CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING
Darcy, an outside consultant, has agreed to solve the problem of low student test scores for a neighborhood school. Please answer the questions below. When presenting a final solution, Darcy should ____. A. present one solution B. present many solutions, indicating which one she recommends C. present many solutions, without indicating which one she recommends D. none of the above
B
Variations on ____ include dilemmas, paradoxes, and difficulties, such as trouble performing tasks. A. solutions B. problems C. arguments D. actions
B
When creating a problem statement, frame the problem for your audience by starting with a brief description of the ____. A. suggested solution B. ideal situation C. budget constraints D. risks involved
B ideal situation
When you are ____, you solve a problem in a methodical and organized manner. A. intuitive B. systematic C. both a. and b. D. neither a. nor b.
B. systematic
A source can be a ____. A. document B. person C. speech D. any of the above
D. any of the above
Past experiences with other people, places, and situations that are extremely good or bad are ____. They can bias your expectations in the future. A. opinions B. causes C. effects D. outliers
D. outliers
T or F: A(n) argument is a proposition or claim that you take for granted as though it were known to be valid.
F
T or F: A(n) premise is an invalid argument that is presented so that it appears valid.
F
T or F: Any decision you make or solution you implement involves some risk, which is an exposure to a chance of loss or damage.
F
T or F: Attacking the root cause of a problem is always the best approach.
F
T or F: Deductive reasoning attempts to draw a broad conclusion from specific examples or premises.
F
T or F: If you cannot test an assertion, you cannot know whether it is valid.
T
T or F: In general terms, an issue is any controversial subject that you discuss, dispute, or review.
T
T or F: Like automobile dashboards, business dashboards display current information about an organization's performance.
T
T or F: Malcolm Gladwell coined the term "thin-slicing," which is the ability to sense what is important from a very narrow period of experience.
T
T or F: Remember that because no argument is perfect, all arguments have some weaknesses.
T
T or F: Stakeholders are people who are also affected or whose involvement you need to resolve the matter.
T
T or F: When gathering information, focus on objective facts. Ask "what?" not "who?"
T
T or F: When problem solving, take advantage of the collective wisdom of your colleagues, which is the shared knowledge and experience a group of people can apply to a problem.
T
If you can collect data about and analyze a claim, it is said to be a ____ matter. A. financial B. factual C. intuitive D. family
B. factual
Mapping your ideas visually helps you ____. A. see relationships B. understand and remember your ideas C. avoid limitations of a list D. all of the above
D. all of the above
Topics to discuss with stakeholders include ____. A. what the decision is B. how the solution will be put into place C. how changes will be decided on and made D. all of the above
D. all of the above
Instead of trying to find the one best solution, your goal should be to develop a good solution by doing all of these EXCEPT ____. A. evaluating your ideas B. modifying your ideas C. improving your ideas D. ruminating on your ideas
D. ruminating on your ideas
Solutions to problems are ____ ideas. A. abstract B. tangible C. both a. and b. D. neither a. nor b.
A. abstract
T or F: A popular approach used to uncover and define problems is called 5 Whats.
False
____________________ are choices you make when faced with a set of options or alternatives. A. Decisions B. Challenges C. Problems D. Risks
A. Decisions
News mashups use sources such as the New York Times or the BBC and syndication technologies such as ____ to provide personalized news summaries on your desktop. A. RSS B. BSS C. TSS D. LSS
A. RSS
A problem ____ is a clear, concise description of the problem and the effect you expect from the solution. A. Statment B. Sentence C. Document D. Policy-
A
People usually solve problems in one of two ways: ____________________ or systematically. A. intuitively B. electronically C. primaraily D informally
A
The statement, "Even our most popular European tours show no increase in enrollment, despite heavy promotion" is an example of the ____ part of a problem statement. A. size and scope B. problem summary C. symptom D. consequences
A
Instead of gathering data, analyzing it, and exploring alternatives systematically, most ____________________ techniques involve a combination of intuition, logic,and common sense. A. adaptive B. cooperative C. inuitive D mind-blowing
A. adaptive
Kyle is evaluating solutions to fixing the leaky roof at the hockey rink he manages. Please answer the questions below. Before narrowing the solutions down to three, Kyle generated ____. A. as many ideas as he could B. between two and five ideas C. no more than five ideas D. no more than ten ideas
