Michel is used to getting good grades by taking careful notes and memorizing the information for the tests. However, he is findi
ng that his college classes are different. He has to write several response papers about the reading for his history class and has been receiving poor marks for just paraphrasing the text and not sharing his thoughts on the subject. Michel knows that a few other students have formed a study group to discuss the reading and review each other’s response papers, but decides not to join because he doesn’t know how he would contribute. In talking with his mother one night, he explains his frustration. “I always thought the point of history was that it was based on facts. My professor is always asking why I think something happened. It happened. Why is there no one answer?” 1. How could the study group benefit Michel?
B. By encouraging him to jump on a bandwagon
A. By making it easier to cheat
D. By generating arguments and dissension leading to more competition in class
C. By generating more ideas
2.
It seems Michel might not grasp all of the key aspects of critical thinking. Which of the following is NOT a key aspect of critical thinking?
B. Considering multiple points of view
A. Asking questions
D. Agreeing with the majority opinion
C. Drawing your own conclusions
3.
What is one question Michel should ask himself when presented with information in his history class?
B. What does my best friend think of this?
A. Can this information be interpreted another way?
D. Is the person telling me this smarter than I am?
C. Do I like the person telling me this?
4.
Michel received written feedback from his professor on his most recent response paper. He noticed his professor left a note reminding him to avoid logical fallacies such as hasty generalizations and “slippery slope” arguments in his response papers. Which sentence from Michel’s paper is an example of a logical fallacy?
C. “The violence and anger displayed by protestors in the Boston Tea Party shows that all American colonists were opposed to the British government.”
A. “The Boston Tea Party has become an iconic event in the history of the United States and is discussed in many American public school history classes.”
B. “Historians have estimated that protestors involved in the Boston Tea Party threw more than 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor.”
D. “The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773 in Boston, Massachusetts.”
2.
It seems Michel might not grasp all of the key aspects of critical thinking. Which of the following is NOT a key aspect of critical thinking?
D. Agreeing with the majority opinion
3.
What is one question Michel should ask himself when presented with information in his history class?
A. Can this information be interpreted another way?
4.Which sentence from Michel’s paper is an example of a logical fallacy?
A. “The Boston Tea Party has become an iconic event in the history of the United States and is discussed in many American public school history classes.”
