* reason through complex issues carefully and methodically
* follow rational principle rather than trusting initial impressions
* realize that true insight comes with tough thought over time
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