Critical Thinking & Argument Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real AWA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Critical Thinking & Argument Analysis flashcards as text
An argument concludes that a new city ordinance reduced crime because crime rates dropped 15% in the year after it passed. What assumption does this argument rely on?
Answer: The ordinance was the only significant change during that year
The argument assumes no other factor (e.g., economic changes, policing strategies) caused the crime drop, committing a post hoc reasoning error.
Which of the following would most WEAKEN an argument claiming that students who eat breakfast perform better academically?
Answer: A study showing high-performing students tend to wake up earlier
If high performers simply wake earlier and thus have time for breakfast, the causal direction is reversed—academic habits cause breakfast, not vice versa.
An editorial argues: 'Our city should ban fast food restaurants because obesity rates are high.' What logical flaw does this argument contain?
Answer: It oversimplifies the cause of obesity by ignoring other contributing factors
Obesity has multiple causes (genetics, sedentary lifestyle, overall diet), so targeting fast food alone oversimplifies the problem.
In AWA argument analysis, what does it mean to identify an argument's 'conclusion'?
Answer: Pinpointing the main claim the author wants you to accept
The conclusion is the central claim the argument is designed to support, not merely the final sentence.
A manager argues that remote work should be eliminated because productivity dropped last quarter. Which additional piece of evidence would most STRENGTHEN this argument?
Answer: Data showing productivity dropped only after the remote work policy began and in no other periods
Showing the drop correlates exclusively with the onset of remote work strengthens the causal link between remote work and reduced productivity.
Which rhetorical technique involves appealing to widespread belief to support a claim (e.g., 'Everyone knows this product works')?
Answer: Ad populum (appeal to popularity)
Ad populum uses the popularity of a belief as evidence of its truth, which is a logical fallacy.
An argument states: 'Since our competitor lowered prices and gained market share, we should lower prices too.' What critical question should be asked first?
Answer: Whether our cost structure allows us to sustain lower prices profitably
Before copying a strategy, you must assess whether your business can sustain it financially, since different cost structures can make the same strategy viable or ruinous.