Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Interpreting Evidence and Data 5

Question 1

A hospital advertises a 95% survival rate for its cardiac surgery patients. A competing hospital advertises 90%. Which piece of information is most critical before concluding the first hospital is better?

Accepted Answer

Whether the case mix (severity of patients) differs between the hospitals

Answer

A hospital that treats more high-risk patients may have a lower survival rate even if it performs equally well or better.

Question 2

A longitudinal study tracks 500 smokers and 500 non-smokers for 20 years and finds smokers have significantly higher rates of lung disease. This study design best supports which type of conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A strong causal link is plausible, though experimental proof requires a randomized trial

Answer

Longitudinal observational studies can strongly suggest causation but cannot definitively prove it the way a randomized controlled trial can.

Question 3

Sales data shows that umbrella purchases spike every April. An analyst claims umbrellas are suddenly more popular in spring. What alternative explanation should be considered?

Accepted Answer

Seasonal rainfall in April drives umbrella purchases rather than a change in popularity

Answer

Seasonal weather patterns, not a shift in consumer preferences, most plausibly explain the recurring April spike.

Question 4

A report presents the median household income as $65,000 and the mean as $95,000 in the same dataset. What does this discrepancy most likely indicate?

Accepted Answer

A small number of very high earners are pulling the mean above the median

Answer

When the mean substantially exceeds the median, it typically signals a right-skewed distribution caused by high-value outliers.

Question 5

An experiment finds that a new fertilizer increases crop yield by 15% in greenhouse conditions. A farmer plans to apply it immediately at scale. What interpretive caution is most important?

Accepted Answer

Greenhouse results may not generalize to outdoor field conditions with different soil, weather, and pests

Answer

Controlled laboratory or greenhouse conditions often differ substantially from real-world environments, limiting the direct applicability of findings.

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Interpreting Evidence and Data 5