INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES

MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Date: 10h15, November 1, 2022 Duration: 90 minutes
Closed book exam Classroom test

SUBJECT: Critical thinking (ID: PE008IU) – INDEX 1

Approval by the School of Lecturers:
Languages
Trần Thanh Tú (Ph.D)
Signature

Nguyễn Thị Thủy (Ph.D)

Phạm Ngọc (Ph.D)

Full name: Nguyễn Huy Cường (Ph.D) Nguyễn Văn Tiếp (Ph.D)

Vũ Tiến Thịnh (MA)

Đỗ Thị Diệu Ngọc (MA)

Proctor 1 Proctor 2
Signature Signature

Full name: Full name:

STUDENT INFORMATION
Student name:
Student ID:

INSTRUCTIONS (100-point scale, equivalent to 30% of the course)

1. Purposes:
● Test your understanding of general concepts of the critical thinking, specifically the
standards of and the barriers to critical thinking (CLO 1)
● Test your ability to identify elements of an argument, construct, and evaluate deductive
and inductive arguments (CLO 2)
● Test your ability to test the validity of categorical logic using Venn diagram and
propositional logic using truth tables (CLO 3)

2. Requirements:
● ONLY ONE HAND-WRITTEN A4 NOTE allowed

● No talking or sharing materials during the exam time

 ● No mobile phone or other electronic devices during the exam time

Total pages: 12 (including this page)

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following is a key intellectual trait of critical thinkers?
a) They often base their beliefs on mere personal preference or self-interest.
b) They lack awareness of their own biases and preconceptions.
c) They often fall prey to egocentrism, sociocentrism, relativistic thinking, unwarranted
assumptions, and wishful thinking.
d) They base their beliefs on facts and evidence rather than on personal preference or
self-interest.

2. “Most of the human body is water, with an average of roughly 95 %.”

Which standard of critical thinking may be missing in the text above?
a) Clarity
b) Accuracy
c) Precision
d) Consistency

3. Mother: My child has a fever. How should I treat the fever?

Doctor: Could you please tell me how long your child has had the fever? What is his
temperature now?
The doctor’s questions seek the information for which standard of critical thinking?
a) Precision
b) Accuracy
c) Consistency
d) Fairness

4. “Sim is heavier than Jim. Jim is heavier than Tim. So, Tim is heavier than Sim”.
Which standard of critical thinking may be missing in the text above?
a) Clarity
b) Fairness
c) Consistency
d) Relevance

5. “I play the piano much better than any friend of mine.”

The text above is a case of ____.
a) Sociocentrism
b) Conformism
c) Egocentrism
d) Relativism

6. “Many girls dream of winning beauty contests, which humiliate contestants rather than
honor them.” is __(1)__ and it is _(2)___.
a) (1) a view of relativism, (2) a barrier to critical thinking
b) (1) a view of egocentrism, (2) a critical thinking standard
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 c) (1) a warranted assumption, (2) a benefit of critical thinking
d) (1) an unwarranted assumption, (2) a barrier to critical thinking

7. An argument is ____.
a) a sentence that can be viewed as either true or false
b) a group of statements intended to prove or support another statement
c) a group of statements that provides reason or support
d) a statement that indicates what the arguer is trying to convince the reader/listener

8. “Heat to boiling and add 10 drops of methyl orange indicator.”

Which of the following is correct about the text above?
a) It is an instruction.
b) It is a report.
c) It is a statement.
d) It is an explanation.

9. Alyssa: Rainbow is an arch of different colours seen in the sky when rain is falling and the
sun is shining.
Which of the following is correct about Alyssa’s saying?
a) It is a statement.
b) It is a proposal.
c) It is an illustration.
d) It is an exclamation.

10. “Ambition is strongly linked to career achievement, and it is also associated—albeit to a

lesser extent—with life satisfaction (1). Loss of ambition is the main reason that employees
might have to leave a job (2).”
Which of the following is correct about the text above?
a) The whole text is a report; therefore, it is a non-argument.
b) It is not an argument and both (1) and (2) are premises.
c) It is an argument in which (1) is the premise and (2) is the conclusion.
d) Though (1) is the conclusion and (2) is the premise, the whole text is not an
argument because no indicator word can be found.

11. “European gas prices have tumbled in recent weeks as Europe has made progress in filling
up storage facilities for this winter and intervened in the energy market to protect
consumers.”
Which of the following is correct about the text above?
a) It is an illustration.
b) It is a report.
c) It is an argument.
d) It is an explanation.

12. “A sense of malaise and fatigue sweeps the American workforce, apparently culminating in
a common desire to do less. For example, more than half of surveyed workers said they’re
questioning the purpose of their jobs and the role work should play in their lives.”
Which of the following is correct about the text above?
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 a) It is a report.
b) It is an illustration.
c) It is an argument.
d) It is an explanation.

