Verbal Reasoning and Critical Thinking Flashcards

You read the following: 'No projects that exceed budget are approved. This project was approved.' What can you logically conclude?

Answer: This project did not exceed budget

Since no over-budget projects are approved and this project was approved, it must logically follow that it did not exceed budget.

Which of the following best describes 'confirmation bias' as it relates to critical thinking?

Answer: Seeking out information that confirms your existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence

Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that supports pre-existing beliefs and to discount evidence that challenges them.

A passage reads: 'Highly engaged employees are 21% more productive. Our company has high engagement scores.' Which conclusion is best supported?

Answer: Our company's productivity is likely higher than companies with low engagement

The data supports a likely productivity advantage over low-engagement companies, but does not guarantee a specific figure or rank above all competitors.

When reading a business report, identifying the author's main argument, supporting evidence, and underlying assumptions is a process known as:

Answer: Active reading and critical analysis

Active reading combined with critical analysis involves deliberately identifying the argument structure, the quality of evidence, and the assumptions that underpin the author's claims.

Which statement most accurately reflects a 'false dichotomy' fallacy in workplace reasoning?

Answer: 'Either we cut costs dramatically or the company will certainly fail.'

A false dichotomy presents only two options when other alternatives exist; the statement ignores many possible strategies between drastic cuts and failure.

In critical thinking, the term 'premise' refers to:

Answer: A statement offered as evidence or reason to support a conclusion

A premise is a foundational statement or piece of evidence that supports the conclusion of an argument.

A colleague argues: 'We've always done client reviews quarterly, so we shouldn't change to monthly reviews.' This is an example of which fallacy?

Answer: Appeal to tradition

An appeal to tradition argues that something is correct or better simply because it has been done that way historically, without evaluating whether it is still the best approach.