Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Analyzing Conclusions Questions and Answers 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Statement: The city's crime rate dropped 20% after new streetlights were installed in high-crime areas. City officials conclude the streetlights reduced crime. An analyst notes that a large police patrol increase happened simultaneously. Conclusion: The streetlights alone caused the crime reduction.
- The conclusion follows because streetlights were the stated intervention
- The conclusion does not follow because an alternative cause exists (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is supported by the 20% figure
- The conclusion follows if officials say so
Correct answer: The conclusion does not follow because an alternative cause exists
With a simultaneous confounding variable (increased patrols), attributing the reduction solely to streetlights is not logically supported.
Question 2: Statement: Every member of the review panel must sign the final report. The final report has five signatures. Conclusion: All five members of the review panel signed the report.
- The conclusion follows
- The conclusion does not follow unless we know the panel has exactly five members (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is certainly true
- The conclusion requires no additional information
Correct answer: The conclusion does not follow unless we know the panel has exactly five members
Without knowing how many panel members there are, five signatures alone cannot confirm all members signed.
Question 3: Statement: Plants in the greenhouse that received fertilizer grew taller than those that did not. Conclusion: Fertilizer is the sole factor responsible for plant height in the greenhouse.
- The conclusion follows from the comparison
- The conclusion does not follow because other factors (water, light) could also affect height (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is true if the experiment was controlled
- The conclusion restates the observation
Correct answer: The conclusion does not follow because other factors (water, light) could also affect height
Even with a clear height difference, other uncontrolled variables like light and water could also influence plant height.
Question 4: Statement: No employee with an active disciplinary record is eligible for promotion. Sandra is being considered for promotion. Conclusion: Sandra does not have an active disciplinary record.
- The conclusion does not follow
- The conclusion follows (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is an assumption
- The conclusion requires HR verification
Correct answer: The conclusion follows
Since only those without active disciplinary records are considered, Sandra's promotion consideration confirms she has no active record.
Question 5: Statement: Whenever customer complaints exceed 50 per week, a quality audit is triggered. Last week there were 63 complaints. Conclusion: A quality audit was triggered last week.
- The conclusion follows (Correct answer)
- The conclusion does not follow
- The conclusion is probably true
- The conclusion is speculative
Correct answer: The conclusion follows
63 complaints exceed the 50-complaint threshold, so the condition for triggering a quality audit was met.
Question 6: Statement: Some experienced engineers prefer Python over Java. All senior developers at TechCorp are experienced engineers. Conclusion: All senior developers at TechCorp prefer Python over Java.
- The conclusion follows
- The conclusion does not follow (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is probably true for most seniors
- The conclusion follows if most engineers prefer Python
Correct answer: The conclusion does not follow
'Some' experienced engineers prefer Python, so it cannot be concluded that all senior developers (a subset) prefer Python.
Question 7: Statement: Researchers found that students who ate breakfast performed better on standardized tests than those who skipped it. A school board concludes that providing free breakfast will raise all students' test scores. Conclusion: Providing free breakfast will raise all students' test scores.
- The conclusion follows directly from the research
- The conclusion does not follow because performance differences could stem from other factors correlated with breakfast habits (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is guaranteed by the study
- The conclusion is the same as saying breakfast helps some students
Correct answer: The conclusion does not follow because performance differences could stem from other factors correlated with breakfast habits
Students who eat breakfast may differ from those who skip it in other ways (e.g., home stability), so providing breakfast alone cannot guarantee score increases for all.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Analyzing Conclusions Questions and Answers 5
Statement: The city's crime rate dropped 20% after new streetlights were installed in high-crime areas.
City officials conclude the streetlights reduced crime.
An analyst notes that a large police patrol increase happened simultaneously.
Conclusion: The streetlights alone caused the crime reduction.