Deck 2: Critical Thinking Mindset and Skills

Question 1

Questions such as "What does this evidence imply?" and "What additional information do we need to resolve this question?" engage the critical thinking skill of ________.
(a) interpretation
(b) explanation
(c) self-regulation
(d) inference

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A person who believes that critical thinking skills offer the greatest promise for reaching good judgments is likely to agree that ________.
(a) winning arguments is more important than making intelligent decisions
(b) no matter how complex a problem might be, there is a simple solution
(c) the best jobs are the ones in which a supervisor gives precise directions
(d) it is better to make important or risky decisions after carefully thinking them through

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Why do we use the word strong, instead of the word good, as a positive way of describing the quality of one's critical thinking? Use an example to support your position.

Answer 3

The word strong is used to praise a person's critical thinking process without necessarily agreeing with the person's conclusion or making any judgment about the person's ethics. The word good is ambiguous in a problematic way because "good critical thinker" could mean "person who thinks well" or "person who is acting ethically." For example, a person can be adept at developing cogent arguments and adroit at finding the flaws in other people's reasoning, but that same person can use these skills unethically to mislead and exploit a gullible person, perpetrate a fraud, or deliberately confuse, confound, and frustrate a project.

Question 4

A social scientist conducts research on two ethnic groups and comes to the conclusion that there are more similarities than differences between the two groups. When asked to present these findings to other scientists they ask about the reasons and evidence used to reach that conclusion. To respond to this question the social scientist will be primarily using which critical thinking skill?
(a) inference
(b) explanation
(c) self-regulation
(d) interpretation

Question 5

Identify and describe four steps that one can take to cultivate a positive critical thinking mindset.

Question 6

People who strive to engage correctly in critical thinking will do which of the following?
(a) Seek more for themselves and less for everybody else.
(b) Display negative critical thinking habits of mind.
(c) Display strong critical thinking skills.
(d) Endeavor to monitor and to correct their own thinking.
(e) Live an ethical life

Question 7

Assessing the credibility of claims and the quality of arguments primarily engage which critical thinking skill?
(a) evaluation
(b) interpretation
(c) self-regulation
(d) explanation
(e) analysis

Question 8

A person is most likely averse to critical thinking when he or she ________.
(a) approaches a challenging problem with confidence that he or she can think it through
(b) tries to think ahead and anticipate the consequences of various options
(c) reads widely and follows news reports just to learn new things
(d) makes snap judgments about problems without first thinking about how best to approach them

Question 9

To take an organized approach to developing your critical thinking, which chapters would you consult to learn how critical thinking is related to problem solving and human decision making?
(a) Chapters 3, 10, and 11
(b) Chapters 4, 5, and 6
(c) Chapters 7, 8, and 9
(d) Chapters 12, 13, and 14
(e) Chapters 15 through 19

Question 10

Which individual exhibits a weak disposition toward critical thinking?
(a) a person who prefers jobs in which he is permitted to think through problems and make decisions
(b) a person who holds stubbornly to their preconceptions even when the facts show otherwise
(c) a person who gives his or her best while trying to solve difficult problems he encounters at work
(d) a person who takes the initiative to anticipate potential workplace problems

Question 11

When strong critical thinkers are taking into consideration the relevant ideas, definitions, and theories, they are attending to which of the following?
(a) methods
(b) criteria
(c) evidence
(d) conceptualizations
(e) questions

Question 12

What does it mean to be "positively disposed" toward critical thinking?

Question 13

Describe the characteristics of a person who is truth-seeking.

Question 14

Which behavior can be regarded as evidence of engaging one's critical thinking skills?
(a) relying on others to solve problems
(b) following a predictable daily routine
(c) asking probing questions
(d) reacting to provocations
(e) jumping to conclusions

Question 15

Sophia asks probing questions, is interested in a variety of topics, and strives to learn more every day. Given this information, which positive critical thinking habit of mind does Sophia exhibit?
(a) open-mindedness
(b) inquisitiveness
(c) confidence in reasoning
(d) judiciousness

Question 16

The process of checking and, if needed, correcting one's reasoning primarily engages which the following core critical thinking skills?
(a) inference
(b) interpretation
(c) self-regulation
(d) explanation
(e) analysis

Question 17

To take an organized approach to developing your critical thinking, which group of chapters would you consult in order to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the three most fundamental forms of human reasoning-comparative, ideological, and empirical?
(a) Chapters 3, 10, and 11
(b) Chapters 4, 5, and 6
(c) Chapters 7, 8, and 9
(d) Chapters 12, 13, and 14
(e) Chapters 15 through 19

