CCTST Interpretation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You read: 'The majority of nutritionists recommend reducing sugar intake.' Which interpretation is most defensible?
- Every nutritionist in the world agrees sugar is harmful.
- More than half of nutritionists surveyed hold this recommendation. (Correct answer)
- Sugar reduction is the single most important dietary change.
- All major health organizations endorse low-sugar diets.
Correct answer: More than half of nutritionists surveyed hold this recommendation.
'Majority' means more than half, so the statement supports only the claim that over 50% of nutritionists hold this view.
Question 2: A table shows that City A has 500 violent crimes and City B has 200 violent crimes per year. City A's population is 1 million; City B's is 100,000. What is the correct interpretation?
- City A is more dangerous because it has more total crimes.
- City B has a higher violent crime rate per capita than City A. (Correct answer)
- City A and City B have the same level of danger.
- City B is safer because it is smaller.
Correct answer: City B has a higher violent crime rate per capita than City A.
City B's rate is 200/100,000 = 0.2%, while City A's is 500/1,000,000 = 0.05%; City B's per-capita rate is four times higher.
Question 3: The phrase 'It is not the case that no students failed' is logically equivalent to which of the following?
- All students failed.
- Some students failed. (Correct answer)
- No students failed.
- Most students failed.
Correct answer: Some students failed.
The double negation ('not…no') resolves to an affirmative: at least one (some) student failed.
Question 4: An article claims: 'Reading fiction improves empathy.' A careful reader should interpret this as:
- A proven causal law applicable to all readers.
- A research-supported claim that likely holds on average but may have exceptions. (Correct answer)
- An opinion with no empirical basis.
- A guarantee that any single novel will increase empathy.
Correct answer: A research-supported claim that likely holds on average but may have exceptions.
Empirical generalizations about psychological effects represent average tendencies with individual variation, not universal exceptionless laws.
Question 5: A witness says, 'I saw John leave the building around midnight.' The word 'around' most significantly affects the interpretation by:
- Implying John was the last person to leave.
- Introducing imprecision about the exact time of departure. (Correct answer)
- Suggesting the witness was not fully conscious.
- Indicating John left through an unusual exit.
Correct answer: Introducing imprecision about the exact time of departure.
'Around midnight' signals approximate rather than precise timing, which is critical for interpreting the evidential value of the claim.
Question 6: When a CCTST question asks you to identify the 'best interpretation' of a passage, you should primarily look for the interpretation that:
- Makes the passage's argument as weak as possible.
- Is most consistent with what the passage explicitly states. (Correct answer)
- Goes furthest beyond what the passage states.
- Aligns with common sense regardless of the text.
Correct answer: Is most consistent with what the passage explicitly states.
The best interpretation stays closest to what the text actually says rather than importing outside assumptions or unwarranted extensions.
Question 7: A company reports its customer satisfaction score rose from 72 to 76 out of 100. The CEO announces: 'We achieved a massive improvement in customer satisfaction.' Is this interpretation warranted?
- Yes, any increase in satisfaction is a major achievement.
- No, a 4-point gain is modest and 'massive' overstates the change. (Correct answer)
- Yes, because 76 is near the top of the scale.
- No, because customer satisfaction scores are inherently unreliable.
Correct answer: No, a 4-point gain is modest and 'massive' overstates the change.
A 4-point increase on a 100-point scale is a measurable but small gain; characterizing it as 'massive' exaggerates the magnitude of change.
CCTST Interpretation 3
You read: 'The majority of nutritionists recommend reducing sugar intake.' Which interpretation is most defensible?