STAT Argument and Evidence Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A study shows that students who eat breakfast score higher on tests. A school principal concludes that serving free breakfast will raise the school's average test scores. Which assumption is the principal making?
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
- Students who currently skip breakfast will eat the free breakfast. (Correct answer)
- Test scores are the best measure of school performance.
- The study was conducted in a school similar to theirs.
Correct answer: Students who currently skip breakfast will eat the free breakfast.
The conclusion only follows if students who skip breakfast choose to eat the free option, which the principal is assuming without evidence.
Question 2: A politician argues: 'We should not ban pesticides because farmers use them to grow food.' This argument is an example of:
- A slippery slope fallacy
- An appeal to authority
- Begging the question
- An irrelevant premise (Correct answer)
Correct answer: An irrelevant premise
The fact that farmers use pesticides does not address whether banning them is good or bad policy, making it an irrelevant premise.
Question 3: Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that a new highway reduced traffic congestion in a city?
- The highway was built on time and within budget.
- Traffic engineers predicted the highway would reduce congestion by 30%.
- Several businesses relocated to areas served by the new highway, increasing vehicle trips. (Correct answer)
- Residents surveyed reported feeling less stressed during their commutes.
Correct answer: Several businesses relocated to areas served by the new highway, increasing vehicle trips.
Induced demand from business relocation would increase traffic, potentially offsetting or reversing any congestion reduction.
Question 4: A researcher claims that social media use causes depression in teenagers. Which study design would provide the strongest evidence for this causal claim?
- A survey asking depressed teenagers how much they use social media
- A comparison of depression rates in countries with different social media access
- A randomized controlled trial restricting social media use for one group of teenagers (Correct answer)
- An analysis of social media company internal engagement data
Correct answer: A randomized controlled trial restricting social media use for one group of teenagers
A randomized controlled trial allows researchers to isolate social media as the cause by controlling all other variables.
Question 5: An argument concludes that 'since no evidence has been found against X, X must be true.' This is an example of:
- Affirming the consequent
- Appeal to ignorance (Correct answer)
- False dichotomy
- Hasty generalization
Correct answer: Appeal to ignorance
An appeal to ignorance treats the absence of evidence against a claim as evidence that the claim is true.
Question 6: A company reports that customer satisfaction increased by 15% after implementing a new policy. A critic notes that industry-wide satisfaction also rose by 20% in the same period. The critic's point suggests:
- The company's data is fabricated.
- The new policy actually performed worse than the industry trend. (Correct answer)
- Customer satisfaction is not a reliable metric.
- The critic does not understand the company's business model.
Correct answer: The new policy actually performed worse than the industry trend.
If the industry average rose 20% but the company only rose 15%, the company's policy may have underperformed relative to external factors.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'straw man' fallacy?
- Dismissing an argument because of who made it
- Misrepresenting an opponent's position to make it easier to attack (Correct answer)
- Presenting only two options when more exist
- Claiming popularity proves correctness
Correct answer: Misrepresenting an opponent's position to make it easier to attack
A straw man fallacy involves distorting or exaggerating an opponent's argument so it can be more easily refuted.
STAT Argument and Evidence Analysis 2
A study shows that students who eat breakfast score higher on tests.
A school principal concludes that serving free breakfast will raise the school's average test scores.
Which assumption is the principal making?