Interpreting Evidence and Data Questions and Answers 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.
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A researcher finds that countries with higher chocolate consumption win more Nobel Prizes per capita. What is the correct interpretation?
Answer: This is likely a spurious correlation driven by overall national wealth
Wealthier nations tend to both consume more chocolate and invest more in education and research, making national wealth the underlying confounder.
A survey of 500 hospital patients finds that 70% report poor sleep. A headline reads: 'Majority of Americans Sleep Poorly.' What is the critical flaw?
Answer: The sample is not representative — hospital patients differ significantly from the general population
Sampling bias occurs when the sample group differs systematically from the population being described, invalidating generalization.
Data shows that students who own more books score higher on reading tests. What additional evidence would best establish a causal link?
Answer: A controlled experiment where books are randomly assigned to students and reading scores are tracked
Randomized controlled experiments are the gold standard for establishing causation because they control for confounding variables.
A bar chart compares company revenue from 2019 to 2023. The y-axis starts at $950,000 rather than zero. What effect does this have on the data's interpretation?
Answer: It visually exaggerates differences, making small changes appear dramatic
A truncated y-axis amplifies visual differences, potentially misleading viewers about the actual magnitude of change.
A study tracks 1,000 people over 10 years and finds that daily coffee drinkers live longer on average. What conclusion is most defensible?
Answer: Daily coffee drinking is associated with longer life, but lifestyle confounders must be considered
Observational longitudinal data can show association, but dietary and lifestyle habits are heavily confounded with each other.
A statistic states the average salary at a company is $95,000, but most employees earn $55,000–$65,000. What explains this discrepancy?
Answer: A few very high executive salaries skew the mean upward, making it unrepresentative of typical earnings
The mean is sensitive to extreme outliers; the median would better represent the typical employee salary in a skewed distribution.
Two towns have identical crime rates this year. Town A has 10,000 residents; Town B has 500,000 residents. What does this tell us about the absolute number of crimes?
Answer: Town B has far more crimes in absolute terms despite the identical rate
Identical rates applied to vastly different population sizes produce very different absolute numbers — 1% of 500,000 far exceeds 1% of 10,000.