Critical Reasoning Quiz
1. Sue: Commercial flights currently contribute more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in one year than does the whole of Africa. If we want to reduce global warming we need to restrict the number of flights we take. Dave: Did you know that by taking one inter-continental flight you cause more pollution than you would in twelve months of car travel? Dave’s response to Sue’s comment serves to
A. reinforce Sue’s contention that flights are a major contributor to increased carbon dioxide levels
B. add more weight to her contention that we should reduce the number of flights we take
C. mitigate the force of her argument by suggesting that there is an alternative approach
D. suggest an alternative that will reduce the effect of pollution
2. It is not unusual to see the ball fall into a black slot on a roulette wheel four times in a row. But for it to fall five or six times in a row into the same color is very unusual. Therefore you can win money by waiting for a run of five of the same color and then betting against that color.
If the roulette wheel in question is a fair wheel, which of the following observations or facts, if it were true, would best reveal a fallacy in the logic?
A. If there were a reliable way to win at roulette it would be well-known by now.
B. It is hard for a player to keep track of what went before for the time required.
C. The probability of getting a particular color decreases with the number of times the color has appeared.
D. The probability of getting a particular color is always the same no matter what has gone before.
3. The committee on sexual discrimination in the workplace has highlighted Supremo Company as a chief offender. Of the twenty senior executives in the firm, only one is a woman. And of the forty junior executives, only five are female.
Supremo could best defend itself against the charges by showing that
A. male and female executives at the same level have the same qualifications
Bb. ten times
A. reinforce Sue’s contention that flights are a major contributor to increased carbon dioxide levels
B. add more weight to her contention that we should reduce the number of flights we take
C. mitigate the force of her argument by suggesting that there is an alternative approach
D. suggest an alternative that will reduce the effect of pollution
2. It is not unusual to see the ball fall into a black slot on a roulette wheel four times in a row. But for it to fall five or six times in a row into the same color is very unusual. Therefore you can win money by waiting for a run of five of the same color and then betting against that color.
If the roulette wheel in question is a fair wheel, which of the following observations or facts, if it were true, would best reveal a fallacy in the logic?
A. If there were a reliable way to win at roulette it would be well-known by now.
B. It is hard for a player to keep track of what went before for the time required.
C. The probability of getting a particular color decreases with the number of times the color has appeared.
D. The probability of getting a particular color is always the same no matter what has gone before.
3. The committee on sexual discrimination in the workplace has highlighted Supremo Company as a chief offender. Of the twenty senior executives in the firm, only one is a woman. And of the forty junior executives, only five are female.
Supremo could best defend itself against the charges by showing that
A. male and female executives at the same level have the same qualifications
Bb. ten times