Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Analyzing Conclusions Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

A study found that employees who participate in wellness programs take fewer sick days.
A manager concludes that wellness programs cause employees to be healthier.
Which statement best evaluates this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The conclusion may be flawed because healthier employees may self-select into wellness programs.

Answer

The conclusion is proven because the data is from a formal study.

Answer

The conclusion is valid since fewer sick days directly equals better health.

Answer

The conclusion is invalid because wellness programs never affect health outcomes.

Question 2

Statement: 'All mammals are warm-blooded. Dolphins are mammals.' Conclusion: 'Therefore, dolphins are warm-blooded.' Evaluate this conclusion.

Accepted Answer

The conclusion follows necessarily from the given statements.

Answer

The conclusion does not follow because dolphins live in cold water.

Answer

The conclusion is probably true but requires further evidence.

Answer

The conclusion follows only if dolphins are also vertebrates.

Question 3

A city council reports that after installing more streetlights, crime rates dropped by 20%. A council member concludes that the streetlights reduced crime. What is the strongest challenge to this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

Crime rates were already declining before streetlights were installed.

Answer

Streetlights are expensive, so any benefit is outweighed by cost.

Answer

The 20% figure is too small to be meaningful.

Answer

Streetlights only work at night, limiting their impact.

Question 4

Research shows that children who eat breakfast perform better academically. A school policy maker concludes that providing free breakfasts will improve all students' grades. Which conclusion is best supported?

Accepted Answer

Providing breakfasts may help students who previously skipped breakfast but may not affect those who already ate.

Answer

Free breakfasts will definitely raise every student's grades by improving nutrition.

Answer

Academic performance is unrelated to nutrition, so the policy will have no effect.

Answer

The research proves that breakfast is the only factor affecting academic performance.

Question 5

An economist states: 'Countries with higher chocolate consumption have more Nobel Prize winners per capita.' She concludes that chocolate boosts brain function. How should this conclusion be classified?

Accepted Answer

Likely false — the conclusion confuses correlation with causation and ignores confounding variables.

Answer

Definitely true — the data shows a strong positive correlation.

Answer

True, provided the study was peer-reviewed.

Answer

Partially true because some ingredients in chocolate may improve memory.

Question 6

A doctor notices that patients prescribed a new drug recovered faster than historical records suggest. She concludes that the drug is effective. What is the primary weakness in this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

There is no control group, so other factors (better nursing, newer equipment) may explain the faster recovery.

Answer

Historical records are always accurate, so the comparison is unfair.

Answer

The drug must be tested on animals first before concluding it works in humans.

Answer

Recovery speed is not a valid measure of drug effectiveness.