Critical Thinking Flashcards
7 cards from real Mettl practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Critical Thinking flashcards as text
A quality control manager reviews defect data for six months and concludes that Fridays have the highest defect rate. The most critical next step before making policy changes is to:
Answer: Determine whether the pattern is statistically significant or could be due to random variation.
Small samples or random fluctuation can create apparent patterns; statistical significance testing determines whether the pattern is real.
Which of the following best represents an 'ad hominem' fallacy?
Answer: Dismissing a climate report because the scientist who wrote it once declared bankruptcy
Ad hominem attacks the person rather than the argument; personal financial history is irrelevant to scientific methodology.
Two employees interpret the same customer satisfaction data differently: one sees improvement, the other sees decline. The most likely reason is:
Answer: They are applying different benchmarks or time frames to the same data.
Different reference points, time periods, or metrics can lead to conflicting valid interpretations of the same dataset.
Which of the following is the best example of an 'if-then' conditional statement being used in a logically valid modus tollens form?
Answer: If it rains, the ground is wet. The ground is not wet. Therefore it did not rain.
Modus tollens: 'If P then Q; not Q; therefore not P'—denying the consequent to deny the antecedent.
A financial advisor recommends a fund solely because it had the highest returns over the past three years. A critical thinker would challenge this recommendation by noting:
Answer: Past performance is not a reliable predictor of future returns.
Extrapolating future performance from past results ignores regression to the mean and changing market conditions.
When constructing a sound argument, which pair of properties must both be present?
Answer: Validity and true premises
A sound argument must be logically valid (correct structure) and have all true premises, ensuring the conclusion is also true.
An operations team is told: 'If we don't upgrade the software now, the system will fail within a year.' The most critical thinker's immediate response is to ask:
Answer: What evidence supports the prediction that the system will fail, and how was that timeline estimated?
Before accepting a dire prediction as justification for action, one must evaluate the evidence and reasoning behind it.