James Madison - Case 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the four qualities of critical thinkers?

• Critical thinkers are open-minded.

• Critical thinkers are curious.

• Critical thinkers always accept claims without evidence.

• Critical thinkers try to find connections between pieces of evidence.

According to the passage, what do open-minded people attempt to set aside when evaluating evidence?

• A. Their emotions and prejudices

• B. The available evidence

• C. Their curiosity

• D. Their knowledge

Open-minded people are willing to consider evidence before judging whether a claim is true or false.

• True

• False

Why does the claim 'Sanchez torched his business to collect the insurance' not fit the evidence well?

• Because there is no evidence Sanchez set the fire.

• Because Sanchez did not have insurance.

• Because the business was not damaged.

• Because Sanchez was out of town.

Each claim below is about Case 2. Choose the answer that best explains why each claim should be questioned.

“Lucy’s Italian. So she must have connections to organized crime.”

• This reflects a prejudice against Lucy.

• This reflects a prejudice against Italians.

• This reflects a prejudice against organized crime.

• There is no reason to question the claim.

Each claim below is about Case 2. Choose the answer that best explains why each claim should be questioned.

“Aisha is so lovely. She couldn’t have had a hand in it.”

• This reflects a prejudice against Aisha.

• This reflects a prejudice in favor of lovely people.

• This reflects a prejudice with respect to women.

• There is no reason to question the claim.

Each claim below is about Case 2. Choose the answer that best explains why each claim should be questioned.

“Sanchez was a Mexican. So he had no right to own the business.”

• This reflects a prejudice against foreigners.

• This reflects a prejudice against Mexicans.

• This reflects a prejudice against business owners.

• There is no reason to question the claim.

“Hair Today! is a wonderful place! It couldn’t have burned down!”

• This reflects a prejudice against Hair Today!

• This reflects a prejudice in favor of Hair Today!

• This reflects a tendency to allow one’s emotions to blur the facts.

• There is no reason to question the claim.

“Given its location, a lot of criminal activity probably went on at Hair Today!”

• This reflects a prejudice against a certain area of the city.

• This reflects a prejudice against Hair Today!

• This reflects a prejudice against criminal activity.

• There is no reason to question the claim.

“Female detectives can’t be trusted.”

• This reflects a prejudice against detectives.

• This reflects a prejudice against females.

• This reflects a prejudice in favor of female detectives.

• There is no reason to question the claim.