Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Evaluating Argument Strength 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Question: Should schools switch to a four-day school week? Argument: Yes, because teachers in four-day-week districts report lower burnout rates. This argument is:
- Strong, because teacher retention is critical to educational quality
- Weak, because teacher burnout is caused by workload, not the number of school days
- Strong, because it provides relevant evidence from actual districts supporting the change
- Weak, because student learning outcomes, not teacher satisfaction, should drive school scheduling decisions (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Weak, because student learning outcomes, not teacher satisfaction, should drive school scheduling decisions
The argument is weak because the question concerns student education policy, and teacher satisfaction — while relevant — is an insufficient basis on its own without addressing student outcomes.
Question 2: Question: Should governments fund space exploration? Argument: No, because there are more pressing problems on Earth, such as poverty and disease, that need funding. This argument is:
- Strong, because limited budgets require prioritization and Earth's problems are more immediate
- Weak, because governments can fund multiple priorities simultaneously and space research has produced Earth-benefiting technologies (Correct answer)
- Strong, because space exploration has no practical benefit for ordinary citizens
- Weak, because poverty and disease are private sector responsibilities
Correct answer: Weak, because governments can fund multiple priorities simultaneously and space research has produced Earth-benefiting technologies
The argument is weak because it presents a false either/or choice — governments routinely fund many priorities simultaneously, and space research has yielded medical, agricultural, and communications advances.
Question 3: Question: Should libraries replace physical books with digital e-books? Argument: Yes, because e-books take up no physical space and can be updated instantly. This argument is:
- Strong, because space and currency of information are genuine practical advantages (Correct answer)
- Weak, because many library users prefer physical books and digital access is not universal
- Weak, because e-books require devices that many library patrons cannot afford
- Strong, because digital resources are always superior to printed materials
Correct answer: Strong, because space and currency of information are genuine practical advantages
The argument is strong because space efficiency and the ability to keep content current are real, material advantages directly relevant to library operations.
Question 4: Question: Should healthcare workers be required to receive annual flu vaccinations? Argument: Yes, because vaccinated healthcare workers are less likely to transmit influenza to vulnerable patients. This argument is:
- Weak, because mandatory medical procedures violate personal autonomy
- Weak, because flu vaccines are not 100% effective and do not guarantee protection
- Strong, because it grounds the policy in protection of third parties — a widely accepted basis for public health mandates (Correct answer)
- Strong, because healthcare workers should model healthy behavior for patients
Correct answer: Strong, because it grounds the policy in protection of third parties — a widely accepted basis for public health mandates
The argument is strong because protecting vulnerable patients from harm caused by the worker directly justifies the policy using a well-established principle of public health ethics.
Question 5: Question: Should news outlets be prohibited from endorsing political candidates? Argument: No, because editorial endorsements are a form of protected free speech and press freedom. This argument is:
- Strong, because it invokes a constitutionally grounded principle directly applicable to the policy (Correct answer)
- Weak, because press freedom does not extend to political endorsements
- Strong, because newspapers have always endorsed candidates so it is a tradition worth protecting
- Weak, because the influence of media on elections outweighs free speech considerations
Correct answer: Strong, because it invokes a constitutionally grounded principle directly applicable to the policy
The argument is strong because press freedom and free speech are constitutionally protected rights in the US, providing a directly relevant and substantive legal basis for opposing the ban.
Question 6: Question: Should professional athletes be banned from participating in the Olympics if they take performance-enhancing drugs? Argument: Yes, because allowing drug use gives those athletes an unfair advantage over clean competitors. This argument is:
- Weak, because the Olympics are entertainment and rules can be changed to allow drug use
- Strong, because competitive fairness is a foundational principle of sport that the argument directly defends (Correct answer)
- Weak, because performance-enhancing drugs are sometimes prescribed medically
- Strong, because drug bans protect athlete health as well as competitive fairness
Correct answer: Strong, because competitive fairness is a foundational principle of sport that the argument directly defends
The argument is strong because competitive fairness is a central and broadly accepted principle of athletic competition, and the argument directly shows how drug use violates it.
Question 7: Question: Should children under 13 be prohibited from using social media? Argument: No, because children can learn digital literacy skills from early social media use. This argument is:
- Strong, because digital literacy is an essential 21st-century skill and early exposure helps develop it
- Weak, because digital literacy can be taught through many means that do not expose young children to social media's documented harms (Correct answer)
- Strong, because parents, not governments, should decide when children use social media
- Weak, because most children under 13 use social media anyway, making a ban unenforceable
Correct answer: Weak, because digital literacy can be taught through many means that do not expose young children to social media's documented harms
The argument is weak because the benefit cited — digital literacy — can be achieved through safer alternatives, making it insufficient to outweigh documented harms of social media for young children.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Evaluating Argument Strength 4
Question: Should schools switch to a four-day school week?
Argument: Yes, because teachers in four-day-week districts report lower burnout rates.
This argument is: