CCTST Analysis 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A textbook passage presents a position, then describes objections, then rebuts them. The best analytical description of this structure is:
- Dialectical argumentation that anticipates and responds to counterarguments (Correct answer)
- A list of unrelated claims
- Circular reasoning
- An appeal to emotion
Correct answer: Dialectical argumentation that anticipates and responds to counterarguments
Presenting objections and then rebutting them is a dialectical strategy that strengthens a position by engaging with opposing views.
Question 2: Which of the following represents an inference rather than a direct observation?
- The suspect must have entered through the window, given the broken glass inside (Correct answer)
- The window is broken
- There is glass on the floor
- The door is locked
Correct answer: The suspect must have entered through the window, given the broken glass inside
The inference goes beyond what is directly observed (broken glass, locked door) to conclude something not directly seen (entry through the window).
Question 3: In analyzing a legal statute, a lawyer finds that a key term is undefined. The best analytical approach is to:
- Apply the ordinary meaning of the term, look for definitions elsewhere in the statute, and examine legislative intent (Correct answer)
- Use the broadest possible definition to cover all cases
- Assume the term is synonymous with the nearest defined term
- Ignore the term and proceed based on the statute's title
Correct answer: Apply the ordinary meaning of the term, look for definitions elsewhere in the statute, and examine legislative intent
Legal analysis prioritizes ordinary meaning, internal statutory context, and legislative history when a term is undefined.
Question 4: An argument's conclusion states: 'Therefore, we should ban all social media.' The premises discuss harms to teenagers. The best analytical critique is:
- The conclusion is broader than the evidence, which addresses only one demographic (Correct answer)
- The evidence is irrelevant to social media
- Social media cannot be regulated
- The premises are emotionally biased
Correct answer: The conclusion is broader than the evidence, which addresses only one demographic
Evidence about one group (teenagers) does not automatically justify a sweeping conclusion affecting everyone.
Question 5: Which of the following best illustrates the difference between an explanation and an argument?
- An argument tries to convince you a claim is true; an explanation tries to show why something already accepted as true is the case (Correct answer)
- An argument uses facts; an explanation uses opinions
- An explanation is longer than an argument
- An argument is written; an explanation is spoken
Correct answer: An argument tries to convince you a claim is true; an explanation tries to show why something already accepted as true is the case
Arguments are persuasive—they provide reasons to believe a claim; explanations are descriptive—they clarify why something known to be true is so.
Question 6: A study finds that people who own pets live longer on average. Before concluding that pets extend lifespan, an analyst should consider:
- Whether healthier, more active people are also more likely to own pets (reverse causation or confounding) (Correct answer)
- Whether the study was funded by a pet company
- Whether the participants liked their pets
- Whether the study included exotic animals
Correct answer: Whether healthier, more active people are also more likely to own pets (reverse causation or confounding)
Healthier people may be more likely to own and care for pets, meaning health causes pet ownership rather than the reverse.
Question 7: Which of the following is the most analytically sound way to handle two credible sources that reach opposite conclusions on the same question?
- Examine each source's methodology, data quality, and assumptions to assess which conclusion is better supported (Correct answer)
- Accept the conclusion of the more recent source
- Dismiss both sources as unreliable
- Average the two conclusions
Correct answer: Examine each source's methodology, data quality, and assumptions to assess which conclusion is better supported
Conflicting credible sources require a deeper methodological comparison rather than automatic deference to recency or rejection of both.
CCTST Analysis 5
A textbook passage presents a position, then describes objections, then rebuts them.
The best analytical description of this structure is: