Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Distinguishing Facts from Inferences Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is a FACT rather than an inference? Statement context: A company's annual report shows revenue of $4.2 million and a net loss of $800,000 for the fiscal year.
- The company will need to cut costs to survive.
- The company's management made poor financial decisions.
- The company had a net loss of $800,000 for the fiscal year. (Correct answer)
- The company's products are not competitive in the market.
Correct answer: The company had a net loss of $800,000 for the fiscal year.
The net loss figure is directly reported in the annual report — it is an observable, verifiable datum, not a conclusion drawn from reasoning.
A fact is a statement that is directly verifiable from the available data without requiring additional assumptions or interpretive steps. Option C simply restates the numerical figure from the annual report — it is directly verifiable. Options A, B, and D all go beyond the data: A predicts future action (inference), B attributes blame (inference involving judgment about quality of decisions), and D draws a market-competitiveness conclusion (inference from limited financial data). On the WGCTA, distinguishing facts from inferences requires asking: 'Can I verify this from the given statement alone, without additional reasoning?'
Question 2: A news article reports: 'Unemployment in the region fell from 8.3% to 6.1% over 12 months.' Which statement is an inference rather than a fact?
- Unemployment in the region was 8.3% at the start of the period.
- Unemployment in the region was 6.1% at the end of the period.
- The government's economic policies caused unemployment to fall. (Correct answer)
- Unemployment fell by 2.2 percentage points over 12 months.
Correct answer: The government's economic policies caused unemployment to fall.
Attributing the unemployment fall to government policies is a causal conclusion not contained in the reported data — it requires additional assumptions about causation.
Options A, B, and D are all directly derivable from the reported numbers — they restate the data or perform a straightforward arithmetic operation on it. Option C introduces a causal explanation (government policies) that is entirely absent from the article. Many factors can drive unemployment changes: private sector investment, demographic shifts, global economic conditions, seasonal factors. Attributing the change to government policy requires analytical steps beyond the data. This is a classic WGCTA distinction between factual reporting (restating or computing from data) and inference (drawing a causal or explanatory conclusion).
Question 3: Statement: 'The suspect's fingerprints were found at the crime scene, and he was seen in the vicinity at the time of the crime.' Which is a FACT?
- The suspect committed the crime.
- The suspect had a motive to commit the crime.
- The suspect's fingerprints were found at the scene. (Correct answer)
- The suspect is the most likely perpetrator among known individuals.
Correct answer: The suspect's fingerprints were found at the scene.
The presence of fingerprints at the scene is the only statement directly supported by the given information — it does not require any inferential step.
Options A, B, and D all require inferential steps. Option A concludes guilt — the strongest possible inference, unsupported by fingerprints alone (many innocent explanations exist). Option B introduces motive, which is not mentioned anywhere in the statement. Option D compares the suspect to other known individuals, a comparative inference not supported by the data. Option C merely restates one of the two facts given in the statement. On the WGCTA, even highly plausible inferences are still inferences if they add any logical step beyond the presented facts.
Question 4: A weather report states: 'Temperatures dropped 15°C over six hours, and snowfall began at 11 PM.' Which of the following is an inference?
- Temperatures dropped 15°C over six hours.
- Snowfall began at 11 PM.
- A cold front moved through the area causing the temperature drop and snow. (Correct answer)
- The temperature and snowfall are unrelated weather events.
Correct answer: A cold front moved through the area causing the temperature drop and snow.
Attributing the drop and snow to a 'cold front' is a meteorological causal explanation that goes beyond what the weather report stated — it is an inference.
Options A and B are direct restatements of the weather report data — they are facts. Option C proposes a causal mechanism (a cold front) that would explain both the temperature drop and the snowfall. While a cold front is the most meteorologically plausible explanation, it is an inference because the report does not mention a cold front — it only reports the effects. Option D is also an inference, but it infers non-relationship, which contradicts the standard interpretation of the data and is the less likely inference. Option C is the clearest example of an inference that adds explanatory content beyond the stated facts.
Question 5: A school announces: 'Student A scored 95/100 on the mathematics exam; Student B scored 62/100.' Which is an inference?
- Student A scored 33 points higher than Student B.
- Student A understands mathematics better than Student B. (Correct answer)
- Student A scored 95 out of 100 on the exam.
- Student B scored 62 out of 100 on the exam.
Correct answer: Student A understands mathematics better than Student B.
Concluding that Student A 'understands mathematics better' goes beyond test scores — test performance can reflect preparation, anxiety, or luck rather than fundamental understanding.
Options C and D restate the given data directly. Option A performs a straightforward arithmetic computation (95 - 62 = 33), which is derivable directly from the stated facts without additional assumptions — this is a factual arithmetic conclusion. Option B, however, introduces a claim about understanding — an unobserved cognitive attribute. A single exam score is a measurement of performance on a specific test, which may or may not reflect deeper mathematical understanding. Student B may have been ill, may have misread questions, or may have had a poor night's sleep. Therefore, Option B is an inference about an unobserved trait.
Question 6: Report: 'The bridge was built in 1962 and has not undergone major structural repairs since 1988.' Which is a FACT?
- The bridge is structurally unsafe.
- The bridge should be inspected immediately.
- The bridge has not had major structural repairs since 1988. (Correct answer)
- The bridge will require expensive repairs in the near future.
Correct answer: The bridge has not had major structural repairs since 1988.
The repair history is directly stated in the report — it is verifiable information that does not require additional reasoning to establish.
Option C is a direct restatement of information given in the report. Options A, B, and D all require inferential steps: Option A concludes structural unsafety (which would require engineering assessment beyond age and repair history); Option B prescribes an action (inference about what should happen); Option D predicts future costs (a speculative conclusion about future events). Even though A, B, and D may seem reasonable to many readers, they all go beyond what is stated. On the WGCTA, the key question is: 'Is this directly supported by the statement or does it require additional reasoning?'
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Distinguishing Facts from Inferences Questions and Answers 2
Which of the following is a FACT rather than an inference? Statement context: A company's annual report shows revenue of $4.2 million and a net loss of $800,000 for the fiscal year.