Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal FREE Watson Glaser MCQ Question and Answers 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: INFERENCE: Attendance at the company's optional training sessions dropped by 40% after they were moved to Friday afternoons. Which inference is BEST supported?
- Employees no longer value professional development.
- The Friday afternoon timing is likely a factor in the attendance decline. (Correct answer)
- The training content became irrelevant.
- The company should cancel all training sessions.
Correct answer: The Friday afternoon timing is likely a factor in the attendance decline.
The timing change coincides with the drop, making it a plausible contributing factor, though other causes cannot be ruled out.
Question 2: RECOGNITION OF ASSUMPTIONS: 'Customers prefer our product because it is eco-friendly.' Which assumption is embedded in this claim?
- The product is cheaper than competitors.
- Eco-friendliness is a key factor in customer purchase decisions. (Correct answer)
- All customers are environmentally conscious.
- The product was recently redesigned.
Correct answer: Eco-friendliness is a key factor in customer purchase decisions.
The claim assumes customers value eco-friendliness enough that it drives their preference — an unstated but necessary premise.
Question 3: DEDUCTION: If it rains, the outdoor concert will be cancelled. It is raining. What conclusion follows necessarily?
- The concert was poorly planned.
- The outdoor concert will be cancelled. (Correct answer)
- Attendees will request refunds.
- The next concert will also be cancelled.
Correct answer: The outdoor concert will be cancelled.
Modus ponens applies directly: 'If P then Q; P is true; therefore Q' — the cancellation follows necessarily.
Question 4: INTERPRETATION: Data shows that students who eat breakfast score an average of 8% higher on standardized tests. Which conclusion is BEST supported by this data?
- Eating breakfast causes higher test scores.
- There is a positive association between eating breakfast and test performance. (Correct answer)
- Schools should replace first-period classes with breakfast time.
- Students who skip breakfast are less intelligent.
Correct answer: There is a positive association between eating breakfast and test performance.
The data establishes an association; claiming causation or recommending policy changes goes beyond what the data directly supports.
Question 5: EVALUATION OF ARGUMENTS: 'This medication should be approved because thousands of patients need it.' Why is this argument considered WEAK in a clinical evaluation context?
- Not all patients agree that they need the medication.
- Patient need does not establish that the medication is safe or effective. (Correct answer)
- Thousands is not a large enough number to matter.
- Medications should only be approved by elected officials.
Correct answer: Patient need does not establish that the medication is safe or effective.
In clinical evaluation, approval requires evidence of safety and efficacy — demand alone does not meet this standard.
Question 6: RECOGNITION OF ASSUMPTIONS: 'Offering flexible hours will improve employee morale because workers will have better work-life balance.' Which assumption is most critical to this argument?
- Flexible hours cost the company nothing extra.
- Work-life balance is a primary driver of employee morale. (Correct answer)
- Employees currently work too many hours.
- Flexible schedules are easy for managers to coordinate.
Correct answer: Work-life balance is a primary driver of employee morale.
The argument's chain from flexible hours → work-life balance → morale only holds if work-life balance is indeed a key morale driver.
Question 7: INFERENCE: A neighborhood's property values rose 15% in the year after a new light-rail station opened nearby. Which inference is MOST cautious and justified?
- The light-rail station directly caused the property value increase.
- The light-rail station's opening coincides with the property value rise and may have contributed. (Correct answer)
- Property values in all neighborhoods with rail stations rise 15% annually.
- Residents were forced to sell their homes due to higher taxes.
Correct answer: The light-rail station's opening coincides with the property value rise and may have contributed.
A cautious inference notes the temporal association and acknowledges the station as a possible contributor without claiming sole causation.
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal FREE Watson Glaser MCQ Question and Answers 5
INFERENCE: Attendance at the company's optional training sessions dropped by 40% after they were moved to Friday afternoons.
Which inference is BEST supported?