ieGAT Critical Thinking and Argumentation 3

Question 1

A researcher concludes: 'Countries with higher chocolate consumption have more Nobel laureates per capita; therefore, eating chocolate boosts cognitive performance.' Which statement best identifies the error?

Accepted Answer

Wealth is a confounding variable — richer countries afford more chocolate and also invest more in education and research.

Answer

National wealth explains both higher chocolate consumption and greater Nobel Prize output; the correlation does not imply a causal link between chocolate and intelligence.

Question 2

Which of the following arguments is logically valid?

Accepted Answer

All mammals breathe air. Dolphins are mammals. Therefore, dolphins breathe air.

Answer

This syllogism is valid: if all mammals breathe air and dolphins are mammals, it necessarily follows that dolphins breathe air.

Question 3

A manager says: 'We have always done it this way, and the company has been profitable, so we should continue.' Which fallacy is this?

Accepted Answer

Appeal to tradition

Answer

Justifying a practice purely because it has been followed historically, without evaluating its merits, is an appeal to tradition.

Question 4

Which of the following best represents a valid modus tollens argument?

Accepted Answer

If the system fails, alerts trigger. Alerts did not trigger. Therefore, the system did not fail.

Answer

Modus tollens: 'If P then Q; not Q; therefore not P.' Alerts not triggering allows the valid inference that the system did not fail.

Question 5

An entrepreneur argues: 'Critics said social media would ruin communication, but it has connected billions of people. Critics must be wrong about artificial intelligence harming jobs too.' What is the main flaw?

Accepted Answer

Being wrong about one prediction does not make a critic wrong about an entirely different prediction.

Answer

A poor track record in one domain does not invalidate a source's judgement on an unrelated topic; each claim must be evaluated on its own merits.

ieGAT - IE Global Admissions Test Practice Test

ieGAT - IE Global Admissions Test Practice Test

ieGAT Critical Thinking and Argumentation 3