Overview
Word limit of your Analytical Thinking Assessment is 1000 words in total. Answers must be complete sentences. Penalties will apply if you exceed this limit, but if you answer the questions competently it is very unlikely that you will approach this limit. A guidance is given for the maximum number of words you could conceivably use for a question, but it is unlikely you will need the number indicated and there is no penalty for exceeding an individual question’s word limit.
Analytical Thinking Assessment is a compulsory assessment. If you do not hand it in you will have to complete an alternative assignment for zero marks, or receive an absent fail for Analytical Thinking Assessment. A nonserious attempt will also receive zero marks and require an alternative assessment to be completed. A serious attempt must be written wholly by you and will have identifiable sections addressing questions representing at least 70% of the available marks.
Total marks: 100 (20% of total grade for class)
Answer each question below and identify it with the appropriate number/letter. Do not repeat the question.
Questions
- Cars with “Sod the police!” bumper stickers receive more parking tickets per year than cars that don’t. Righteous Smith concludes that the city rangers (who give parking tickets) discriminate against people based on their bumper stickers.
1A. For 8 points, in 30 words or less, describe an experiment to test Righteous’s theory.
1B. For 4 points, in 20 words or less, describe an alternative (different from Righteous’s theory) explanation of the finding.
To answer whether an argument is sound or cogent, the truth or falsity of some premises may be important. When that happens for a question below, apply your best judgment as to whether a premise is true. If you are not sure you can explain why you think the premise is true or false.
- Shows at the Sydney Opera House sell their tickets via Tickettek. The show “Symph Chor” will play at the Sydney Opera House. Therefore, “Symph Chor” will sell its tickets via Tickettek.
2A. For 2 points, is the above argument valid?
2B. For 4 points, is it sound? Explain why.
2C. For 2 points, is the above syllogism strong?
2D. For 2 points, is the above syllogism cogent?
- Frequently going to the GP has a positive correlation with being diagnosed with a serious disease.
The correlation above could be explained by any of the three types of causal models (listed by Alex in lecture). Write one complete sentence for each causal model, putting it in terms of the above correlation. It need not be a plausible explanation.
Each sentence is worth 3 points and should be less than 25 words. Label the three sentences 3A, 3B, and 3C.
3D. For 6 points, in 35 words or less, name a third factor that might contribute to the correlation, and describe how it might do so.
3E. For 8 points, in 25 words or less, describe an experiment to test whether frequently going to the GP causes one to be diagnosed with a serious disease. It is OK if the experiment is infeasible.
- Sixty minutes in the sensory deprivation tank results in cerebrolupidia. I’m not going to inflict sensory deprivation on myself. Therefore, I won’t get cerebrolupidia.
4A. For 3 points, is the above syllogism valid?
4B. For 2 points, is it sound?
4C. For 2 points, is it strong?
4D. For 2 points, is it cogent?
- She is guilty. Did you see that look on her face?
People often are not precise in their language, so we can’t be sure what they mean. However, assume the above statement is a valid condensed syllogism with an implicit premise. For 10 points and less than 35 words, write out the syllogism as two premises and a conclusion.
- He is not stopped by security when he wears a suit, and he was not stopped by security yesterday. He must have worn a suit.
6A. For 10 points, in 35 words or less rewrite as a syllogism, with premises and a conclusion.
6B. For 3 points, is the above syllogism valid?
6C. For 2 points, is it sound?
6D. For 2 points, is it strong?
6E. For 2 points, is it cogent?
6F. For 4 points, explain your answer (that you wrote in 6B) for whether the syllogism is valid.
6G. For 4 points, explain your answer (that you wrote in 6C) for whether the syllogism is sound.
- Teachers are teaching to the test because the NAPLAN test results are published on the MySchool website.
For 9 points, assume the above is a valid condensed syllogism. Write out the syllogism as two premises and a conclusion.
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