CCTST Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher claims that a new drug reduces anxiety because patients who took it reported feeling calmer. What is the primary flaw in this evaluation?
- The sample size may be too small
- There is no control group to rule out placebo effects (Correct answer)
- The drug has not been tested long enough
- The patients may have lied about their symptoms
Correct answer: There is no control group to rule out placebo effects
Without a control group, there is no way to determine whether the improvement was due to the drug or the placebo effect.
Question 2: Which of the following best evaluates the strength of an analogy used in an argument?
- Whether the analogy uses vivid language
- Whether the two situations share relevant similarities (Correct answer)
- Whether the analogy is well-known to the audience
- Whether the analogy is emotionally compelling
Correct answer: Whether the two situations share relevant similarities
A strong analogy depends on whether the compared situations share properties that are relevant to the conclusion being drawn.
Question 3: An editorial argues: 'We should ban social media because teenagers who use it have higher rates of depression.' What evaluation concern does this raise?
- The argument uses an appeal to authority
- Correlation is being treated as causation (Correct answer)
- The argument commits a slippery slope fallacy
- The premise is irrelevant to the conclusion
Correct answer: Correlation is being treated as causation
Higher rates of depression among social media users does not establish that social media causes depression; other factors may explain the correlation.
Question 4: To evaluate whether a statistic is trustworthy, which question is MOST important to ask?
- How dramatic is the number?
- Who collected the data and what was their methodology? (Correct answer)
- Does the statistic support the speaker's position?
- Has the statistic been repeated in conversation?
Correct answer: Who collected the data and what was their methodology?
The credibility of a statistic depends heavily on the data collection method and the neutrality or expertise of the source.
Question 5: A policy analyst evaluates two competing solutions to traffic congestion. Solution A reduces commute times by 12% with high cost; Solution B reduces commute times by 8% with low cost. The analyst recommends Solution B. Which evaluative criterion is she applying?
- Effectiveness alone
- Cost-effectiveness (Correct answer)
- Feasibility
- Public popularity
Correct answer: Cost-effectiveness
Recommending the less effective but cheaper option reflects a cost-effectiveness judgment that weighs benefit against cost.
Question 6: Which of the following is a sign that an argument's conclusion is too broad relative to its evidence?
- The evidence is from a reliable source
- The conclusion applies universally but the evidence comes from a limited sample (Correct answer)
- The argument includes multiple premises
- The conclusion is stated at the end of the argument
Correct answer: The conclusion applies universally but the evidence comes from a limited sample
Overgeneralization occurs when a conclusion makes a universal claim but the supporting evidence is drawn from a narrow or unrepresentative sample.
Question 7: In evaluating an argument, what does it mean for a premise to be 'relevant'?
- The premise is true and well-sourced
- The premise bears a logical connection to supporting the conclusion (Correct answer)
- The premise is easy for the audience to understand
- The premise appears early in the argument
Correct answer: The premise bears a logical connection to supporting the conclusion
A premise is relevant when it logically contributes to establishing the truth or likelihood of the conclusion.
CCTST Evaluation 2
A researcher claims that a new drug reduces anxiety because patients who took it reported feeling calmer.
What is the primary flaw in this evaluation?