Instructions: For each question, click on the radio button beside your answer. When you have completed the entire quiz, click the “Submit my answers” button at the bottom of the page to receive your results.

Question 1:

The memories of eyewitnesses are almost always trustworthy.
a) True
b) False

Question 2:

The opinion of experts generally carries more weight than our own - but only in their areas of expertise.
a) True
b) False

Question 3:

Because we can never be knowledgeable in every field, we should reject the claims of experts.
a) True
b) False

Question 4:

If a claim conflicts with our background information, we should reject the claim.
a) True
b) False

Question 5:

It's not reasonable to accept a claim if there is good reason to doubt it.
a) True
b) False

Question 6:

The only available remedy for our tendency to resist contrary evidence is our commitment to critically examine our favourite claims.
a) True
b) False

Question 7:

The gambler's fallacy is thinking that previous events can affect the probabilities of the random event at hand.
a) True
b) False

Question 8:

'As many as', 'reportedly', and 'possibly' are all weasel words.
a) True
b) False

Question 9:

Many advertisements persuade by simply inviting the consumer to identify with the attractive people or groups attached to the product.
a) True
b) False

Question 10:

When evaluating a website, it is unimportant to determine the author's credentials.
a) True
b) False

Question 11:

An investigator who displays confirmation bias is typically thought to be biased when he or she fails to seek out evidence that would verify the claim in question.
a) True
b) False

Question 12:

Some good examples of weasel words are “definitely,” “entirely,” and “necessarily.”
a) True
b) False

Question 13:

In the fallacy of appeal to authority, one seeks out an authoritative source of information that is beyond one’s own competence to judge.
a) True
b) False

Question 14:

When assessing the reliability of information within a website, the presence of a biased viewpoint undermines the credibility of all of the information presented on the site.
a) True
b) False

Question 15:

The probability of any particular event occurring may be extremely low, but that same event, given enough opportunities to occur, may be ________.
a) impossible
b) highly probable over the long haul
c) highly improbable over the long haul
d) miraculous

Question 16:

Our perception and memory are constructive, which means that what we perceive and remember is to some degree ________.
a) omnipresent
b) stressful
c) disturbing
d) fabricated by our minds

Question 17:

Personal experience, though generally reliable, is ________.
a) infallible
b) difficult to quantify
c) not trustworthy
d) not infallible

Question 18:

We fall into a fallacious appeal to authority by ________.
a) checking an expert's credentials
b) ignoring the expert
c) regarding a non-expert as an expert
d) regarding an expert as a non-expert

Question 19:

Experts are more likely to be right because they have access to more information on the subject than we do and because ________.
a) they are better at judging the information than we are
b) the information has been checked
c) they are experts
d) they have credentials

Question 20:

If a claim conflicts with other claims we have good reason to accept, we have good grounds for ________.
a) accepting it
b) rejecting it
c) doubting it
d) rephrasing it

Question 21:

All of the following are reasons why experts are more likely to be right about a claim in their area of specialty except ________.
a) that they have more access to the relevant information than we do
b) that they are better at judging the relevant than we are
c) that their judgment within their field is infallible
d) that they typically have advanced preparation and experience in their field

Question 22:

The more evidence a claim has in its favour, ________.
a) the stronger our belief in it should be
b) the more desirable are the implications of the claim
c) the greater is our justification for doubting its truth
d) the more reason we have to doubt it

Question 23:

It is reasonable to accept the evidence provided by personal experience ________.
a) when that person happens to be an expert
b) when there is no good reason to doubt it
c) when that person provides reliable reports of their experience
d) when that personal experience complements your own

Question 24:

Imagine you just won several coin tosses in a row. In the next toss, ________.
a) you are more likely to lose
b) you are more likely to win
c) the chances are the same as with previous attempts
d) it is up to fate to decide

Higher Education

The Power of Critical Thinking, Third Canadian Edition: Chapter 4