Interpreting Evidence and Data Flashcards
7 cards from real Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Interpreting Evidence and Data flashcards as text
A pie chart shows that Department X uses 45% of the company's budget. A colleague concludes that Department X is wasteful. What is wrong with this conclusion?
Answer: Budget share alone does not indicate waste or efficiency
A large budget share may reflect the department's size or workload, not wasteful spending.
A clinical trial reports a drug reduces symptom duration by 2 days (p < 0.01). Which statement best interprets this finding?
Answer: The result is statistically significant but may not be clinically meaningful
Statistical significance indicates the result is unlikely due to chance, but a 2-day reduction may or may not matter clinically.
Data shows that ice cream sales and drowning rates both peak in summer. The best interpretation is:
Answer: Both variables share a common cause—hot weather and increased outdoor activity
A lurking variable (summer heat and outdoor activity) drives both trends, making direct causation between them implausible.
A scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation (r = 0.92) between hours of TV watched and test scores. What is the most accurate interpretation?
Answer: There is a strong association, but the direction of causation is unclear
A high correlation coefficient indicates a strong relationship but does not reveal which variable, if either, causes the other.
A news headline reads: 'New Study: People Who Exercise Live Longer.' The study was observational with no control group. The headline is best described as:
Answer: Overstated because the study cannot prove causation
Without a control group, the study can only show association, not establish that exercise causes longer life.
A table shows that Region A has a 5% unemployment rate and Region B has a 9% rate. Which factor would most complicate comparing these figures?
Answer: Differences in how each region defines and measures unemployment
If unemployment is measured differently (e.g., who counts as seeking work), the rates are not directly comparable.
A researcher notices that as shoe size increases, reading ability also increases in a sample of children aged 3–12. The most reasonable explanation is:
Answer: Age is a confounding variable driving both shoe size and reading ability
Older children have both bigger feet and better reading skills, so age is the underlying confounding variable.