Deck 15: Science and Pseudoscience

Question 1

Pseudoscience explains away or ignores falsifying data.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT part of the basic pattern of scientific reasoning?

A) answering questions of value
B) formulating hypotheses to explain the data
C) gathering relevant data
D) identifying the problem

Answer 2

answering questions of value

Question 3

Astrology has absolutely no scientific basis because _____.

A) scientific tests do not support astrology's claims
B) astrologers often use vague, untestable language
C) All of the answers are correct
D) astrologers fail to offer a convincing response to the problems of time twins and mass disasters

Answer 3

All of the answers are correct

Question 4

Which of the following is included in the basic pattern of scientific reasoning?

A) All of the answers are correct
B) identifying the problem
C) gathering relevant data
D) formulating hypotheses to explain the data
E) testing the hypothesis by observation or experiment

Question 5

Belief in astrology is very ancient, and it began more than four thousand years ago in _____.

A) China
B) Rome
C) Greece
D) Mesopotamia

Question 6

Cold reading is a method scientists use to test subjects for extrasensory perception.

Question 7

In the context of the criteria of explanatory success, the _____ of a scientific explanation refers to how well it harmonizes with the rest of science.

A) fit
B) fruitfulness
C) scope
D) simplicity

Question 8

Which pattern of scientific reasoning is often used to confirm scientific hypotheses?

A) None of the answers are correct
B) modus ponens
C) modus tollens
D) denying the antecedent

Question 9

Even though some arguments are not deductively valid, they can provide persuasive evidence for a conclusion.

Question 10

Which of the following is a scientific question?

A) "Should partial-birth abortions be banned?"
B) "Does my life have meaning?"
C) None of the answers are correct
D) "Does everything happen for a reason?"

Question 11

Personal experience, anecdotal evidence, paid testimonials, and folklore are all reliable forms of evidence.

Question 12

The most reliable way to answer the question "Does Vitamin C prevent colds?" is by performing _____.

A) a nonrandomized prospective study
B) a nonrandomized baseline comparison study
C) a nonrandomized retrospective study
D) a randomized experimental study

Question 13

Scientific hypotheses are tested by considering their implications and then testing those implications by means of observation or experiment.

Question 14

_____ involve using an experimental group that has already been exposed to a suspected causal agent, finding a controlled group that has not been exposed to the agent but matches the experimental group in all other relevant respects, and then tracking the two groups over time to determine a cause-and-effect relationship.

A) Nonrandomized prospective studies
B) Randomized double-blind trials
C) Nonrandomized retrospective studies
D) Randomized block designs

Question 15

To be scientific, a claim must be testable, and to be testable, it must be expressed in clear, specific language.

Question 16

Which of the following claims is testable?

A) All of the answers are correct.
B) "Smoking causes cancer."
C) "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."
D) "You were a koala in a previous life."
E) "The world was created three minutes ago in a way that makes it look like it was created billions of years ago."

Question 17

A statement such as "You like things to go your way" used in general personality descriptions is an example of _____.

A) a self-authenticating statement
B) Barnum-type language
C) a pseudo-statement
D) language secessionism

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT one of the six marks of pseudoscience discussed in chapter 15?

A) It uses vague language.
B) It is not progressive.
C) It often accepts or critically analyzes falsifying data.
D) It often involves no serious effort to conduct research.

Question 19

Astrologers have failed to identify a plausible physical force or mechanism that could explain astrology's alleged influences.

Question 20

A good scientist never admits when he or she is wrong.

Question 21

According to the text, science is the most powerful intellectual tool ever discovered.

Question 22

Which of the following is a vital part of randomized experimental studies?

A) using a placebo
B) All of the answers are correct
C) making the study double-blind
D) random selection
E) using a control group

Question 23

Which of the following is a deductively valid pattern of reasoning and used widely in scientific reasoning as a way of disconfirming, or falsifying, scientific hypotheses?

A) denying the antecedent
B) modus ponens
C) modus tollens
D) affirming the consequent

Question 24

The view that science is the only reliable way of knowing is called _____.

A) None of the answers are correct
B) scientific hegemonism
C) scientific imperialism
D) scientism

Question 25

Suppose I claim that cell phones cause tumors in your brain but refuse to run any tests to confirm my hypothesis, claiming that it's obvious that cell phones cause brain tumors because they emit signals and we hold them close to our heads, what mistake have I made?

A) All of the answers are correct.
B) I failed to conduct research.
C) I have ignored falsifying evidence.
D) My language is too vague.
E) I have made a claim that is not testable.

Question 26

If a scientific idea is popular, comforting, or long accepted, it can be accepted even if it does not fit with the observable facts or the clear evidence of our senses.

Question 27

"Should cloning be permitted?" is a scientific question.

Question 28

Scientists often formulate working hypotheses without prior assumptions because those assumptions would negatively influence their observations.

Question 29

Pseudoscience often makes claims that are not testable.

Question 30

Pseudoscience is _____.

A) scientific experiments conducted by a nonexpert
B) unscientific thinking masquerading as scientific thinking
C) scientific reasoning that is good but inconclusive
D) science that investigates deeper questions than mainstream science

Question 31

Science advances not by throwing out well-established scientific truths but by extending those truths into new domains and by building on existing knowledge, not by starting from scratch.

Question 32

In the context of the types of vague expressions used by psychic readers, _____ are subtle statements designed to prompt a reaction, but carefully phrased so that they are easily interpreted as hits but not so easily interpreted as misses.

A) run-on sentences
B) ellipses
C) multiple-out expressions
D) try-ons

Question 33

Science is completely different from common sense.

Question 34

Astrology is good science.

Question 35

In general, scientific tests do not support the claims of astrology.

Question 36

Good science is progressive.