Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Glaser Inferences 1

Question 1

A tech company piloted a four-day workweek for six months. Project completion rates remained unchanged, but employee sick days decreased by 30%. Which inference is MOST justified?

Accepted Answer

Reducing the workweek to four days appears to lower absenteeism without harming output

Answer

The four-day workweek caused productivity to rise across the broader industry

Answer

All companies should immediately adopt a four-day workweek to improve employee health

Answer

Employees who work fewer days are inherently more motivated than full-week workers

Question 2

A school district introduced mandatory breakfast programs for all students. The following year, math scores improved by 12% on average, while reading scores remained unchanged. Which inference is MOST warranted?

Accepted Answer

The breakfast program may have contributed to improved math performance, though other factors cannot be ruled out

Answer

Eating breakfast is the primary factor determining academic achievement

Answer

The breakfast program had no meaningful effect because reading scores did not improve

Answer

Students who eat breakfast will always outperform those who skip it

Question 3

A county launched an anti-plastic campaign. Its landfill plastic dropped 18% over two years. Neighboring counties with no such campaign also saw a 15% reduction in the same period. Which inference is MOST supported by these facts?

Accepted Answer

Broader regional or societal trends likely account for much of the county's plastic reduction

Answer

The campaign was highly effective and directly caused the plastic reduction in the county

Answer

The campaign was completely ineffective and should be discontinued

Answer

Residents in the county are more environmentally conscious than those in neighboring counties

Question 4

A hospital replaced paper-based outpatient check-in with an electronic system. Average wait times fell from 45 minutes to 28 minutes, and patient satisfaction scores rose from 72% to 81%. Which inference is MOST reasonable?

Accepted Answer

The reduction in wait times likely contributed to the improvement in patient satisfaction scores

Answer

Electronic check-in systems universally improve patient satisfaction in any hospital setting

Answer

The hospital's clinical staff became more skilled after the new check-in system was introduced

Answer

Patients value speed of check-in more than the quality of medical treatment they receive

Question 5

A public library eliminated late fees. Over the following year, on-time book returns decreased by 20%, but total books borrowed increased by 35%. Which inference is MOST justified?

Accepted Answer

While eliminating late fees reduced timely returns, it appears to have significantly increased overall library usage

Answer

Eliminating late fees is always beneficial and should be adopted by every public library

Answer

The drop in on-time returns proves that removing late fees causes irresponsible borrowing behavior

Answer

The library will inevitably face a book shortage due to the surge in borrowing

Question 6

A restaurant chain added a 'heart-healthy' menu section. Those items now make up 22% of all orders, yet overall restaurant revenue declined 8% compared to the prior year. Which inference is MOST warranted?

Accepted Answer

The healthy section attracted measurable customer interest, but the cause of the overall revenue decline remains uncertain

Answer

Customers clearly prefer healthy food options over traditional menu items

Answer

The healthy menu section is the direct and primary cause of the revenue decline

Answer

Restaurants that add healthy options will consistently experience a decline in total revenue