13. Which of the following tests should be applied AT LAST to determine whether an
argument is deductive or inductive?
a) The Indicator Word test
b) The Strict Necessity test
c) The Principle of Charity test
d) The Common Pattern test

14. “He is a night owl. So he tends to stay up late at night.”

This is a/an ____.
a) argument from elimination
b) argument from definition
c) categorical argument
d) argument from authority

15. “Either you use private vehicles or public buses. You do not use private vehicles. Therefore,
you must use public buses.”
This is a/an ____.
a) hypothetical syllogism
b) categorical syllogism
c) argument by elimination
d) causal argument

16. “No Buddhists are Christians. Some San Pedrans are Christians. It follows that ____.”
Which of the following makes a valid conclusion for the argument above?
a) all San Pedrans are Buddhists
b) no San Pedrans are Buddhists
c) some San Pedrans are Buddhists
d) some San Pedrans are not Buddhists

17. “Guns and hammers are both tools with metal parts that can be used to kill someone.
There is no restriction on the purchase of hammers. So, restrictions on purchasing guns
are ridiculous.”
This is a/an ____.
a) argument from analogy
b) argument by elimination
c) argument from definition
d) statistical argument

18. “My daughter's towel is wet. She must have already taken a shower this morning.”
Which of the following is correct about the argument above?
a) It is a strong argument from authority.
b) It is a valid but unsound argument.
c) It is a strong predictive argument.

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 d) It is a weak causal argument.

19. Student: “Every time I ate sweet red bean soup before the exams, I got high scores. I just
ate a big bowl of sweet red bean soup. Therefore, I will have a high score for the test
tomorrow.”
Which of the following is correct about the student’s saying?
(a) It is not an argument; it is an unwarranted assumption.
(b) It is a predictive argument.
(c) It is an argument from authority.
(d) It is an argument from analogy.

20. “My grandparents do not know how to use a computer. It must be the case that all older
people are computer illiterate.”
The argument above is a/an ____.
a) weak inductive generalization
b) strong argument from analogy
c) weak causal argument
d) strong predictive argument

21. “No one who is a teaching assistant at International University is a student with a GPA
below 7.0.”
Which of the choices is the standard form of the categorical statement above?
a) Some teaching assistants at International University are students with a GPA below
7.0.
b) No teaching assistants at International University are students with a GPA below 7.0.
c) All teaching assistants at International University are not students with a GPA below
7.0.
d) Not a single teaching assistant at International University is a student with a GPA below
7.0.

22. “Some university English lecturers are professional interpreters.”

Which of the choices can NOT be translated into the standard categorical statement above?
a) There are university English lecturers that are professional interpreters.
b) Many university English lecturers are professional interpreters.
c) University English lecturers are not always professional interpreters.
d) A few university English lecturers are professional interpreters.

23. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be true in a standard categorical statement?
a) A copula is used to link the subject term and the predicate term.
b) The subject term must be a noun or a noun phrase that represents a class or a category.
c) Linking verbs are used to replace ordinary verbs
d) The statement must begin with one of the following three quantifiers: All, No or Some.

24. (1) Nearly all Ethiopians are not Catholics.

(2) Not a single Ethiopian citizen is a Catholic.
(3) There are Ethiopian citizens that are Catholics.

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 Which of the three categorical statements above can be translated into the standard
form “Some S are not P”?
a) Statement 1
b) Statement 2
c) Statement 3
d) All choices are correct.

25. Which of the following WRONGLY represents the categorical statement above it?

a) Some wealthy people (W) are not b) All entrepreneurs (E) are smart
happy people (H). people (S).

c) No popes (P) are married men (M). d) Some lazy guys at school (L) are
successful guys at work (S).

26. “Some B are C. All B are P. So, some P are C.”

Which of the following is the correct Venn diagram and validity of the argument above?

A. B.
a) Diagram A
b) Diagram B
c) Diagram C
d) Diagram D

C. D.

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27. “Not a single person who breaks traffic laws (B) is a traffic officer (O). Everyone who commits
drunk driving (D) breaks the traffic laws. So, none of the drunk drivers is a traffic officer.”
Which of the following is the best Venn diagram and validity of the above argument?
A. B.
a) Diagram A
b) Diagram B
c) Diagram C
d) Diagram D

C. D.

28. “Whoever orders foods in Vinroll shops (V) is a person with a healthy diet (H). A few young
lecturers at International University (L) have a healthy diet. So, there are lecturers at
International University who do not order foods in Vinroll shops.”
Which of the following is the best Venn diagram and validity of the above argument?

A. B.
a) Diagram A
b) Diagram B
c) Diagram C
d) Diagram D

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 C. D.

