Critical Thinking Skills

Which is NOT an example of a persuasion technique?

• "If you care about the environment, and who doesn't, give generously to our Savethe Mongoose Fund today!"

• "I've been eating Wheat-O's cereal since I was a kid," says super-athlete MarkGuyerman. "They give me energy to win ... and they'll do the same for you!"

• Soft-Sole Sneakers for toddlers are available at Murphy's Discount Store.

• "Send me to Washington as your senator if you want things done. I'll stop all thegovernment waste!"

Choose the best conclusion for an argument that begins, "The other members of Philip's swim team ..."

• won their events, so Philip will win his event, too.

• have been swimming for at least six years, so Philip has been swimming for sixyears, too.

• prefer to swim in outdoor pools, so Philip prefers outdoor pools, too.

• wear swim trunks with the school logo on them, so Philip wears them, too.

Marcy's American Lit teacher gives a quiz every Monday on the 50 pages of reading he assigns on Fridays. His quizzes are becoming harder as the semester progresses, and Marcy hasn't been doing very well on them. What can she do to troubleshoot the problem and hopefully get better grades on the quizzes?

• plan to get to class early on Monday to skim the pages

• look for a new outfit to wear on Monday so she'll be relaxed

• set aside time on Sunday to read and review the new material

• spend an hour on Saturday looking over what she missed on past quizzes

Which is NOT a sound argument?

• Sabrina wanted to be a better figure skater, so she took extra lessons and practicedevery day. Her skating improved so much that she entered a competition.

• Yesterday, a black cat ran in front of me, and later, I lost my wallet. If I don't seethat black cat today, I won't have any bad luck.

• We had a storm last night with hurricane-strength winds, and many trees weredowned. There was a citywide power outage.

• On a clear day, I can see the top of Murphy Monument from my house. If it'sclear tomorrow, I'll be able to see the monument.

You are trying to decide what kind of car to buy. You make a chart to compare a two- seater sports car, a two-door sedan, and a minivan in three categories. Which would NOT be a suitable category?

• price

• gas mileage

• tire pressure

• storage capacity

Which scenario best represents a situation that has been decided by emotion alone?

• Sue hates the winter, so even though she can't afford it, she takes a vacation to the Bahamas.

• The school shuts down after a bomb threat.

• Third-quarter earnings for Marie's company were much higher than predicted.

• Alexis needs a new mixer, so she watches the newspaper ads and buys one whenit goes on sale.

When would it be better to do research in the library rather than on the Internet?

• You are writing a report on recent U. S. Supreme Court decisions.

• You want to know the historical performance of a stock you are considering purchasing.

• You need to compare credit card interest rates.

• You want to find out more about the old trails through the forest in your town.

You read a story in the newspaper about salary negotiations with public transportation workers. The workers are threatening to go on strike tomorrow if their demands for higher wages and better benefits are not met. What can you infer from this news story?

• Health insurance premiums are very expensive.

• The cost of gas will make ticket prices increase in the next few weeks.

• People who ride the bus should look for possible alternative transportation.

• Employers never like to meet salary demands.