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the role of a sphere metaphor in representing the relationships among the core critical thinking skills?
(a) A sphere depicts a linear sequence as if the critical thinking skills fired in a particular order.
(b) A sphere reminds us that each critical thinking skill can be applied to results of any other skill.
(c) The sphere suggests that we can model human reasoning based on how computers solve problems.
(d) The sphere reminds us that we cannot see or correct any reasoning mistakes we might be making.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the critical thinking habit of open-mindedness?
(a) tolerance of divergent views and sensitivity to the possibility of bias
(b) intellectual integrity and a desire to seek the best possible knowledge in any given situation
(c) the consistent endeavor to take an organized approach to identifying and resolving problems
(d) the realization that some problems are ill structured and may have more than one plausible solution

Question 20

What can one learn by using the Critical Thinking Disposition Self-Rating Form?
(a) whether one is better at critical thinking today than others
(b) the strength of one's critical thinking skills
(c) a rough estimate of one's current overall attitude toward critical thinking
(d) evaluations of each person's critical thinking habits of mind

Question 21

Why are the six core critical thinking skills not presented as a numbered list?

Question 22

Marie has to choose between two jobs. The first job would give her the freedom to organize her own work schedule and to make her own decisions about how to handle workplace problems. The second job involves working for a boss who describes herself as a micromanager who expects that Marie will follow detailed instructions to the letter. Not wanting to put in the effort required to organize her own workdays and lacking confidence in her own capacity to reason through workplace problems, Marie chooses the second job. Is Marie displaying a positive disposition toward critical thinking or not? Explain.

Question 23

If a person is a strong critical thinker, then he must also be an ethical person.

Question 24

Describe the core thinking skill of self-regulation, and list the subskills associated with it.

Question 25

Describe the characteristics of a person disposed toward being analytical.

Question 26

Explain why approaching problems with a positive critical thinking disposition may not always produce the exact result desired.

Question 27

A person with a strong critical thinking disposition is unwilling to engage in reasoning, quick to make snap judgments, and happy with simplistic analyses and incomplete explanations.

Question 28

Why are strong critical thinking skills needed to resolve conflict among human beings?

Question 29

In the process of reasoning to a reflective judgment about what to believe or what to do, what aspects of the problem or issue at hand should strong critical thinkers consider?

Question 30

The combination of values, beliefs, and intentions forms the ________ that dispose a person toward critical thinking.

Question 31

Carlos is a manager of a company. He tries to spot problems before they happen. He looks for ways to make the company more efficient. He anticipates the possible consequences of different options. And he is always alert for ways to do things differently if the changes will benefit the company. Given this information, describe the positive critical thinking habit of mind that Carlos possesses.

Question 32

In addressing real-world issues, for example, fracking under residential real estate, explain how you would apply the core critical thinking skills. Discuss the problem you have selected, and present the questions you would ask in the course of applying those skills.

Question 33

Each critical thinking skill can be applied to the others. In this way, the core critical thinking skills can be said to ________.

Question 34

A ________ person has the cognitive maturity to realize that many questions and issues are not black and white and that, at times, judgments must be made in contexts of uncertainty.

Question 35

Two people discussing religion discover that one of them is an atheist while the other is deeply religious. They both show tolerance for each other, and an understanding that they have an honest disagreement. They are both displaying which critical thinking habit of mind?

Question 36

Explain how critical thinking skills work in combination with one another.

Question 37

How does the asking of good questions can engage critical thinking skills?

Question 38

Critical thinking requires the use of skills in a specific step-by-step sequence.

Question 39

Define the critical thinking skill of interpretation, and identify the subskills associated with it.

Question 40

Ben and Steve receive an essay assignment in their college course. Ben is eager to learn the material and willing to do careful research so he can put together a well-organized essay that presents cogent arguments for the perspective he hopes to discover as he learns more about the issues involved. Steve plans to wait until the night before the essay is due and then to cut and paste from whatever he can find on the Internet until he compiles enough pages to meet the professor's stated minimum. Which of the two students appears to be more disposed toward critical thinking? Explain why.

Question 41

Critical thinking is not a set of skills, but rather it is the use of those skills in the process of making reflective, purposeful judgments. Explain what this means by using an example.

Question 42

While explaining critical thinking skills, it is helpful to use the metaphor of a sphere with the names of the skills displayed randomly over its surface. Why is a sphere used for this purpose?

Question 43

Having the mindset that disposes us to engage our thinking skills as best as we can is the "eager" part of the phrase "skilled and eager to think." Describe this eagerness in terms of the positive disposition toward critical thinking.

Question 44

What are the differences between a strong disposition toward critical thinking and a weak disposition toward critical thinking?