A. as many ideas as he could
Decisions that cause change can upset or threaten others in the organization. To avoid this, build support for your solution ____. A. before you put it into practice B. during rollout C. after you put it into practice D. none of the above
A. before you put it into practice
A(n) ____________________ is a statement that someone says or writes about a topic. A. claim B. fact C. opinion D. solution
A. claim
A(n) ____________________ is a Web application that combines features or information from more than one source. A. mashup B. botnet C. worm D. virus
A. mashup
When you solve a problem for someone else, you assume the responsibility for developing a satisfactory solution for them, the ____________________. A. problem owners B. general public C. the solicitors D. delegates
A. problem owners
Kyle is evaluating solutions to fixing the leaky roof at the hockey rink he manages. Please answer the questions below. In order to evaluate the solutions, Kyle considered the ____. A. pros of each alternative B. cons of each alternative C. how he could objectively measure the alternatives D. all of the above
A. pros of each alternative
A(n) ____approach tests ideas and arguments to verify their correctness. A. scientific B. artistic C. intuitive D. adaptive
A. scientific
Malcolm Gladwell claims that spontaneous decisions can be better than those explored with scientific analysis and precision. He attributes this ability to an unconscious technique he calls "____": the ability to sense what is important from a very narrow period of experience. A. thin-slicing B. thick-slicing C. micro-slicing D. macro-slicing
A. thin-slicing
Kyle is evaluating solutions to fixing the leaky roof at the hockey rink he manages. Please answer the questions below. When criteria has differing importance levels, take the differences into account by assigning ____ to each option. A. weights B. costs C. a unique ID D. a delegate
A. weights
Test your solution to make sure it is successful. Determine a ____ scenario and try to simulate it. However, avoid introducing hazards or additional problems. A. worst-case B. best-case C. time-based D. quality-based
A. worst-case
If the potential risk is significant enough, you might need to take a different approach altogether, which is called risk ____. A. openness B. avoidance C. averaging D. management
B
Successful Web sites such as StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com) and Digg (www.digg.com) use ____ by inviting their visitors to vote on recommended Web sites, articles, restaurants, photos, or videos, for example, by submitting links or reviews. A. herding B. crowdsourcing C. outsourcing D. crowd control
B
To link a problem to its cause, you must perform a ____________________ analysis, a study that determines the real basis for the problem. A. situation B. root-cause C. marketing D. primary
B
If you are responsible for solving a problem, you do not have to work alone. Instead, take advantage of the ____________________ wisdom of your colleagues, which is the shared knowledge and experience a group of people can apply to a problem. A. ancient B. collective C. superior D. thoughtful
B. collective
Dalton is studying how to become a critical thinker. Please answer the questions below. Dalton also learns that being generally negative, scornful, and distrusting of other people is a sign of being ____. A. confident B. cynical C. ethical D. emotional
B. cynical
When applied to problem solving, ____ behavior leads to appropriate decisions, not necessarily the optimal ones. A. logical B. ethical C. systematic D. hurried
B. ethical
Dalton is studying how to become a critical thinker. Please answer the questions below. To be an effective critical thinker, Dalton needs to develop intellectual ____ which is defined as recognizing the limits of your knowledge and understanding of a situation. A. knowledge B. humility C. curiosity D. ethics
B. humility
In an organization, a(n) ____________________ is an obstacle that stands in the way of achieving a desired goal. A. Challenge B. Employee C. Problem D. Stakeholder
C.
____ is your knowledge of something without having to discover or learn it, and it is typically your first reaction to a problem or question. A. Logic B. Creativity C. Intuition D. Instinct
C. Intuition
____ are people who, like problem owners, are also affected by the problem or whose involvement you need to resolve the matter. A. Shareholders B. Clients C. Stakeholders D. Users
C. Stakeholders
Dalton is studying how to become a critical thinker. Please answer the questions below. Dalton learns that your ____ abilities can improve with practice. A. reasoning B. decision-making C. both a. and b. D. neither a. nor b.
C. both a. and b.
When working in a company with a strong set of cultural norms, it is easy to adopt popular opinions and follow the expectations of others, which is called the ____. A. bandwagon effect B. herd effect C. both a. and b. D. neither a. nor b.
