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 COGNITIVE skills
and INTELLECTUAL dispositions needed to:
1. Effectively IDENTIFY, analyze, and EVALUATE arguments and truth claims

2. to discover and OVERCOME personal preconceptions and biases

3. to FORMULATE and present CONVINCING reasons in support of conclusions

4. to make REASONABLE, 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
1. CLARITY
2. PRECISION
3. ACCURACY
4. RELEVANCE
5. CONSISTENCY
6. LOGICAL CORRECTNESS
Exercise 3.

Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) for expressions in the correct box of these four
standards of critical thinking
1.2. The benefits of critical thinking Exercise

Consistency (2) Logical corectness Completeness (6) Fairness (3)

(3)
- avoid saying - to draw well- - shallow and - openminded
or believing that founded superficial - impartial
cannot both or conclusions from thinking
the beliefs we hold - free of
all be true - sketchy distorting
- to reason correctly directions biases and
- avoid saying
one thing and - to reason - snap diagnoses preconceptions
doing another from asserted - prefer
beliefs to thorough and
conclusions wide-ranging
that logically discussion of
follow from the issues
them
- prefer deep and
complete thinking
- hasty jury
deliberations
4.
Put each of the letters (A, B, C ...) of these expressions in the correct box of benefits of
critical thinking

Critical thinking in Critical thinking in Critical thinking in life

the classroom the workplace
- understanding the - good thinking and - avoid making
arguments and communication foolish
beliefs of others in skills personal
the related issues - quick learners who decisions
in lessons can solve problems - avoid such mistakes
- communicate their by teaching us to
- critically evaluating
ideas clearly and think about
those arguments and
effectively important life
beliefs in the related
generalized decisions more
issues in lessons
thinking and carefully, clearly,
- developing and problem-solving and logically
defending one’s own skills - promote democratic
well-supported
processes by
arguments and beliefs
 improving the quality
of public decision
making
- 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 Sociocentris Unwarrante Stereotypes Relativism Wishful
m d thinking
assumptions
the tendency to things we take hasty the view that believing
tendency to see one’s for granted generalizations truth is a somethin
accept and culture or without good about a group of matter of
g because
group as reason. people in which individual
defend it makes
being better identical opinion
beliefs that than others one feel
accord with characteristics
and to good, not
one’s own conform, are assigned to
because
self- all or virtually
often there is
interest the unthinkingly, all members of
good
tendency to to authority the group
reason
overrate or to group
for
standards of
oneself thinking
conduct and
belief that it is
true

1.5. Characteristics of a critical thinker Exercise

Critical thinkers Uncritical thinkers

- Pursue truth and are curious about a - Lack awareness of their own biases and
wide range of issues. preconceptions

- Base their beliefs on facts and evidence
rather than on personal preference or self-
interest
- Are aware of the biases and
preconceptions that shape the way they
perceive the world
- Are intellectually honest with
themselves, acknowledging what they
don’t know and recognizing their
limitations
- Are skilled at understanding, analyzing, and
evaluating arguments and viewpoints
- Have a passionate drive for clarity
precision, accuracy, and other critical
thinking standards
- Often base beliefs on mere personal
preference or selfinterest
- Tend to engage in “groupthink,”
uncritically following the beliefs and
values of the crowd
- Fear and resist ideas that challenge
their basic beliefs
- Tend not to persevere when they
encounter intellectual obstacles or
difficulties
- Pretend they know more than they
do and ignore their limitations
Chapter 2: Recognizing Arguments
 What is an argument?
Exercise 7.

Argument Statement Conclusion Premise conclusion premise indicator

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

Exercise 8.
Why reports, unsupported assertions, conditional statements, illustrations and explanations are
not arguments?
Report: The purpose of a report is simply to convey information about a subject. It aim to
narrate and inform , not to offer reasons why one statement should be accepted on the basic
of others
Unsupported assertions: Unsupported assertions are statements about what a speaker or
writer happems to believe. Such statements can be true or false, rational or irrational, but
they are parts of arguments only if the speaker or writer claims that they follow from, or
support, other claims.
Conditional statement: Conditional statements are not arguments because there is no claim
that any statement follows any part of a conditional statement. Thus, if I say. “If it rain, the
picnic will be canceled”. I’m not asserting either that it will rain or true, the second
statement will also be true. Because there is no claim that any statement follows from, or
support, this conditional statement, no argument has been given.
Illustrations: Illustration are intended to provide examples of a claim, rather than prove or
support the claim. Distinguishing arguments from illustration can be tricky for 2 reasons.
First, phrases like for example and for instance sometimes occur in arguments rather than in
illustration. Second, there is sometimes a fine line between illustrating a claim and
providing sufficient evidence for the claim.
Explanations: An explanation tries to show why somethng is the case, not to prove that itt is
the case. It uses the indicator word “because”

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 Inductive arguments claim

If the premises are true, then
the conclusion MUST BE TRUE
The conclusion follows necessarily
from the premises.
It is IMPOSSIBLE for all the premises to
be true and the conclusion false.
It is LOGICALLY INCONSISTENT. to
assert the
premises and deny the conclusion;
if you accept the premises, you MUST
ACCEPT THE CONCLUSION..
If the premises are true,
then the conclusion IS
PROBABLY TRUE
The conclusion follows probably
from the premises.
It is UNLIKELY for the
premises to
be true and the conclusion false.
It is LOGICALLY CONSISTENT to
assert
The premises and deny the
conclusion;
the conclusion THE PROBABLY if
the premises are true.

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

- The indicator word test

- The strict necessicy test

- The common pattern test

- The principle of charity test

Exercise 11.
Name common patterns of deductive reasoninng
Common patterns of deductive reasoning

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

Exercise 12.
Name common patterns of inductive reasoning.
- Inductive generalization
- Predictive argument
- Argument from authority
- Casual argument
- Statistical argument
- Argument form anology

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.