GAT GAT Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An analogy question on the GAT presents HAMMER : NAIL :: PAINTBRUSH : ____. The correct answer is:
- Canvas
- Artist
- Paint (Correct answer)
- Sculpture
Correct answer: Paint
A hammer drives a nail; a paintbrush applies paint — both tools are paired with the material they directly act upon.
Question 2: Which problem-solving model involves defining the problem, generating options, evaluating options, and implementing a solution?
- PDCA cycle
- IDEAL model (Correct answer)
- Socratic method
- Bloom's taxonomy
Correct answer: IDEAL model
The IDEAL model (Identify, Define, Explore, Act, Look back) is a structured five-step problem-solving framework.
Question 3: A GAT passage argues that 'since crime rates fell after a new police chief was hired, the chief caused the drop.' This is an example of:
- Sound deductive reasoning
- Post hoc fallacy (Correct answer)
- Valid induction
- A priori reasoning
Correct answer: Post hoc fallacy
Attributing the crime drop solely to the new chief because it followed the hiring is a classic post hoc fallacy.
Question 4: When evaluating the strength of an argument, which question is MOST important to ask?
- Is the conclusion emotionally appealing?
- Is the conclusion well-supported by the evidence? (Correct answer)
- Is the author well-known?
- Is the writing style persuasive?
Correct answer: Is the conclusion well-supported by the evidence?
Argument strength depends on whether the evidence logically and sufficiently supports the conclusion, not on rhetoric or authority.
Question 5: Which cognitive skill involves breaking a complex topic into its component parts to understand it better?
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
- Analysis (Correct answer)
- Application
Correct answer: Analysis
Analysis, as defined in Bloom's Taxonomy, is the skill of decomposing information into its constituent parts to examine relationships.
Question 6: On a GAT critical thinking section, an 'assumption' in an argument is best defined as:
- A stated conclusion
- An unstated premise the argument depends on (Correct answer)
- A piece of contradictory evidence
- A rhetorical question
Correct answer: An unstated premise the argument depends on
An assumption is an unstated belief or premise that the argument requires to be true for its conclusion to hold.
GAT GAT Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 2
An analogy question on the GAT presents HAMMER : NAIL :: PAINTBRUSH : ____.
The correct answer is: