Management Communications with Technology Tools

Learning Block 6 assignment

Dimensions of Critical Thinking: Self-Test and Reflection Explanation: please complete all three parts of this assignment for full credit. You will be answering questions and then reflecting upon how you came to these answers. Part I (6 questions) seeks to test you on your ability to identify assumptions and basic logical errors (with the realization that you do not possess the language of logic at this point). Highlight the answers you feel are correct. Part II (5 scenarios) has you analyze basic statements/arguments. Highlight the answers you feel are correct based on the information provided. Part III write a one-page essay in which you explore insights into your own critical thinking process gained through this exercise. Save the document and submit it to your instructor through the assignment Dimensions of Critical Thinking in your course. Part I: Identifying Assumptions and Bias Introduction: All reasoning has its basis in assumptions. In this section, you will be asked to identify assumptions and bias. Critical thinkers are willing to uncover their own assumptions and those of others. Remember, assumptions depend on the notion that some ideas are so obvious and so taken for granted that they do not need to be explained. Yet in many cases, insisting on an explanation reveals that we may need more factual evidence in order to develop well-supported viewpoints and to come to sound decisions. Thus, as you review these questions, ask whether the assumptions are clear, justifiable, and/or consistent. Also, ask yourself if the question contains elements that might bias ones response to an issue. This is most often done through emotional appeals and misleading language. (6 questions) 1. I dont know why I should listen to a word the coach says about baseball. After all, he barely made it into the minor leagues. The speaker assumes: 1. Coach talks too much 2. Coach barely made it into the minor leagues 3. Only good baseball players should coach baseball 4. No assumptionsthe speaker is correct 2. Ms. Jones, I cannot turn my paper in on time. My brother has had a terrible cold and the chickens in the barn have been in a horrible uproar since the New Moon. Can I turn my paper in later? What are some assumptions that Ms. Jones might make? 1. That the student lives on a farm 2. That the student has been helping his brother and had no time to write 3. That the student had to tend to the chickens and had no time to write 4. Both 2 & 3 5. All the above 3. According to the National Society for Gopher Relief, ranchers in Colorado and New Mexico are responsible for the near extinction of the majestic gopher. If we dont act quickly, this national marvel may disappear.
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Management Communications with Technology Tools

Learning Block 6 assignment

What are some assumptions within this statement? 1. That the National Society for Gopher Relief is a reliable source of information on gopher populations and events 2. That Coloradoans hate gophers 3. That we should try to save the gopher 6. Both 1 & 3 4. All the above 4. Which of the following is an example of a justifiable assumption? 1. Auto racing enthusiasts are blue-collar 7. Race relations are a major issue in American politics 2. Feminist organizations resent men volunteers 3. Both 1 & 3 4. All of the above 5. I just bought this great German car. I mean, how can it be a bad car? Have you ever had German beer? Which best describes the underlying assumption: 1. German beer is good beer 2. Germany makes good cars 3. Germany makes good products 4. None of the above 6. Which of the following words most likely contains an emotive appeal that may bias listeners? 1. Baseball Mitt 2. Terrorist 3. Kitchen 4. Computer Part II: Analyzing Arguments Introduction: Each of the five scenarios below there are four questions.. Read the given information, and from that information: a. Identify the issue that is being addressed/discussed b. Evaluate the supporting evidence given c. Determining the conclusion of the given information d. Forming alternative conclusion and/or strengthening the given conclusion Scenario 1. Western civilization owes a great deal to Islamic culture. During the Dark Ages in Europe, Islamic scholars preserved the scholarship of the Greeks and Romans. By doing so, these scholars provided a chain of transmission from the ancient world. If they hadnt, Europe might not have experienced the Renaissance until much, much later, noted Professor A.
1. Which best describes the issue Professor A discusses?

a. b. c. d.

The beauty of Islamic culture The greatness of Western civilization The importance of the Renaissance The importance of Islamic scholarship

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Management Communications with Technology Tools

Learning Block 6 assignment

2. Which of the following questions is most helpful to ask to better understand Professor

As statement? a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d.

Where did Islam begin? How did Islamic scholarship reach the Europeans? Which Greek and Roman works did Islamic scholars read? What if the Renaissance happened much later? Islamic scholarship helped create the Renaissance There was no scholarship in Dark Age Europe Without Islam, Europe would not have had a Renaissance Europeans in the Dark Ages had no knowledge of the Greeks or Romans

3. Which best expresses what Professor A wants his students to conclude?

4. Which statement best explains the relationship Professor A is implying?

a. The Renaissance is due to Islamic scholars b. Islamic scholars helped transmit Greek and Roman scholarship to Europeans c. Greek and Roman scholarship would have been lost without Islamic scholars d. The Greeks and Romans wanted Islamic scholars to preserve their knowledge Scenario 2. At a coffee shop, you overhear two people talking. One of them, Margaret, says, You know, I read once that outsourcing will destroy our economy, but I dont see how it will. After all, American business has all sorts of operations and plants outside of the country, and we have for years. It helps keep costs down and keeps the company in business. Theres good reason outsourcing is growing, I think.

