REVISION AND SAMPLE MID-COURSE TEST ON CRITICAL THINKING

A. REVISION ON THEORY
Chapter 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking
1.1. What is critical thinking?
Exercise 1.
Complet the definition of Critical thinking with expressions given in the box below.

Critical thinking is the general term given to a wide range of .................. skills and
..................... dispositions needed to:
1. effectively ................, analyze, and ...................... arguments and truth claims
2. to discover and ....................... personal preconceptions and biases
3. to ............................. and present .................................. reasons in support of conclusions
4. to make ................................. , intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do
evaluate overcome reasonable intellectual convincing formulate identify cognitive

Exercise 2.
Name 6 standards for critical thinking
Exercise 3.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) for expressions in the correct box of these four
standards of critical thinking
A. to draw well-founded conclusions from H. snap diagnoses
the beliefs we hold I. impartial
B. openminded J. shallow and superficial thinking
C. sketchy directions K. avoid saying or believing that cannot
D. free of distorting biases and both or all be true
preconceptions L. to reason from asserted beliefs to
E. prefer deep and complete thinking conclusions that logically follow from
them
F. avoid saying one thing and doing
another M. prefer thorough and wide-ranging
discussion of the issues
G. hasty jury deliberations
N. to reason correctly
 Consistency (2) Logical corectness (3) Completeness (6) Fairness (3)
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1.2. The benefits of critical thinking

Exercise 4.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) of these expressions in the correct box of benefits of
critical thinking
Critical thinking in the Critical thinking in the Critical thinking in life
classroom workplace

A. avoid making foolish personal F. communicate their ideas clearly and

decisions effectively generalized thinking and
problem-solving skills
B. good thinking and communication
skills G. critically evaluating those arguments
and beliefs in the related issues in lessons
C. understanding the arguments and
beliefs of others in the related issues inH. avoid such mistakes by teaching us to
lessons think about important life decisions more
D. quick learners who can solve problems, carefully, clearly, and logically
I. developing and defending one’s own
E. promote democratic processes by
well-supported arguments and beliefs
improving the quality of public decision
making J. gather and analyze information from
data for a project
1.3. Barriers to critical thinking
Exercise 5.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) of these expressions in the correct box of barriers of
critical thinking
 Egocentrism Sociocentrism Unwarranted Stereotypes Relativism Wishful
assumptions thinking

A. hasty generalizations about a group of people in which identical characteristics are

assigned to all or virtually all members of the group
B. tendency to see one’s culture or group as being better than others and to conform,
often unthinkingly, to authority or to group standards of conduct and belief
C. believing something because it makes one feel good, not because there is good
reason for thinking that it is true
D. the tendency to accept and defend beliefs that accord with one’s own self-interest
the tendency to overrate oneself
E. the view that truth is a matter of individual opinion
F. things we take for granted without good reason.

1.5. Characteristics of a critical thinker

Exercise 6.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) of these expressions in the correct box of critical
thinkers and uncritical thinkers.

Specification of critical thinkers and uncritical thinkers

A. Lack awareness of their own biases and G. Fear and resist ideas that challenge
preconceptions their basic beliefs
B. Pursue truth and are curious about a H. Are aware of the biases and
wide range of issues. preconceptions that shape the way they
perceive the world
C. Often base beliefs on mere personal
preference or selfinterest I. Pretend they know more than they do
and ignore their limitations
D. Base their beliefs on facts and evidence
rather than on personal preference or J. Are intellectually honest with
self-interest themselves, acknowledging what they
don’t know and recognizing their
E. Tend to engage in “groupthink,”
limitations
uncritically following the beliefs and
values of the crowd K. Are skilled at understanding,
analyzing, and evaluating arguments and
viewpoints
 F. Have a passionate drive for clarity L. Tend not to persevere when they
precision, accuracy, and other critical encounter intellectual obstacles or
thinking standards difficulties

Critical thinkers Uncritical thinkers

Chapter 2: Recognizing Arguments

• What is an argument?
Exercise 7.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) of these expressions in the correct box of components
of an argument

A. provide clues that conclusions are D. provide clues that premises are being
being offered offered
B. statements in an argument offered as E. a sentence that can be viewed as either
evidence or reasons in support of another true or false
statement F. a claim to be defended with and
C. the statement in an argument that the composed of one or more premises and a
premises are intended to support or conclusion
prove

Argument Statement Conclusion Premise conclusion premise

indicator indicator

Exercise 8.
Why reports, unsupported assertions, conditional statements, illustrations and
explanations are not arguments?
........................................................................................................................................................................................
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Chapter 3: Basic Logical Concepts

Deduction and Induction
Exercise 9.
Fill in the blank with the words/expressions that define deductive argument claim and
inductive argument claim.

Deductive arguments claim

If the premises are true, then the If the premises are true, then
conclusion .......................................... the conclusion
....................................................

