TSA Critical Thinking & Logical Reasoning Flashcards

In TSA critical thinking, what is the primary purpose of identifying an argument's conclusion?

Answer: To understand what the argument is trying to establish or prove

The conclusion is the main claim the argument seeks to establish, which all premises are designed to support.

Which of the following best describes an 'assumption' in critical thinking?

Answer: An unstated premise that the argument depends upon to be valid

An assumption is an unstated premise that must be true for the argument's conclusion to follow from its stated reasons.

An argument states: 'All athletes train daily. Maria trains daily. Therefore, Maria is an athlete.' What logical flaw does this contain?

Answer: Affirming the consequent

This is affirming the consequent — just because athletes train daily doesn't mean everyone who trains daily is an athlete.

In a TSA passage, if new evidence 'strengthens' an argument, what does this mean?

Answer: It makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises

Strengthening evidence increases the probability that the conclusion follows from the argument's premises.

Which critical thinking skill involves recognizing that two situations share the same logical structure?

Answer: Identifying parallel reasoning

Identifying parallel reasoning requires recognizing when two arguments share the same logical form, even if the subject matter differs.

A 'flaw' in a TSA argument most commonly refers to:

Answer: A fault in the logical structure that undermines the conclusion

In TSA critical thinking, a flaw is a logical error in the reasoning that weakens or invalidates the conclusion.