Question 1

Contextualizing resolves problematic ambiguity by reminding us of the topic being discussed or the circumstances within which a statement was made.

Accepted Answer

Contextualizing helps to clarify any ambiguity by providing the necessary context for understanding the statement or topic being discussed.

Question 2

The school principal was giving out Perfect Attendance Awards to the children in the second grade and called Jennifer to the front of the class saying. "Jennifer gets a Perfect Attendance Award too because she did not miss a single day of school except for the three days her parents held her out for religious reasons. And, after all, authentic perfect attendance means attending school each and every day that you should have attended." Explain what makes the school principal's message problematic to interpret.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The school principal was giving out Perfect...

Question 3

Describing a word or expression as ambiguous means that the word or expression ____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describing a word or expression as ambiguous...

Question 4

Rather than bargaining with her partner until a compromise was hammered out about which one of them had to stay late to complete the paperwork, Judy, a police officer, preferred to approach disagreements with her partner using ______________ negotiation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rather than bargaining with her partner until...

Question 5

One of the most practical ways of resolving problematic vagueness and ambiguity is to introduce _____________ that clarify which cases are included or excluded.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the most practical ways of...

Question 6

Describing a word or expression as vague means that the word or expression ____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describing a word or expression as vague...

Question 7

Explain why interpreting the meaning of a political campaign promise like "We will reform government so that we do what is right!" is problematic.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why interpreting the meaning of a...

Question 8

What does "taking a person's words out of context" mean and why is that a problem? Use examples to amplify your explanation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does "taking a person's words out...

Question 9

Explain why the word cause is problematic in this statement "Everything and everyone has a cause."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why the word cause is problematic...

Question 10

The priority humans give to efficient communication should give way to concerns about problematic vagueness and problematic ambiguity only if miscommunications have occurred or are likely to occur.

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that efficient communication is still a priority, but problematic vagueness and ambiguity should be addressed if they are causing or are likely to cause miscommunications.

Question 11

Using examples based on recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings or comparable examples of your own choosing, explain why strong critical thinking includes the development of the skill of interpretation and the habit of judiciousness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Using examples based on recent U.S. Supreme...

Question 12

Contrast interest-based negotiation from position-based negotiation and describe how you may be able to approach the problem of finding a job on campus using interest-based negotiation. You may use examples from the text or, preferably, introduce your own examples to illustrate your points.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Contrast interest-based negotiation from position-based negotiation and...

Question 13

When does vagueness or ambiguity become problematic?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When does vagueness or ambiguity become problematic?...

Question 14

What is a language community?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a language community?...

Question 15

Regardless of context or purpose, vague or ambiguous words or expressions are always problematic.

Accepted Answer

Vague or ambiguous words or expressions can be purposefully used in literature, poetry, and everyday language to evoke imagination, suggest multiple meanings, or communicate in a non-direct way, which can be effective depending on the context and intent.

Question 16

Why do we not consider people who use critical thinking to be a special language community?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do we not consider people who...

Question 17

When Uncle Frank issued his command that "Bad language" should never be used in his presence, his college-aged nieces and nephews agreed out of respect to honor his wishes. But later, when they were out together and he was not with them, they discussed what each of them thought that Uncle Frank had meant. Explain why it can be difficult to interpret an expression like "Don't use bad language!"

Accepted Answer

The answer of When Uncle Frank issued his command that...

Question 18

How does the discussion of academic language communities help college freshmen and sophomores find success in typical college introductory courses? And, how does applying critical thinking help students move more easily into the academic language community of their chosen major?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the discussion of academic language...

Question 19

In the sentence "The disappointed one who lives with no expectations is truly happy," the word truly is used as a ____________ word to twist the meaning of happy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the sentence "The disappointed one who...

Quiz 4: Clarify Ideas and Concepts