The conclusion follows necessarily The conclusion follows probably

from the premises. from the premises.

It is ................................... for all the premises to It is ........................................ for the

be true and the conclusion false. premises to
be true and the conclusion false.
It is .......................................... to assert the It is ............................................... to assert
premises and deny the conclusion; the
premises and deny the conclusion;

if you accept the premises, you the conclusion ...........................................if

................................................................................................... the premises are true.

Exercise 10.
Name 4 tests for determining an argument as deductive or inductive

Common patterns of deductive reasoning

• hypothetical syllogism
• categorical syllogism
• argument by elimination
• argument based on mathematics
• argument from definition

Exercise 11.
Name common patterns of deductive reasoninng

Exercise 12.
Name common patterns of inductive reasoning.

B. PRACTICE

Exercice 1.
Write an argument (your own one) for the logical pattern or form below.
Premise 1: If A then B.
Premise 2: A.
Conclusion: Therefore, B.

Exercice 2.
Write down the logical pattern or form for the following argument:
Premise 1: If we don’t stop for gas soon, then we’ll run out of gas.
Premise 2: If we run out of gas, then we’ll be late for the wedding.
Conclusion: Therefore, if we don’t stop for gas soon, we’ll be late for the wedding.

What is the name/kind of this argument?

Exercice 3.
Write down the logical pattern or form for the following argument:

Premise 1: If we’re in Sacramento, then we’re in California.

Premise 2: We’re not in California.
Conclusion: Therefore, we’re not in Sacramento.

What is the name/kind of this argument?

Exercice 4.
Write down the logical pattern or form for the following argument:

Premise 1: All oaks are trees.

Premise 2: All trees are plants.
Conclusion: So, all oaks are plants.

What is the name/kind of this argument?

Exercice 5.
What kind of argument is it? Provide your explanation for determining the kind of
argument.

Premise 1: Six montshs ago I met a farmer from Iowa, and he was friendly.
Premise 2: Four months ago I met an insurance salesman from Iowa, and he was
friendly.
Premise 3: Two months ago I met a dentist from Iowa, and she was friendly.
Conclusion: I guess most people from Iowa are friendly.

Exercice 6.
What kind of argument is it? Provide your explanation for determining the kind of
argument.

Premise 1: If Amy comes to the party, Ted will come to the party.
Premise 2: Amy will come to the party.
Conclusion: Therefore, Ted will come to the party.

Exercice 7.
What kind of argument is it? Provide your explanation for determining the kind of
argument.

Premise 1: Cats are animals.

Premise 2: Tom is a cat.
Conclusion: Therefore, Tom is animal.

Exercice 8.
Premises:
a. Anything that meows is a cat.
b. Dogs don't meow.
c. All cats meow.
d. Most cats meow.

Choose one of the premises given above to complete the following deductive argument.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: Puff is a cat
Conclusion: So Puff meows.

Exercice 9.
Premises:

Choose one of the premises given above to complete the following inductive argument. You
may add an indicator word to make the inductive argument explicit.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: Puff is a cat
Conclusion: So Puff ...................... meows.

Exercice 10.
Premises:

a. Cheerleaders get in free to the football games.

b. Cheerleaders are expected to attend all football games.
c. Suzy is dating Tom, who is the football captain.
d. All cheerleaders attend all football games.

Choose one of the premises given above to complete the following deductive argument.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: Suzy is a cheerleader
Conclusion: So Suzy goes to all the football games.

Exercice 11.
Premises:

a. Cheerleaders get in free to the football games.

b. Cheerleaders are expected to attend all football games.
c. Suzy is dating Tom, who is the football captain.
d. All cheerleaders attend all football games.

Choose one of the premises above given to complete the following inductive argument. You
may add an indicator word to make the inductive argument explicit.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: Suzy is a cheerleader
Conclusion: So Suzy................. goes to all the football games.

Exercice 12.

Premises:
a. The garbage is a bad thing for Spot to get into.
b. Whenever Spot gets into the garbage, Dick hits him.
c. Whenever Dick hits Spot, Spot was in the garbage.
d. Spot got into the garbage.

Choose one of the premises above given to complete the following inductive argument. You
may add an indicator word to make the inductive argument explicit.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: If Spot gets into the garbage, Dick will hit him with a newspaper
Conclusion: So Dick will hit Spot.

Exercise 13.

Premises:
a. Only Presidents make important speeches on television.
b. When the President makes an important speech on television, he's on every channel.
c. When the President is on every channel on TV, he's making an important speech.
d. Presidents only make important speeches.

Choose one of the premises given to complete the following inductive argument. You may
add an indicator word to make the inductive argument explicit.

Premise 1: ..........................................................
Premise 2: The President is on every channel on television
Conclusion: So he must be making an important
speech.