Unit 2- Benefits of asking the right questions

Choose the correct answer. Sometimes more than one answer is acceptable.

1. Critical thinking does not refer to…

a. an awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions
b. the tendency to criticize new ideas or opinions
c. the ability to ask and answer critical questions at appropriate times
d. the desire to actively use the critical questions
2. Critical thinking is hard work because it involves…
a. reasoning with detached emotional involvement
b. substantial curiosity and courage
c. giving up on your background knowledge and personal opinions
3. Critical thinking can best be described as…
a. a threat
b. a tool
c. a defense mechanism
4. Is critical thinking applied in the following situations?
a. Getting information from the Internet
b. Finding a telephone number in the telephone directory
c. Deciding whether to accept a job offer
d. Following recipe for making a cake
e. Following the instruction for troubleshooting when some new software that you attempt to
install on your computer does not work.
5. Imagine someone, let us call him Andy, standing beside a used car trying to decide
whether to buy it. Andy does not have much money and he does not know much about cars, but
he has just left college and been offered a new job which requires him to have a reliable car. A
sales person has told Andy all the advantages of the car in question and has offered a “bargain”
price. Let us suppose that Andy has come to like and trust the salesperson in the course of talking
about the car (though they have never met before and Andy knows nothing of the company for
which she works) and he likes the “look” of the car, so he decides to buy it.
Does Andy act reasonably in this case? If you were Andy, what would you do?

6. Sponge (S) and Panning for gold (P) thinking style, which one…?
a. Emphasizes knowledge acquisition
b. Emphasizes active interaction with knowledge
c. Has a question-asking attitude
d. Only involves concentration and memory
e. Reflects on the answers
f. Provides no method for deciding which information is reliable

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7. The sponge-approach model of learning is most effective for…
a. evaluating an essay on global warming
b. memorizing the periodic table of elements
c. applying the theories of human behavior
8. An example of strong-sense critical thinking is…
a. choosing a known friend from a list of applicants for a job
b. defending your stance on capital punishment
c. evaluating all claims and beliefs, including your own, regarding gun control
9. Weak-sense critical thinking typically …
a. seeks to move the conversation forward
b. is often defensive, resistive, and victory-seeking
c. feels comfortable
10. Find a video/a text that illustrates a concept or an idea learnt in chapter 1*