UDEE Critical Thinking and Logic 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A witness reports seeing a suspect leave a building at 9:15 PM. Security footage shows the building's clock was 10 minutes fast. What time did the suspect actually leave?
- 9:05 PM (Correct answer)
- 9:15 PM
- 9:25 PM
- 9:10 PM
Correct answer: 9:05 PM
If the clock was 10 minutes fast, the real time was 10 minutes earlier than displayed, so 9:15 minus 10 minutes equals 9:05 PM.
Question 2: An officer receives three tips: Tip 1 says the suspect is male. Tip 2 says the suspect has red hair. Tip 3 says the suspect is over 6 feet tall. A 5'10" male with red hair is brought in. Which tips are consistent with this person?
- Tips 1 and 2 only (Correct answer)
- Tips 2 and 3 only
- Tips 1 and 3 only
- All three tips
Correct answer: Tips 1 and 2 only
The individual is male (Tip 1 consistent) and has red hair (Tip 2 consistent), but is not over 6 feet tall (Tip 3 inconsistent).
Question 3: If all patrol officers carry radios, and Officer Chen is a patrol officer, which conclusion is definitely true?
- Officer Chen carries a radio (Correct answer)
- Officer Chen is the only one with a radio
- All radio carriers are patrol officers
- Officer Chen may or may not carry a radio
Correct answer: Officer Chen carries a radio
From 'all patrol officers carry radios' and 'Officer Chen is a patrol officer,' it necessarily follows that Officer Chen carries a radio.
Question 4: A report states: 'No evidence was found at the scene.' An investigator concludes: 'Therefore, no crime was committed.' This reasoning is flawed because:
- Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence (Correct answer)
- The investigator lacks authority to conclude guilt
- Evidence must be found within 24 hours
- The report should have been filed differently
Correct answer: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
Failing to find evidence does not prove a crime did not occur; evidence may have been removed, destroyed, or simply not yet discovered.
Question 5: Four officers — Adams, Baker, Cole, and Diaz — are assigned to four shifts: morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Adams and Cole are not assigned to morning. Baker is assigned to afternoon. Which officer must be assigned to the morning shift?
- Diaz (Correct answer)
- Adams
- Cole
- Baker
Correct answer: Diaz
Baker takes afternoon, Adams and Cole are excluded from morning, so Diaz is the only remaining officer for the morning shift.
Question 6: An officer notices that every time a particular alarm activates, it is triggered by either a motion sensor or a door sensor. The alarm just activated. Which statement is most logically sound?
- Either the motion sensor or door sensor triggered the alarm (Correct answer)
- The motion sensor triggered the alarm
- The door sensor triggered the alarm
- Neither sensor triggered the alarm
Correct answer: Either the motion sensor or door sensor triggered the alarm
The only valid conclusion is the disjunction stated in the premise; we cannot determine which specific sensor without more information.
Question 7: A suspect claims to have been at a restaurant from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The crime occurred at 8:30 PM, two miles away. Travel time between the two locations is 15 minutes. Is the alibi plausible?
- No, because reaching the crime scene and returning would require at least 30 minutes (Correct answer)
- Yes, because the suspect was at the restaurant during the crime
- No, because no witnesses confirmed the alibi
- Yes, because two miles is too short a distance to matter
Correct answer: No, because reaching the crime scene and returning would require at least 30 minutes
Traveling to the crime scene and back requires at least 30 minutes total, making it impossible to commit the crime at 8:30 PM while dining from 7:00–9:00 PM.
