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Critical Thinking Practice

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Critical Thinking Practice Instructions

The Critical Thinking Practice module strengthens your ability to think logically, objectively, and reflectively. Rather than memorizing rules, you’ll learn to question assumptions, separate fact from opinion, and weigh arguments based on evidence. Each test contains nine multiple-choice questions that adapt in real time to your reasoning accuracy.

You will be involved in brief cases based on business, morals, and common sense. Every question is whether conclusion is logically followed, whether an argument is good or bad, or about which evidence can prove a claim best of all. The test is not timed and so one gets time to think before making an answer permanent.

Question 1. Below is a statement that is followed by an argument. You should consider this argument to be true. It is then up to you to determine whether the argument is strong or weak. Do not let your personal opinion about the statement play a role in your evaluation of the argument.

01:00

Statement: It would be good if people would eat vegetarian more often.
Argument: No, because dairy also requires animals to be kept that will have to be eaten again later.

Is this a strong or weak argument?

a. Strong argument

b. Weak argument

Question 2. Below is a statement that is followed by an argument. You should consider this argument to be true. It is then up to you to determine whether the argument is strong or weak. Do not let your personal opinion about the statement play a role in your evaluation of the argument.

01:00

Statement: Germany should no longer use the euro as its currency
Argument: No, because that means that the 10 billion Deutschmark that the introduction of the euro has cost is money thrown away.

Is this a strong or weak argument?

a. Strong argument

b. Weak argument

Question 3.

01:00

Overfishing is the phenomenon that too much fish is caught in a certain area, which leads to the disappearance of the fish species in that area. This trend can only be reversed by means of catch reduction measures. These must therefore be introduced and enforced.

Assumption: The disappearance of fish species in areas of the oceans is undesirable.

Is the assumption made from the text?

a. Assumption is made

b. Assumption is not made

Question 4.

01:00

Overfishing is the phenomenon that too much fish is caught in a certain area, which leads to the disappearance of the fish species in that area. This trend can only be reversed by means of catch reduction measures. These must therefore be introduced and enforced.

Assumption: The disappearance of fish species in areas of the oceans is undesirable.

Is the assumption made from the text?

a. Assumption is made

b. Assumption is not made

Question 5.

01:00

Assume only the following statements and consider them as facts:

1. All reptiles lay eggs
2. All reptiles are vertebrates
3. All snakes are reptiles
4. All vertebrates have brains
5. Some reptiles hatch their eggs themselves
6. Most reptiles have two lungs
7. Many snakes only have one lung
8. Cobras are poisonous snakes
9. All reptiles are animals

Conclusion: Some snakes hatch their eggs themselves.

Does the conclusion follow the statements?

a. Conclusion follows

b. Conclusion does not follow

Question 6. Continue with the statements from question 5

01:00

Conclusion: Some animals that lay eggs only have one lung.

Does the conclusion follow the statements?

a. Conclusion follows

b. Conclusion does not follow

Question 7.

01:00

In the famous 1971 Stanford experiment, 24 normal, healthy male students were randomly assigned as 'guards' (12) or 'prisoners' (12). The guards were given a uniform and instructed to keep order, but not to use force. The prisoners were given prison uniforms. Soon after the start of the experiment, the guards made up all kinds of sentences for the prisoners. Insurgents were shot down with a fire extinguisher and public undressing or solitary confinement was also a punishment. The aggression of the guards became stronger as the experiment progressed. At one point, the abuses took place at night, because the guards thought that the researchers were not watching. It turned out that some guards also had fun treating the prisoners very cruelly. For example, prisoners got a bag over their heads and were chained to their ankles. Originally, the experiment would last 14 days. However, after six days the experiment was stopped.

Conclusion: The students who took part in the research did not expect to react the way they did in such a situation.

To what extent is this conclusion true, based on the given text?

a. True

b. Probably true

c. More information required

d. Probably false

e. False

Question 8. Continue with the text from 'Stanford experiment' in question 7

01:00

Conclusion: The results of the experiment support the claim that every young man (or at least some young men) is capable of turning into a sadist fairly quickly.

To what extent is this conclusion true, based on the given text?

a. True

b. Probably true

c. More information required

d. Probably false

e. False

Question 9.

