ILEARN Critical Thinking 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads two articles about the same science experiment — one says it succeeded, the other says it failed. What is the BEST first step?
- Accept the article that was published first
- Check who conducted and funded each study (Correct answer)
- Assume both articles are equally wrong
- Ignore both and find a video instead
Correct answer: Check who conducted and funded each study
Identifying the source, author credentials, and funding helps evaluate the reliability and potential bias of each article.
Question 2: Which question best helps a reader identify an author's BIAS?
- How many pages is the article?
- What point of view does the author consistently favor? (Correct answer)
- Is the article written in first person?
- Does the article use bullet points?
Correct answer: What point of view does the author consistently favor?
Recognizing a pattern of favoring one viewpoint reveals potential bias in the author's reasoning.
Question 3: A graph shows rising ice cream sales and rising drowning rates in summer. What logical error would it be to conclude that ice cream causes drowning?
- Circular reasoning
- False dilemma
- Correlation vs. causation (Correct answer)
- Ad hominem
Correct answer: Correlation vs. causation
Both trends are caused by hot weather (a third variable), so confusing correlation with causation is the error.
Question 4: When evaluating an argument, what does it mean if a premise is TRUE but the conclusion does NOT logically follow?
- The argument is sound
- The argument is valid but unsound
- The argument is invalid (Correct answer)
- The argument has no flaws
Correct answer: The argument is invalid
If the conclusion does not logically follow from the premises, the argument is invalid regardless of whether the premises are true.
Question 5: A classmate argues, 'Everyone is buying this phone, so it must be the best one.' Which fallacy is this?
- Straw man
- Bandwagon (ad populum) (Correct answer)
- Slippery slope
- False analogy
Correct answer: Bandwagon (ad populum)
The bandwagon fallacy assumes something is good or true simply because many people believe or do it.
Question 6: Which piece of evidence would BEST support the claim that regular exercise improves academic performance?
- A personal story from one student who exercises
- A peer-reviewed study tracking 500 students over two years (Correct answer)
- An advertisement from a gym
- A social media post by a fitness influencer
Correct answer: A peer-reviewed study tracking 500 students over two years
Peer-reviewed research with a large sample size provides the strongest empirical support for a claim.
Question 7: A student is asked to distinguish FACT from OPINION. Which statement is a FACT?
- Math is the most important school subject
- The American Civil War ended in 1865 (Correct answer)
- History class is more interesting than science
- Students should have more recess time
Correct answer: The American Civil War ended in 1865
The end date of the Civil War is a verifiable historical fact, while the other statements reflect personal judgments.
ILEARN Critical Thinking 2
A student reads two articles about the same science experiment — one says it succeeded, the other says it failed.
What is the BEST first step?