TalentLens Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking 5

Question 1

A researcher notices that ice cream sales and drowning rates both peak in summer. She should conclude:

Accepted Answer

Both variables are likely influenced by a third factor—hot weather—rather than one causing the other

Answer

A common cause (summer heat) explains both variables; assuming one causes the other is a spurious correlation error.

Question 2

Passage: 'No complaints were filed against the product last quarter.' A weak inference from this statement would be:

Accepted Answer

Customers were fully satisfied with the product last quarter

Answer

Zero complaints does not imply satisfaction; customers may have been dissatisfied but chose not to complain or lacked a mechanism to do so.

Question 3

Which of the following questions BEST tests recognition of assumptions in an argument?

Accepted Answer

What must be true for this conclusion to follow from these premises?

Answer

Identifying what must be assumed to bridge premises and conclusion is the core skill in recognizing hidden assumptions.

Question 4

Evaluate: 'This painkiller must be effective because it has been used for centuries in traditional medicine.' This argument relies on:

Accepted Answer

Appeal to tradition as a substitute for clinical evidence

Answer

Long use is not evidence of efficacy; many traditional remedies have been shown ineffective or harmful under rigorous testing.

Question 5

An analyst claims: 'Our website traffic doubled after we redesigned the homepage, proving the redesign was a success.' What key piece of information is missing to validate this claim?

Accepted Answer

Whether other factors such as a marketing campaign also occurred around the same time

Answer

Without ruling out concurrent confounding events, the traffic increase cannot be attributed solely to the redesign.

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TalentLens Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking 5