01:00

There is an official protocol for the use of the Dutch flag. This protocol applies to government agencies. Citizens and companies are expected to follow this protocol, but they are not obliged to do so.
- A flag is a tribute to the nation and should therefore not be hung outside at night. Hoisting the flag therefore happens at sunrise, bringing it down at sunset. Only when a country flag is illuminated by spotlights on both sides, it may remain hanging after sunset. There is a simple rule of thumb for the time of bringing down the flag. This is the moment when there is no longer any visible difference between the individual colors of the flag.
- A flag may not touch the ground.
- On the Dutch flag, unless entitled to do so, no decorations or other additions should be made. Also the use of a flag purely for decoration should be avoided. However, flag cloth may be used for decoration - for example in the form of drapes.
- The orange pennant is only used on birthdays of members of the Royal House and on King's Day. The orange pennant should be as long or slightly longer than the diagonal of the flag.

Conclusion: One can assume that no Dutch flag will fly at government buildings at night, unless it is illuminated by spotlights on both sides.

Does the conclusion follow, based on the given text?

a. Conclusion follows

b. Conclusion does not follow

Question 10. Continue with the text from 'Dutch flag protocol' in question 9

01:00

Conclusion: If the protocol is followed, the orange pennant will always be longer than the horizontal bands/stripes of the flag.

Does the conclusion follow, based on the given text?

a. Conclusion follows

b. Conclusion does not follow

Test Experience

Expect question types such as:

Identifying assumptions in an argument.
Evaluating the strength of conclusions.
Distinguishing correlation from causation.
Recognizing fallacies like “false dilemma” or “post hoc.”
Drawing valid inferences from short passages or data snippets.

Your responses are analyzed by an adaptive scoring engine that increases complexity as you perform better beginning with single-argument evaluations and progressing to multi-claim reasoning chains or contradictory evidence tests.

Once finished, results appear instantly with breakdowns showing which logic areas you’ve mastered and which need more attention.

Scoring & Feedback

You’ll receive a detailed result summary (e.g., 7/9 | 78% accuracy) followed by a reasoning profile:

Inference & deduction: How well you connect premises to conclusions.
Recognition of assumptions: Ability to detect hidden or unjustified claims.
Interpretation & evaluation: Accuracy in judging evidence quality.

Each question includes a short commentary explaining why the correct conclusion follows logically or why the rejected option fails due to bias, irrelevance, or logical error. These insights guide you toward more disciplined thinking patterns.

Retake & Progress Tracking

The module offers unlimited retakes, with freshly generated scenarios each time. Logged-in users can view progress graphs and trend improvements such as “Assumption detection: +15% in 5 days.” Guest mode clears all data upon exit, ensuring full privacy.

Psychometric Integrity & Design Standards

Every question is calibrated using Item Response Theory on tens of thousands of test results, ensuring fairness and precision across difficulty levels. The system evaluates pure reasoning not knowledge, opinion, or writing skill — making it suitable for both academic and professional use.

Scoring remains rule-based and transparent: each conclusion is either logically valid or not. There is no partial credit, and explanations are standardized to eliminate subjective grading.

What Critical Thinking Really Tests

Critical thinking isn’t just about intelligence, it's about discipline of thought. The test examines how you:

Evaluate the relevance and reliability of information.
Identify fallacies or cognitive biases.
Judge arguments on logic rather than persuasion.
Draw justified, evidence-based conclusions.

These abilities form the foundation for success in law, management, research, and leadership fields where poor reasoning can lead to costly mistakes.

Real-World Impact

The evidence-based decision-making in organizations such as Deloitte, PwC, and The Economist Intelligence Unit is principally focused on critical thinking. Research indicates that effective critical thinkers can make decisions quicker and more precisely, articulate their arguments visibly, and are overall less susceptible to misinformation and manipulation.

In addition to the employment tests, it is also among the best predictors of academic achievement and leadership possibility which is highly associated with improvements in problem-solving and strategy.

Mastery Path

Clarify Information: Rephrase each question to isolate the key claim.

Test Logic: Ask, “Does this conclusion have to be true?”
Challenge Bias: Identify assumptions or emotional framing.
Verify Evidence: Distinguish facts from opinions.
Refine Speed: Once consistent accuracy exceeds 80%, introduce light timing pressure for fluency.

Repeated use will improve not only test scores but also the way you approach arguments, data, and daily decisions.

Ethical & Accessibility Commitments

The platform stores no personal data unless you create an account. All reasoning logs are anonymized and aggregated for fairness testing. The interface supports dark mode, keyboard navigation, and full WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance.

Ready to Think Sharper?

Start your Free Critical Thinking Practice today 9 adaptive argument challenges, instant scoring, and step-by-step reasoning feedback to build a sharper, more analytical mind.