Critical Thinking Flashcards
7 cards from real UDEE 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 flashcards as text
A witness reports seeing a suspect run north immediately after a theft. Another witness says the suspect ran east. An officer should:
Answer: Document both statements and seek additional evidence to reconcile the conflict
Conflicting witness accounts require documentation and corroboration rather than dismissal or arbitrary reconciliation.
Which of the following best exemplifies deductive reasoning?
Answer: All sworn officers carry badges; Officer Smith is sworn; therefore Officer Smith carries a badge
Deductive reasoning moves from a general rule to a specific conclusion that must be true if the premises are true.
An officer notices a pattern: burglaries in a neighborhood always occur between 2 AM and 4 AM. This observation is most useful for:
Answer: Allocating patrol resources during high-risk hours
Identifying a time-based pattern allows commanders to deploy resources proactively during the window of highest risk.
Which argument contains a logical fallacy?
Answer: Officer Jones made an error once, so we cannot trust any of his reports
Dismissing all of someone's work because of one past error is the ad hominem or 'poisoning the well' fallacy.
A report states: 'No evidence of forced entry was found.' What can be logically concluded?
Answer: The perpetrator had authorized access or used an undetected method of entry
Absence of forced entry narrows entry methods to authorized access or methods that leave no detectable trace.
During an investigation, an officer develops a hypothesis. The most critical next step is to:
Answer: Test the hypothesis against all available evidence, including contradicting evidence
A valid hypothesis must be tested against all evidence, including disconfirming evidence, to avoid confirmation bias.
An officer reads: 'Residents who reported suspicious activity were 40% more likely to experience a burglary.' The most accurate interpretation is:
Answer: Residents who are more vigilant may live in higher-crime areas
Correlation does not imply causation; vigilant residents may simply reside in areas with higher baseline crime rates.