Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Watson-Glaser Inference and Assumption Tests 5

Question 1

Statement: 'The city council voted 7-2 to approve the new transit plan.' Inference: Most residents support the transit plan. This inference is:

Accepted Answer

Insufficient Data

Answer

A council vote reveals elected officials' positions, not necessarily the views of the broader population.

Question 2

Which assumption is embedded in: 'We've always done the budget review in Q4, so we should continue doing it then'?

Accepted Answer

Past practice is a sufficient reason to maintain current practice

Answer

The argument assumes that tradition alone justifies continuation, without evaluating whether Q4 is actually optimal.

Question 3

Statement: 'The new manager joined in January; by March, two top performers had resigned.' Inference: The manager's leadership style drove away the top performers. This inference is:

Accepted Answer

Insufficient Data

Answer

The sequence is suggestive but the passage provides no information about the performers' reasons for leaving.

Question 4

An assumption is considered 'not assumed' in the Watson-Glaser test when:

Accepted Answer

The argument could still stand without it

Answer

If an argument remains valid without a given assumption, that assumption is not truly embedded in the reasoning.

Question 5

Statement: 'Countries with higher average incomes report higher happiness scores.' Inference: Increasing income is the most effective way to improve national happiness. This inference is:

Accepted Answer

Insufficient Data

Answer

The correlation shows a relationship but doesn't establish that income is the most effective lever among all possible interventions.

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Watson-Glaser Inference and Assumption Tests 5