Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Recognizing Bias in Reasoning 5

Question 1

A nutrition study funded by a sugar company concludes that sugar consumption has no link to obesity. A critical thinker should first question:

Accepted Answer

Whether the funding source creates a conflict of interest

Answer

Funding bias can systematically skew research design, analysis, and conclusions in favor of the sponsor's interests.

Question 2

An argument states: 'Dr. Peterson, a renowned cardiologist, says this new diet is the best for weight loss.' Which reasoning flaw is present?

Accepted Answer

Appeal to authority outside the relevant domain

Answer

A cardiologist's expertise is in heart disease, not necessarily weight loss nutrition, making this an inappropriate appeal to authority.

Question 3

A manager reviews only five-star customer reviews before concluding that the product has no flaws. This reasoning error is called:

Accepted Answer

Selective perception bias

Answer

Selective perception bias occurs when someone focuses only on information that confirms a desired conclusion while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Question 4

A columnist writes: 'Anyone who supports stricter gun regulations clearly wants to abolish all gun ownership.' This misrepresentation is known as:

Accepted Answer

Straw man fallacy

Answer

The straw man fallacy distorts an opponent's position into an extreme version that is easier to attack.

Question 5

A study shows that countries with higher chocolate consumption have more Nobel Prize winners. A biased conclusion from this data would be:

Accepted Answer

Eating chocolate causes higher intelligence and Nobel Prize wins

Answer

Concluding causation from correlation is a common bias; correlation alone cannot establish that chocolate consumption causes Nobel Prize wins.

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test