Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Interpretation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A study found that employees who participate in workplace wellness programs take 30% fewer sick days than those who do not. Which interpretation is most warranted by this data?
- Wellness programs directly cause employees to get sick less often.
- There is an association between wellness program participation and reduced sick days. (Correct answer)
- Companies that offer wellness programs have healthier hiring standards.
- Sick days will be eliminated if all employees join wellness programs.
Correct answer: There is an association between wellness program participation and reduced sick days.
The data shows a correlation between participation and fewer sick days, but does not establish direct causation.
Question 2: A city reports that neighborhoods with more parks have lower rates of childhood obesity. What can reasonably be interpreted from this finding?
- Building more parks will always reduce childhood obesity rates.
- Children in those neighborhoods eat healthier diets.
- Access to parks is associated with lower childhood obesity in this data. (Correct answer)
- Childhood obesity is exclusively caused by lack of outdoor space.
Correct answer: Access to parks is associated with lower childhood obesity in this data.
The data supports an association between park access and obesity rates, not a guaranteed causal outcome.
Question 3: Passage: 'Of the 200 applicants for a manager role, those with graduate degrees were hired at twice the rate of those without.' Which conclusion follows?
- Graduate degrees are required for all manager roles at this company.
- Having a graduate degree doubled an applicant's likelihood of being hired in this sample. (Correct answer)
- Applicants without degrees are less competent than those with degrees.
- The company discriminates against applicants without degrees.
Correct answer: Having a graduate degree doubled an applicant's likelihood of being hired in this sample.
The data only describes hire rates within this sample and does not justify broader claims about competence or discrimination.
Question 4: A restaurant's average review score rose from 3.2 to 4.1 stars after it changed its head chef. What is the most cautious and valid interpretation?
- The new chef is solely responsible for the higher ratings.
- The review score increased following the chef change. (Correct answer)
- Customers now prefer the restaurant over all competitors.
- The restaurant's food quality has objectively improved.
Correct answer: The review score increased following the chef change.
The only fact confirmed is the timing of the score increase relative to the chef change; other factors may also explain it.
Question 5: Data shows that people who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night score lower on memory tests. Which interpretation goes beyond the evidence?
- There is a relationship between sleep duration and memory test performance.
- People who sleep less tend to score lower on memory tests.
- Sleeping less than 6 hours causes permanent memory damage. (Correct answer)
- The dataset includes a correlation between sleep and memory scores.
Correct answer: Sleeping less than 6 hours causes permanent memory damage.
'Permanent memory damage' is a far stronger claim than the data about test scores supports.
Question 6: A poll found 68% of surveyed voters support stricter environmental regulations. What is a justified interpretation?
- Most citizens in the country want stricter environmental regulations.
- The majority of voters surveyed expressed support for stricter environmental regulations. (Correct answer)
- Stricter regulations will be passed into law.
- Politicians who oppose regulations will lose their next election.
Correct answer: The majority of voters surveyed expressed support for stricter environmental regulations.
The finding applies only to those surveyed; generalizing to all citizens or predicting legislative outcomes goes beyond the data.
Question 7: A school district found that students who ate breakfast before school scored an average of 8 points higher on standardized tests. Which of the following is the best interpretation?
- Eating breakfast is the most important factor in test performance.
- All students should be required to eat breakfast.
- Students who ate breakfast in this district scored higher on average. (Correct answer)
- Skipping breakfast will always lead to lower test scores for all students.
Correct answer: Students who ate breakfast in this district scored higher on average.
The finding describes an average score difference within this district's data and should not be overgeneralized.
