ATSW Critical Thinking 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which instructional strategy MOST directly builds students' ability to distinguish fact from opinion?
- Asking students to summarize a passage in fewer words
- Presenting paired texts with opposing viewpoints and asking students to identify verifiable claims (Correct answer)
- Requiring students to memorize key vocabulary before reading
- Using graphic organizers to sequence story events
Correct answer: Presenting paired texts with opposing viewpoints and asking students to identify verifiable claims
Comparing texts with opposing viewpoints forces students to identify what can be verified versus what reflects a perspective.
Question 2: A student uses a straw man fallacy. Which response best describes this error?
- The student exaggerates an opponent's position to make it easier to refute (Correct answer)
- The student supports a position with irrelevant emotional appeals
- The student assumes the conclusion is true in the premise
- The student attacks the opponent's character instead of the argument
Correct answer: The student exaggerates an opponent's position to make it easier to refute
A straw man misrepresents another's argument in a weakened or distorted form to make it simpler to attack.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST exemplifies deductive reasoning?
- Surveying 50 students and concluding most prefer online homework
- Noticing that three experiments yielded similar results and forming a hypothesis
- Applying the rule 'All mammals breathe air' to conclude that a whale breathes air (Correct answer)
- Asking open-ended questions to explore an unfamiliar topic
Correct answer: Applying the rule 'All mammals breathe air' to conclude that a whale breathes air
Deductive reasoning applies a general rule to a specific case to reach a logically certain conclusion.
Question 4: A teacher assesses critical thinking by asking students to evaluate a scientific claim. Which student response shows the HIGHEST level of critical analysis?
- 'The article says the claim is true, so I believe it.'
- 'The study used a large sample, but I noticed it lacked a control group, which weakens the conclusion.' (Correct answer)
- 'I agree because the researcher has a PhD.'
- 'The claim sounds reasonable based on what we learned in class.'
Correct answer: 'The study used a large sample, but I noticed it lacked a control group, which weakens the conclusion.'
Identifying a specific methodological flaw (missing control group) demonstrates evidence-based evaluation rather than deference to authority.
Question 5: When students encounter conflicting information from two credible sources, the most critical thinking approach is to:
- Accept the more recently published source as correct
- Choose the source that aligns with their prior knowledge
- Examine the methodology, context, and evidence behind each source (Correct answer)
- Discard both sources and find a third
Correct answer: Examine the methodology, context, and evidence behind each source
Evaluating the methodology and evidence of each source allows a reasoned judgment about which is more reliable.
Question 6: A teacher wants to assess whether students can identify assumptions. Which prompt is MOST appropriate?
- Summarize the author's main idea.
- List three facts from the passage.
- What does the author take for granted that may not be true? (Correct answer)
- Describe the setting of the passage.
Correct answer: What does the author take for granted that may not be true?
Asking what the author takes for granted directly targets the skill of identifying unstated assumptions.
Question 7: Which scenario BEST represents the slippery slope fallacy?
- Claiming that allowing students to redo one test will inevitably lead to no grading standards at all (Correct answer)
- Arguing that homework is useful because research supports it
- Stating that two events are related because they occurred at the same time
- Asserting that either students study hard or they will fail
Correct answer: Claiming that allowing students to redo one test will inevitably lead to no grading standards at all
A slippery slope fallacy assumes that one small step will inevitably cause an extreme, unjustified chain of events.
ATSW Critical Thinking 3
Which instructional strategy MOST directly builds students' ability to distinguish fact from opinion?