Free Practice Quiz Question List

1 Foundations of Critical Thinking Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Foundations of Critical Thinking, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

True or false: Collecting accurate facts by itself is sufficient for critical thinking, even if you do not assess how they support a judgment.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A student argues, “The library should stay open later because many students study after school.” Which unstated assumption most directly connects the reason to the recommendation?

A
Students who study after school never have access to the library.
B
Keeping the library open later is feasible and would help meet students’ needs.
C
All students prefer studying in the library to studying elsewhere.
D
The library’s current hours are longer than those of every other school service.

Written response

1 point

A policy proposal uses the phrase “reasonable access” without explaining what counts as reasonable. Which intellectual standard should be checked first?

Choose one

1 point

Which statement best describes how to use words such as “because” and “therefore” when analyzing an argument?

A
The word “therefore” always introduces a premise.
B
An argument must use “therefore,” “so,” or “thus” to have a conclusion.
C
Signal words can help locate premises and conclusions, but they do not identify them infallibly.
D
A statement following “because” must be the conclusion.

Fill in the blank

1 point

A proposal gives reasons for a recommendation but leaves an important connecting idea unstated. That unstated idea is an .

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements that accurately describe how to evaluate an inductive conclusion based on a survey.

A
A survey’s representativeness can affect how strongly its results support a conclusion about a population.
B
If a survey supports a conclusion inductively, the conclusion must be true.
C
An inductive argument can make a conclusion more likely without guaranteeing it.
D
A survey result is irrelevant to an argument whenever it concerns a population.

True or false

1 point

True or false: If a deductive argument is sound, then it is valid and all of its premises are true.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

A report says attendance “improved,” but the decision requires knowing how much it changed. Which intellectual standard asks whether the claim is specific enough?

Choose one

1 point

A report says, “A town survey found that many residents wait a long time for buses. Therefore, the town should add a bus route.” Which option correctly identifies the premise and conclusion?

A
Premise: the town should add a bus route; conclusion: the survey found long waits.
B
Premise: the survey found long waits; conclusion: the town should add a bus route.
C
Premise: the survey found long waits; conclusion: the survey was conducted.
D
Premise: the town has a bus system; conclusion: the survey found long waits.

Fill in the blank

1 point

A claim is supported with accurate information that has no bearing on it. The reasoning fails the standard of .

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements that accurately describe subarguments in a chain of reasoning.

A
A premise may itself need support from another argument.
B
Every premise in an argument must be an undisputed fact.
C
An intermediate conclusion can serve as a premise for a broader conclusion.
D
A subargument is simply a list of claims unrelated to the main conclusion.

Open ended

1 point

A school argues that it should change library hours. Evidence that students lack a quiet place to study is used to support the claim that library access matters; that claim is then combined with evidence about staffing and cost to support the proposed change. Explain the role of the claim that library access matters in this chain of reasoning.

True or false

1 point

In an argument, words such as “because” and “therefore” can help identify premises and conclusions, but they do not function as infallible rules.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A city council member argues that a new bus route will reduce commute times because many residents own bicycles. Which intellectual standard most directly identifies the weakness in this reasoning?

A
Accuracy, because the claim about bicycle ownership may be false.
B
Precision, because the conclusion does not give an exact number of minutes.
C
Relevance, because the information does not directly support the conclusion.
D
Fairness, because the argument does not represent opposing views.

Written response

1 point

Which intellectual standard asks whether reasoning addresses important complexities in an issue? Enter the name of the standard.

Choose one

1 point

A school argues that students need access to a quiet study space because many lack one elsewhere. It then uses that point, along with evidence about staffing and costs, to argue for longer library hours. How does the first claim function in the larger argument?

A
A subargument supports an intermediate claim that is then used to support a broader conclusion.
B
A subargument is any list of facts that concerns the same subject.
C
A subargument replaces the main conclusion with a question.
D
A subargument is a conclusion that has no supporting premises.

Written response

1 point

What is the standard term for a deductive argument in which it is impossible for all the premises to be true and the conclusion false? Enter the term.

Choose one

1 point

A deductive argument has a valid structure, but one of its premises is false. Which assessment follows?

A
It is sound because its conclusion follows from its premises, regardless of whether those premises are true.
B
It is valid but not sound because one of its premises is false.
C
It is invalid because a false premise prevents any conclusion from following.
D
It is inductive because its conclusion could be revised.

Choose one

1 point

A school surveys students who use its library and concludes that most students in the entire school want later library hours. What is the most important question for assessing the strength of this conclusion?

A
The conclusion is deductive because a survey provides numerical evidence.
B
The conclusion is sound if the survey was completed accurately.
C
The conclusion is guaranteed if most respondents gave the same answer.
D
The conclusion is inductive, and its strength depends partly on whether the respondents represent the population.

Choose one

1 point

A representative survey provides strong evidence that most students favor a proposed change, but it cannot guarantee that every student agrees. What is the most appropriate response to the survey’s conclusion?

A
Treat the conclusion as certain if the evidence is relevant.
B
Reject the conclusion because inductive reasoning cannot establish anything.
C
Accept the conclusion with confidence proportionate to the support, while remaining open to revision.
D
Accept the conclusion only if it can be rewritten as a deductive argument.