Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal FREE Watson Glaser Interpretation Question and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Passage: A company tracked employee absenteeism over 12 months. Departments with flexible work-from-home policies averaged 3.2 sick days per employee, while departments with strict in-office requirements averaged 6.8 sick days per employee. Which conclusion is best supported?
- Flexible work policies are associated with lower absenteeism in this company. (Correct answer)
- Remote work eliminates the spread of illness entirely.
- In-office workers are inherently less healthy than remote workers.
- The company should immediately eliminate all in-office requirements.
Correct answer: Flexible work policies are associated with lower absenteeism in this company.
The data shows a correlation between flexible policies and lower sick days within this company, but does not support absolute or causal claims.
Question 2: Passage: A survey of 500 college freshmen found that 78% who had taken AP courses in high school reported feeling 'well-prepared' for college coursework, compared to 45% of those who had not. Which conclusion follows from this data?
- AP course participation is strongly linked to feelings of college preparedness. (Correct answer)
- Students without AP courses will fail their first year of college.
- AP courses are the only path to feeling prepared for college.
- College professors prefer students who took AP courses.
Correct answer: AP course participation is strongly linked to feelings of college preparedness.
The survey data supports a link between AP participation and self-reported preparedness, without justifying absolute or causal conclusions.
Question 3: Passage: In a city where public transit was expanded, car registrations dropped by 12% over five years. Neighboring cities with no transit expansion saw car registrations rise by 8% over the same period. What conclusion is most defensible?
- Transit expansion may have contributed to reduced car ownership in that city. (Correct answer)
- Public transit will always cause car registrations to fall in any city.
- People in the city dislike cars and prefer walking.
- The neighboring cities failed to manage their populations properly.
Correct answer: Transit expansion may have contributed to reduced car ownership in that city.
The comparative data is consistent with transit expansion influencing car ownership, though other factors cannot be excluded.
Question 4: Passage: A hospital found that patients discharged on Fridays had a 22% higher readmission rate within 30 days than patients discharged on other weekdays. Which interpretation is best supported?
- Friday discharges are associated with a higher short-term readmission risk. (Correct answer)
- Doctors make more errors on Fridays than on other days.
- Patients prefer being admitted on weekends rather than staying in the hospital.
- The hospital should stop all discharges on Fridays immediately.
Correct answer: Friday discharges are associated with a higher short-term readmission risk.
The data establishes an association between discharge day and readmission rate; it does not reveal why or prescribe action.
Question 5: Passage: Studies show that children who ate breakfast daily scored an average of 11 points higher on standardized reading tests than children who frequently skipped breakfast. Which conclusion follows most directly?
- Daily breakfast is associated with better reading test performance in children. (Correct answer)
- Skipping breakfast permanently damages a child's reading ability.
- Reading skills determine whether a child eats breakfast.
- Schools should replace reading instruction time with meal programs.
Correct answer: Daily breakfast is associated with better reading test performance in children.
The study data supports an association, but does not establish causation or indicate that reading drives breakfast habits.
Question 6: Passage: An analysis of 200 small businesses found that those offering employee health benefits had an average annual revenue growth of 9%, compared to 4% for businesses without such benefits. Which conclusion is most justified by this data?
- Offering health benefits is associated with higher revenue growth among these businesses. (Correct answer)
- Health benefits directly cause businesses to earn more revenue.
- All small businesses must offer health benefits to survive.
- Revenue growth is the primary reason employees value health benefits.
Correct answer: Offering health benefits is associated with higher revenue growth among these businesses.
The data shows a correlation between benefits and growth in this sample; it does not establish causality or universal application.
Question 7: Passage: A nonprofit that added peer-mentoring programs to its after-school curriculum saw dropout rates fall from 18% to 7% over three years. A comparable program without peer mentoring held steady at 17%. What does this evidence most strongly suggest?
- Peer mentoring may have played a role in reducing dropout rates at this nonprofit. (Correct answer)
- Peer mentoring is the sole reason students stay in school nationwide.
- Dropout rates will always fall once peer mentoring is introduced.
- The comparison program had poorly trained staff.
Correct answer: Peer mentoring may have played a role in reducing dropout rates at this nonprofit.
The controlled comparison supports a likely role for peer mentoring, but the word 'sole' or 'always' overstates what one case study shows.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal FREE Watson Glaser Interpretation Question and Answers 3
Passage: A company tracked employee absenteeism over 12 months.
Departments with flexible work-from-home policies averaged 3.2 sick days per employee, while departments with strict in-office requirements averaged 6.8 sick days per employee.
Which conclusion is best supported?