Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Statement: 'All mammals are warm-blooded. Dolphins are mammals.' Conclusion: 'Therefore, dolphins are warm-blooded.' Evaluate this conclusion. → The conclusion follows necessarily from the given statements.
2. Some employees who pass the aptitude test are offered promotions. James passed the aptitude test. What can be deduced? → James may or may not be offered a promotion.
3. A weather report states: 'Temperatures dropped 15°C over six hours, and snowfall began at 11 PM.' Which of the following is an inference? → A cold front moved through the area causing the temperature drop and snow.
4. All Watson-Glaser sections require careful reading of a passage before answering. A test taker skips reading the passage. What deductively follows? → The test taker is not meeting the requirement of that section.
5. In a Watson-Glaser context, which statement about a passage describing a correlation between two events is most defensible? → The correlation shows an association that may or may not reflect a causal relationship.
6. All Supreme Court justices have law degrees. Some law professors have argued cases before the Supreme Court. Which conclusion is valid? → Some people who argued cases before the Supreme Court are not justices
7. Data shows that country X has an average life expectancy of 82 years, while country Y has 69 years. Which conclusion is best supported by this data alone? → People in country X live longer on average than those in country Y.
8. Some US law firms require Watson-Glaser scores for associate hiring. Blake is applying to a US law firm. What can be deduced? → Blake's firm may or may not require a Watson-Glaser score.
9. Premises: 'All managers in Division A are certified accountants. Some certified accountants are also licensed auditors.' What conclusion necessarily follows? → Some Division A managers may be licensed auditors.
10. A study found that students who eat breakfast score an average of 12% higher on standardized tests than those who skip breakfast. What conclusion can be drawn? → There is a positive association between eating breakfast and higher test scores
11. Argument: 'Since Andrea speaks three languages fluently, she will be an excellent translator.' What unstated assumption is the argument making? → Speaking multiple languages fluently is sufficient to be an excellent translator.
12. No employees in the legal department are authorized to approve budget increases. Sarah is authorized to approve budget increases. What must be true? → Sarah is not in the legal department.
13. Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a deductively valid conclusion? → If the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.
14. Argument: 'Either we invest massively in military spending, or we will be invaded by foreign powers.' What fallacy does this commit? → False dilemma — it presents only two options when many middle-ground positions exist.
15. Every report submitted after the deadline is rejected. This report was submitted on time. What follows? → Nothing definitive can be concluded about this report's acceptance.
16. A line graph shows that a city's annual rainfall decreased steadily from 800mm to 550mm over 20 years. Which interpretation is most appropriate? → The data shows a sustained downward trend in annual rainfall over the 20-year period.
17. Which approach is MOST effective when trying to identify bias in a written argument? → Examine whether evidence from only one perspective is consistently presented
18. Argument: 'Alternative medicine has been practiced for thousands of years, which proves it is effective.' What type of fallacy is this? → Appeal to tradition — long historical use is treated as proof of effectiveness.
19. Argument: 'We should hire the candidate who has the most years of experience for this management role.' What unstated assumption does this argument make? → Years of experience is the best or most important predictor of management performance.
20. A study finds that people who own pets report higher happiness scores. The researcher concludes that owning a pet causes happiness. Which error is present? → Confusing correlation with causation
21. A financial news headline reads: 'Tech giant reports 40% year-on-year profit increase.' Which of the following is an inference? → The tech giant's business performance improved significantly over the past year.
22. If reasoning test scores predict job performance, then hiring based on such scores is justified. Reasoning test scores do predict job performance. Therefore: → Hiring based on reasoning test scores is justified.
23. A school implements a reading program. Test scores improve. To best determine if the program caused the improvement, researchers should: → Compare results to a control group that did not receive the program.
24. An argument states: 'Our company has operated this way for 50 years, so it must be the correct approach.' Which reasoning error does this reflect? → Appeal to tradition
25. A politician says: 'My opponent voted against increasing police budgets, which shows he doesn't care about public safety.' What fallacy is this? → Straw man — it misrepresents the opponent's position to make it easier to attack.
26. Argument: 'Thousands of people have bought this supplement, so it must be effective.' What fallacy does this commit? → Ad populum (bandwagon fallacy) — popularity is used as evidence of effectiveness.
27. Premises: 'Every contract signed before March 1st is subject to the old tax rate. Contract 47 was signed on February 15th.' What conclusion necessarily follows? → Contract 47 is subject to the old tax rate.
28. Premises: 'All employees who pass the certification exam receive a salary increase. Maria passed the certification exam.' What conclusion necessarily follows? → Maria will receive a salary increase.
29. Which of the following BEST describes 'in-group bias' as it applies to critical reasoning and argument evaluation? → Evaluating evidence more favorably when it originates from members of one's own group
30. A person argues that a herbal supplement is safe because 'natural things cannot be harmful.' Which type of reasoning error is present? → Appeal to nature fallacy