C. both a. and b.
Being ____ means seeing the world from your own point of view, assuming you are the norm or center. A. evolved B. normalized C. egocentric D. socially conditioned
C. egocentric
Online tools such as Yahoo Pipes, Microsoft Popfly, and Kapow Technologies let you create ____ online. A. forms B. tables C. mashups D. PowerPoint presentations
C. mashups
A popular way to visualize a complex problem is by creating a ____ diagram. A.Hirarchical B. Spin C. True/ False D. Cause and effect
D
Complex problems are those that ____. A. have no clear boundaries B. are unique C. have no single optimal solution D. All of the above
D
Darcy, an outside consultant, has agreed to solve the problem of low student test scores for a neighborhood school. Please answer the questions below. As she works on the solution, Darcy should communicate regularly with problem owners and stakeholders. It is suggested that she use ____ to create a log of your conversations, ideas, alternatives, and solutions. A. Email B. Memos C. Other Documents D. All the above
D
Darcy, an outside consultant, has agreed to solve the problem of low student test scores for a neighborhood school. Please answer the questions below. Since she is solving a problem for someone else, the first step Darcy should take is to ____. A. give choices B. promote her solution C. recognize opinions D. ask for advice
D
Before you solve a business problem, gather relevant data and then analyze it to find ____. A. trends B. indicators C. other related information D. all of the above
D. all of the above
Instead of gathering data, analyzing it, and exploring alternatives systematically, most adaptive techniques involve ____. A. intuition B. logic C. common sense D. all of the above
D. all of the above
T or F: After you identify a problem and explore its causes and related issues, it is time to develop a mashup.
F
T or F: An argument is valid if it logically follows the premises, even if one of the premises is false. It is considered a sound argument if its premises are also false.
F
T or F: Being flexible, adaptable, and open minded when working with others helps you avoid critical thinking.
F
T or F: Clientsourcing is a term coined by Jeff Howe in Wired magazine to characterize a way of using groups to solve problems.
F
T or F: Complicated problems are often solved by making a simple decision.
F
T or F: Even if a claim is not relevant to the conclusion, you must consider the value of the argument.
F
T or F: Experts are usually right, so you don't need to evaluate their arguments as you do arguments from others.
F
T or F: In the context of critical thinking, a(n) assumption is a set of one or more claims that support a particular conclusion.
F
T or F: Inertia means acting on a problem, when you are very familiar with it.
F
T or F: Managers can view mashups called controls, windows that graphically summarize information about how a business is operating.
F
T or F: Open-science Problem-Solving is a form of outsourcing.
F
T or F: Researchers have discovered that we can understand how we think even without understanding how we feel.
F
T or F: Solution criteria are the variables that drive your decisions.
F
T or F: Take action and remember that in most cases, it is better to hold out for a perfect solution later, rather than to implement a good solution now.
F
T or F: The purpose of a problem statement is to find the problem cause and to define the solution.
F
T or F: The two main types of mashups are consumer and business, and the two types do not overlap.
F
T or F: Typically, the necessary amount of management and control increases over time.
F
T or F: Use hardware tools such as spreadsheets, databases, and diagramming programs for flowcharts to help you see how one set of data relates to another.
F
T or F: When developing a problem statement, describe subjective symptoms of the problem that others can observe.
F
T or F: You should define a successful solution using subjective measures, if possible.
F
T or F: A cause is evidence of a change, such as a decrease in revenue.
False
T or F: A crowd-serving bias is anything that leads you to see the data as you most want it to appear.
False
T or F: A botnet refers to a collection of software robots, or bots, that run independently on computers without revealing themselves to the owner.
T
T or F: A fact is a claim that is considered to be true.
T
T or F: A problem is the difference between the current state and where you want to be.
T
T or F: Although the word critical can mean to find fault or to criticize, critical thinking is not a negative activity.
T
T or F: An opinion is a claim that someone believes is true.
T
T or F: Brainstorming is a powerful creativity tool you can use to generate ideas and alternatives.
T
T or F: Compare claims to your own background knowledge, which is the collection of beliefs, facts, experiences, and observations you have amassed during your life.
T
T or F: Decisions are choices you make when faced with a set of options or alternatives.
T
T or F: Ethics are standards of behavior that direct how people should act.
T
T or F: Evaluation criteria are the variables that drive your decisions.
T
T or F: If an argument is valid and the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
T
T or F: Testing a solution involves trying it on a small or limited basis.
T
T or F: The opinions and assumptions that your problem owner, stakeholders, and other important people hold are important factors in the success of your solution.
T
T or F: Until the solution takes effect, your decision is little more than a good intention.
T
T or F: When you define a problem, you should be open-minded and flexible as you explore, research, and communicate with others.
T
T or F: A cause is the reason for or the origin (root) of a change, such as customers being unable to afford travel vacations.
True
