TEAS Reading: Inference and Critical Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A writer argues a product is the best on the market, citing only reviews posted on the seller's own website. The main weakness in this reasoning is:
- The sample size is too large
- The evidence comes from a biased source (Correct answer)
- The reviews are too detailed
- The product is too expensive
Correct answer: The evidence comes from a biased source
Reviews on the seller's own site are a biased source and cannot objectively prove the product is best.
Question 2: Which sentence states an opinion rather than a fact?
- The bridge spans 1,200 meters
- The bridge was completed in 1998
- The bridge is the most beautiful structure in the country (Correct answer)
- The bridge carries four lanes of traffic
Correct answer: The bridge is the most beautiful structure in the country
Calling the bridge the most beautiful is a subjective judgment, making it an opinion.
Question 3: An author writes, "Critics claim the law failed, yet crime fell every year it was in effect." The author's purpose is most likely to:
- Agree with the critics
- Counter the critics with evidence (Correct answer)
- Describe the law neutrally
- Question whether crime data exists
Correct answer: Counter the critics with evidence
Presenting declining crime against the critics' claim is meant to counter them with evidence.
Question 4: A passage's tone shifts from admiring a leader's vision to listing the projects he never finished. This shift suggests the author's overall attitude is:
- Wholly positive
- Wholly negative
- Mixed or critical despite some praise (Correct answer)
- Indifferent
Correct answer: Mixed or critical despite some praise
Praising vision but emphasizing unfinished work signals a mixed, ultimately critical attitude.
Question 5: Which of the following is the best example of a logical conclusion drawn from evidence?
- The store is closed, so it must be bankrupt
- The lights are off and the door is locked, so the store is closed (Correct answer)
- The store has a red sign, so it is the best store
- The store is empty, so the products are bad
Correct answer: The lights are off and the door is locked, so the store is closed
Lights off and a locked door reasonably support the conclusion that the store is closed.
Question 6: An author repeatedly uses words like "shocking," "disastrous," and "alarming" to describe a policy. This word choice reveals the author's:
- Neutral reporting
- Strong negative bias (Correct answer)
- Use of statistics
- Support for the policy
Correct answer: Strong negative bias
Emotionally charged negative words reveal the author's strong bias against the policy.
Question 7: A study found that students who ate breakfast scored higher on tests. A flawed conclusion would be:
- Breakfast may be associated with better scores
- Eating breakfast guarantees high test scores (Correct answer)
- More research could clarify the link
- Other factors might also affect scores
Correct answer: Eating breakfast guarantees high test scores
Claiming breakfast guarantees high scores overstates a correlation as if it were proven causation.
TEAS Reading: Inference and Critical Analysis 3
A writer argues a product is the best on the market, citing only reviews posted on the seller's own website.
The main weakness in this reasoning is: