Mid-Term Exam (Retest)

Level: Bachelor                                                           Year: 2022

Program: BBA                                                Full Marks: 100

Semester: VII                                                 Pass Marks: 45

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

 

Section ‘A’

Very short Answer Questions

Attempt all the questions.                               20

1.   Write the structure of ‘a chain of reasoning’. 2

2.      Differentiate between a statement and an argument. 2

3.      What is critical thinking according to Edward Glaser? 2

4.      Write any four benefits of critical thinking. 2

5.      Read the following passage and answer the given questions:

We should bring most of our troops home from Europe. The threat from Russia has gone now that the Evil Empire has collapsed; the Europeans can defend themselves now that the threat to their security is less and they are so rich; and we must reduce our federal deficit fast if our economy is not to collapse.

a.       What is the conclusion of this argument? What is the author trying to persuade us of? 2+2

b.      What reasons are given in support of the conclusion? 2

6.      Decide which of the following quoted remarks is an argument and which is an explanation. (2+2+2)

a.       A councilor speaks at a council meeting and says, ‘Because our street lights are too dim, we have more accidents and more crime than we should. Furthermore, they are so low that they are easily and often damaged by vandals. That is why we should get new, bright high-level lights.’

b.      The police have found the body of a woman lying near a footpath; after a post-mortem the pathologist reports, ‘She died because she had a heart attack and no one found her soon enough to help.’

c.       A newspaper reports, ‘Thailand and India have had to fight costly legal battles to protect Thailand’s jasmine rice and India’s basmati rice because a company in Texas, called Rice Tec, was granted patents in the United States on verities of rice it claimed to have developed, which closely resembled the Thai and Indian versions.’

 

Section ‘B’

Descriptive Answer Questions

Attempt any six questions.                                    6x10=60

7.       Suppose someone explains that by a ‘good teacher’ mean ‘a teacher who scores well above average on student evaluation forms’. How would you evaluate this definition/explanation?

8.      Define ‘Critico-creative thinking’ with examples.

9.      Write an argumentative essay on ‘Should school require uniforms?’.

10.  Draw a ‘Thinking map’ of skillful analysis and evaluation of arguments.

11.  What do you mean by argument indicators? Illustrate with examples.

12.  Briefly explain possible sources of clarification.

13.  Who is the audience? What background knowledge and beliefs can they be assumed to have?

Section ‘C’

Case Analysis                                                         20

14.  In the following examples identify which words and phrases are ‘argument indicators’. Also say which sentences they indicate are reasons for which conclusions:

a.       During the football game he committed a serious foul, so he deserved to be sent off.

b.      Women’s brains are on average smaller than men’s, therefore women are less intelligent than men.

c.       The butler was in the pantry. In that case he couldn’t have shot the master, who was in his study. Hence, the butler couldn’t have done it!

d.      The sovereignty of Parliament is open to abuse by any Government as power in Britain is too centralized.

e.       The Green Movement is mistaken in thinking we should recycle materials like paper and glass because paper comes from trees, an easily renewable resource, and glass is made from sand, which is plentiful and cheap. Furthermore, in some American cities recycling schemes have been abandoned because they are too expensive.

The End