Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Distinguishing Facts from Inferences Questions and Answers

Question 1

Read the following passage: 'Last year, the voluntary turnover rate in the IT department was 15%, which was 5 percentage points higher than the company-wide average.
The company conducted exit interviews with 80% of departing IT employees, and 60% of those interviewed cited 'lack of opportunities for promotion' as a primary reason for leaving.' Based on the passage, which of the following is a FACT?

Accepted Answer

The company-wide average for voluntary turnover was 10%.

Answer

The IT department is dissatisfied with the company's management.

Answer

Improving promotion opportunities would have prevented most of the IT turnover last year.

Answer

The 20% of departing IT employees who were not interviewed left for different reasons than those who were.

Question 2

Read the following passage: 'The new automated quality control system on Assembly Line B was activated on June 1st. In the month of June, the number of product defects recorded from Line B decreased by 22% compared to the month of May. The number of staff hours assigned to Line B remained the same for both months.' Which of the following statements is an INFERENCE drawn from the passage, rather than a fact?

Accepted Answer

The automated system improved product quality on Line B in June.

Answer

The number of staff hours on Line B was constant in May and June.

Answer

Product defects from Line B were lower in June than in May.

Answer

The new quality control system was activated on June 1st.

Question 3

In the context of critical thinking, which of the following best distinguishes a fact from an inference?

Accepted Answer

A fact is a statement of direct observation or verifiable information, while an inference is a conclusion drawn from that information.

Answer

Facts are always quantitative, while inferences are always qualitative.

Answer

Facts are objectively true for everyone, while inferences are personal opinions.

Answer

Facts are simple statements, while inferences are always complex arguments.

Question 4

Read the following passage: 'A recent study on workplace communication found that teams using the 'ProjectFlow' software submitted their weekly status reports on time 95% of the time. Teams using a combination of email and spreadsheets submitted their reports on time 75% of the time. The study's author noted that 'adopting a standardized platform appears to correlate with higher rates of on-time reporting.'' Based on the information provided, which of the following statements is a FACT?

Accepted Answer

The study's author stated that there seems to be a correlation between standardized platforms and on-time reporting.

Answer

ProjectFlow is a superior tool for team communication compared to email.

Answer

Companies will see a 20% increase in on-time reports if they switch to ProjectFlow.

Answer

Teams using email are less organized than teams using ProjectFlow.

Question 5

Read the following passage: 'At the quarterly town hall meeting, the CEO displayed a chart showing that corporate travel expenses had risen 15% over the last quarter. In the subsequent Q&A session, she stated, 'We need to be more mindful of our spending.' The following week, a memo was circulated requiring all non-essential travel to be approved by a department head.' From the passage, which statement is the most reasonable INFERENCE?

Accepted Answer

The CEO's concern about spending prompted the new travel approval policy.

Answer

Corporate travel expenses increased by 15% in the last quarter.

Answer

The new memo requires department head approval for certain types of travel.

Answer

Employees had been taking advantage of the company's travel budget.

Question 6

Read the following passage: 'The city of Northwood's population grew by 8% over the past five years. During the same period, records show that the number of registered library cardholders in Northwood decreased by 3%. The city's budget allocation for the public library system, when adjusted for inflation, remained unchanged during this five-year period.' Which of the following is an INFERENCE that could be drawn from this information?

Accepted Answer

Northwood residents have become less interested in the public library.

Answer

The library's per-capita funding has decreased.

Answer

Fewer people in Northwood hold library cards now than five years ago.

Answer

The city of Northwood's population has increased.