CCTST Argument Assessment 4

Question 1

Which of the following arguments contains an implicit (unstated) premise?

Accepted Answer

You should eat vegetables because vegetables are healthy

Answer

The argument 'eat vegetables because they are healthy' assumes an unstated premise that 'you should eat what is healthy,' which is needed to connect the premise to the conclusion.

Question 2

The CCTST assesses critical thinking partly by asking test-takers to evaluate argument quality. Which skill is MOST central to this task?

Accepted Answer

Identifying whether reasons actually support conclusions and spotting flawed reasoning

Answer

Argument evaluation fundamentally requires judging whether given reasons adequately support the conclusion and detecting errors in reasoning.

Question 3

A slippery slope argument claims: 'If we allow physician-assisted dying in extreme cases, eventually doctors will euthanize patients without consent.' Without supporting evidence, this argument is weak because:

Accepted Answer

It assumes a chain of events will occur without demonstrating why each step would lead to the next

Answer

A slippery slope fallacy asserts a progression of events without showing that each step is likely or that intermediate safeguards couldn't prevent the alleged outcome.

Question 4

When an arguer defines a term in a biased or loaded way to make their conclusion seem inevitable, this is called:

Accepted Answer

Persuasive definition

Answer

A persuasive definition redefines a term to carry an evaluative bias, steering the audience toward a conclusion by embedding assumptions into the definition.

Question 5

In the argument: 'No true American would support this policy, and since you support it, you are not a true American,' which fallacy is most evident?

Accepted Answer

No true Scotsman fallacy (moving the goalposts)

Answer

The 'no true Scotsman' fallacy redefines membership in a group to exclude counterexamples, making the original claim unfalsifiable.

(CCTST) California Critical Thinking Skills Test Practice Test

(CCTST) California Critical Thinking Skills Test Practice Test

CCTST Argument Assessment 4