Mid-Term Exam

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.                               10x2=20

1.      What is critical thinking according to Richard Paul?

2.      Write any four benefits of critical thinking.

3.   Write the structure of ‘a chain of reasoning’.

4.      Differentiate between a statement and an argument.

5.      When you encounter information, what should be kept in mind?

a)      Is it current?

b)      Is it complete?

c)      Is it accurate?

d)      All of the above

6.      Which of these can be considered thinking critically?

a)      Thinking emotionally

b)      Thinking logically

c)      Think actively and be aware of potential problems in the information you encounter.

d)      None of the above

7.      What is the definition of critical thinking? 

a)      Higher-level thinking that aims to solve a problem.

b)      Finding faults and weaknesses in other people's arguments.

c)      Logically analyzing arguments in a critical way.

d)      Disciplined thinking and judgment.

8.      Which is not the characteristic of a critical thinker among the following? 

a.       They use logical skills in reasoning.

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

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

d.      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!

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

f.        The Green Movement is mistaken in thinking we should recycle materials like paper and glass because paper

g.      They refuse to recognize the limitations of his mind and consistently pursue excellence.

h.      They think independently and do not always succumb to peer pressure.

i.        He upholds the standards of critical thinking.

9.      'For this entire semester, I've been playing and having fun every day. My studies are not doing well. However, I believe I can score an A for the exam next week'.  What is the mistake that the person has committed here with respect to critical thinking? 

a)      Wishful thinking

b)      Egocentrism

c)      Self-confident thinking

d)      Moral subjectivism

10.  Taking something for granted or making a logical leap to reach a conclusion without proof - resulting in a conclusion that may be true or false.

a.       Assumption

b.      Relevance

c.       Conclusion

d.      Decision making

 

Section ‘B’

Descriptive Answer Questions

Attempt any six questions.                                    6x10=60

11.   What is an assumption? Discuss with examples.

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

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

14.  Draw a ‘Thinking map’ of skillful analysis and evaluation of arguments. (pg 56)

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

16.  Briefly explain possible sources of clarification.

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

Section ‘C’

Case Analysis                                                         2x10=20

18.  In the following examples identify which words and phrases are ‘argument indicators’. Also say which sentences they indicate are reasons for which conclusions: 2.5

19.  Decide which of the following quoted remarks is an argument and which is an explanation. (3.6)

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.’

d.      A government spokesperson says, ‘Though investigations are continuing, the trawler which sank suddenly in relatively calm seas last week probably went down because a submarine fouled its nets and dragged it down.’

e.       A financial journalist writes, ‘The Bank will almost certainly reduce interest rates at the next opportunity because the economy is slowing down fast, many companies are in great difficulties and demand has fallen off dramatically.’

The End