1. Which best describes the issue Margaret discusses?

a. b. c. d. statement? a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. How many businesses use outsourcing? What countries do we use for outsourcing? How does outsourcing help companies? How long have American businesses used outsourcing? Outsourcing will help Americas economy American business has operations overseas International trade agreements help the American economy Outsourcing keeps troubled companies in business Immigration to the United States Tax breaks for foreign business That outsourcing is a new phenomenon The diversification of American business

2. Which of the following questions is most helpful to ask to better understand Margarets

3. Which best expresses Margarets conclusion?

4. Which statement, if true, would best strengthen Margarets conclusion?

a. Domestic labor is expensive, so outsourcing saves money

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Management Communications with Technology Tools

Learning Block 6 assignment

b. Since America already has businesses outside the country, we should continue the trend c. Foreign countries have better business climates than America d. The President says outsourcing will help the American economy Scenario 3. You read an editorial from the Sunday paper. In it, Mr. X writes the following: The Internet is hurting education! Everybody says that it allows students all sorts of access to materials they might not find anywhere else, but that is part of the problem. Todays students are getting lazy, and it is too easy for them to cheat. Students get bits and pieces of information, slap it in a paper they may be writing or notes for a test; but they dont learn as much as they did before the Internet. Sure, its a great tool, but its time to put our students back in the libraries and bookstores!

1. What best describes the issue about which Mr. X is writing?

a. b. c. d. cheating? a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. The number of DHL and high-speed connections in American homes The number of students with internet access More and more students type on the computer The ease of finding answers on the Internet Students should not be allowed to use the Internet Students today cheat more than students before the Internet Students need to spend more time reading books Students who use the Internet learn nothing Libraries do not have as wide a selection of material as the Internet Students are lazier because of poor teachers Parents need to take a more active role in monitoring Internet usage Libraries are harder to use than the Internet The rapid increase in cheating American teachers becoming lazy The uselessness of the Internet Declining academic rigor in America

2. Which would most likely describe the relation Mr. X sees between the Internet and

3. Which would best express Mr. Xs conclusion?

4. Which statement, if true, would most hurt Mr. Xs conclusion?

Scenario 4. During lecture one day, Professor B told his students: Prior to the 1960s, AfricanAmericans played a minor role in the history textbooks used by schools throughout the United States. The same can be said of most minorities, be they ethnic, religious, or social. This largely had to do with what we call a Euro-centric view of history, which saw the achievements of Europeans without relating all the failures. The Civil Rights movement really began to change the way textbooks were written, and now we have a much richer understanding of history.
1. What best describes the issue about which Professor B is speaking?

a. b. c. d.

Textbooks in the 1960s were poorly written The Civil Rights movement began in the 1960s The inclusion of minorities into textbooks The problems of Euro-centric achievements

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Management Communications with Technology Tools

Learning Block 6 assignment

2. Which of the following questions is most helpful to ask to better understand Professor

Bs statement? a. b. c. d.

Where did the Civil Rights movement begin? What are the achievements of the Euro-centric view? Who wrote the older textbooks? Has the inclusion of minorities into textbooks changed the Euro-centric view? Minorities really made history The 1960s version of history was wrong Modern textbooks reflect historical diversity Modern textbooks do not focus on European history

3. Which would best express Professor Bs conclusion?

a. b. c. d.

4. What is/are the most logical implication(s) of Professor Bs statement?

a. That modern textbooks also address womens history b. That modern textbooks ignore the achievements of traditional historical figures c. That modern textbooks try too hard to be PC (politically correct) d. That modern textbooks include too much information Scenario 5. A composition instructor told her class: Okay, lets talk about your papers. Remember that you have to have a good introduction and conclusion. These are 5% of your papers grade. About the introduction--you must present a strong thesis statement in your introductory paragraph, or Ill deduct another 5% immediately. The thesis statement gives initial shape to your paper, and it lets the reader know what to expect. The thesis statement is like your very first view of a city when youre flying in for a landing. Without it, the reader would have no idea what to expect.
1. Which best describes the point the instructor is trying to make?

a. b. c. d. meaning? a. b. c. d.

That she is a strict grader That all papers have an introduction and conclusion The thesis statement is in the introductory paragraph The thesis statement gives the paper focus

2. The instructor uses the analogy of an airplane. Which statement best reflects her

A bad thesis statement is like landing in the dark A bad thesis statement is like an emergency landing A good thesis statement is a calm landing A good thesis statement isnt needed if the paper is well-written

3. Which statement would best express the instructors conclusion?

a. Papers without an introduction, conclusion, and thesis statement will lose 10% b. A paper without a thesis statement will not make any sense c. The thesis statement is the most important part of the paper d. A good thesis statement will help a reader understand the paper better
4. What other analogy might the instructor have used in illustrating her conclusion? Pick

the best answer: a. A thesis statement is like bridge

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Learning Block 6 assignment

b. A thesis statement is like a table of contents c. A thesis statement is like roadmap d. A thesis is like a drill instructor Part III: Reflection and Review Write a one-page essay in which you explore insights into your own critical thinking process gained through this exercise. Save the document and submit it to your instructor through the assignment Dimensions of Critical Thinking in your course.

6 2004