29. “Several students who achieve high scores in Critical Thinking (C) study well in
Mathematics (M). Many students studying Mathematics well achieve a high GPA score (G).
So, most students with high GPA scores achieve high scores in Critical Thinking.”
Which of the following is the best Venn diagram and validity of the above argument?

A. B.
a) Diagram A
b) Diagram B
c) Diagram C
d) Diagram D

C. D.

30. “Most people who drive limousines (L) are wealthy people (W). There are wealthy people
that have happy lives (H). So, we can say that not everyone who drives a limousine has a
happy life.”
Which of the following is the best symbolic form of the argument above?
a) Some L are W. Some H are W. So, some L are not H.
b) All L are W. Some W are H. So, some L are not H.
c) Some L are W. Some W are H. So, some L are H.
d) Some L are W. Some W are H. So, some L are not H.

31. In propositional logic, the exclusive sense ____.

a) refers to the use of the word not to deny a statement
b) eliminates one of the possibilities in a disjunction
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 c) excludes one part of the conditional statement
d) is related to the variables in a conjunction

32. A  ~(B & C)

Which of the following is correct about the symbolic form above?
a) It is a symbolic conditional statement with two variables.
b) Its antecedent consists of a conjunction and negation.
c) It is the symbolic form of a disjunction.
d) Its consequent is the negation of a conjunction.

33. “You should ask your classmates for support (S). Given that exams cover all lesson
contents (E), and if you don’t understand certain lesson contents (U), you should ask your
classmates for support (S).”
Which of the following is the symbolic form of the given text?

a) E b) E c) S d) E
U  ~S S E ~U  S
∴S ∴ ~U  S ∴ ~U  S ∴S

34. Which column(s) contain(s) wrong value(s)?

a) Column 1 only
b) Column 3 only
c) Column 1 and column 4
d) Column 2 and column 3

35. Which of the following is the correct truth table for the proposition ~N  ~K?
A. B.
a) Table A
b) Table B
c) Table
C
d) Table D

C. D.

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 36. “If a typhoon makes a landfall (L), it causes certain damage (D). It’s not the case that a typhoon
makes a landfall but it doesn’t cause certain damage. So a typhoon causes certain damage.”
Choose the correct truth table and validity check based on the argument above.

A. B.
a) Table A
b) Table
B
c) Table
C
d) Table
D

C. D.

37. Choose the correct comment about the following symbolic argument.

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 a) Line of symbolic propositions (FIRST LINE) must remove column ~W
b) The marking (*) for one premise must be removed.
c) Column of W v T  O has a wrong value.
d) The conclusion is wrong.
38. P & Q  R
~(Q v R)
∴PvQ
Which of the following is correct about the symbolic form above?
a) It is not a symbolic argument form because there is no conclusion.
b) The first line is the symbolic form of a disjunction and conjunction.
c) It is an argument with the negation of a disjunction as one premise.
d) It is an argument with three variables, and the conclusion is a negation.

39. Freshmen take the military training course in the first year (F) or they take it in the second
year (S). It’s not the case that freshmen take the military training course in the first year and
in the second year.”
Which of the following is the symbolic form of the given text?

a) F & S b) F v S c) F & S d) F  S
~(F v S) ~(F & S) ~F v S ~(F & S)

40. Which of the following is the correct symbolic argument and conclusion from the
argument and the truth table?
I have lunch in the school canteen (C) but my best friend brings her lunch (B). If my best
friend brings her lunch, I don’t ask her to eat the canteen food (F) with me. So I eat lunch in
the school canteen.

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a) C & B b) C & B c) C & B d) C & B
B ~F B ~F B ~F B ~F
∴C ∴ ~C ∴C ∴ ~C

Invalid Valid Valid Invalid

End of the test

ANSWER KEY – INDEX 1

Questions Lessons and CLOs
Q1  Q20 Chapter 1: Introduction to Critical thinking
2 points/correct answer Chapter 2: Recognizing arguments
Chapter 3: Basic logical concepts
CLO1 + CLO2
Q21  Q31 Chapter 9: A little categorical logic
4 points/correct answer CLO3
Q31  Q40 Chapter 10: A little propositional logic
4 points/correct answer CLO3

1 a b c d 21 a b c d
2 a b c d 22 a b c d
3 a b c d 23 a b c d
4 a b c d 24 a b c d
5 a b c d 25 a b c d
6 a b c d 26 a b c d
7 a b c d 27 a b c d

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8 a b c d 28 a b c d
9 a b c d 29 a b c d
10 a b c d 30 a b c d
11 a b c d 31 a b c d
12 a b c d 32 a b c d
13 a b c d 33 a b c d
14 a b c d 34 a b c d
15 a b c d 35 a b c d
16 a b c d 36 a b c d
17 a b c d 37 a b c d
18 a b c d 38 a b c d
19 a b c d 39 a b c d
20 a b c d 40 a b c d

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