Thinking in Practice — Module Assessment

Question 1

A colleague states a strong opinion about a technical field they have never studied, and feels completely certain. From a metacognitive standpoint, what is the most accurate diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Their confidence is a feeling that has come apart from their actual knowledge, which is exactly where overconfidence is most likely.

Answer

Their certainty is good evidence that the opinion is correct.

Answer

Certainty and competence always rise together, so they must know the field well.

Answer

Strong feelings of certainty are irrelevant to critical thinking and can be ignored entirely.

Question 2

Which statement best reflects what Kruger and Dunning's 1999 study actually found?

Accepted Answer

Lower-scoring participants overestimated their rank, and their self-assessments improved once they were trained in the skill.

Answer

Experts consistently underrate themselves while novices are perfectly calibrated.

Answer

The least competent thought they were literal geniuses far above everyone else.

Answer

Confidence has no measurable relationship to competence in any task.

Question 3

An analyst explains every business failure they encounter purely in terms of financial incentives, ignoring psychology, culture, and process. Which idea best names this weakness?

Accepted Answer

The man-with-a-hammer tendency — forcing every problem to fit a single favourite model.

Answer

The latticework of models — connecting insights across many disciplines.

Answer

Calibration — matching confidence to actual accuracy.

Answer

Steelmanning — arguing the strongest version of an opposing view.

Question 4

What is the central point of Korzybski's dictum that "the map is not the territory"?

Accepted Answer

Any model or abstraction is a representation of reality, never reality itself, so it will leave things out and should not be mistaken for the thing it describes.

Answer

Physical maps are always less accurate than direct observation of the land.

Answer

You should discard models entirely and rely only on raw experience.

Answer

The most detailed model is always the most useful one.

Question 5

Which best captures intellectual humility as described in the lesson?

Accepted Answer

Holding beliefs with confidence proportioned to your evidence and awareness of your limits

Answer

Thinking poorly of your own abilities

Answer

Refusing to commit to any firm conclusions

Answer

Deferring to whichever expert is most famous

Question 6

In Plato's account, why did Socrates conclude he had a kind of wisdom the oracle's answer pointed to?

Accepted Answer

He did not imagine he knew things he actually did not know

Answer

He had memorized more facts than anyone in Athens

Answer

The oracle had given him secret knowledge directly

Answer

He had never been proven wrong in an argument

Question 7

What is the central contrast the trolley problem is used to draw out?

Accepted Answer

Between consequence-based reasoning and duty-based reasoning

Answer

Between legal rules and social customs

Answer

Between emotion and complete indifference

Answer

Between ancient ethics and modern ethics

Question 8

Which statement best reflects the lesson's view of moral reasoning?

Accepted Answer

You can reason well or badly by giving reasons, testing consistency, and weighing trade-offs

Answer

Because ethics is opinion, giving reasons is pointless

Answer

Every dilemma has one right answer if you think hard enough

Answer

A strong feeling that something is wrong settles the matter

Question 9

According to the lesson, why do skilled thinkers deliberately separate generating ideas from judging them?

Accepted Answer

Because criticism applied too early kills fragile ideas before they can develop

Answer

Because judgement is more important than generation and should always come first

Answer

Because generating ideas is a waste of time for serious problems

Answer

Because the two modes use the same mental process and cannot be combined

Question 10

What is the most accurate summary of what research and history tell us about insight, using incubation and the Kekulé story?

Accepted Answer

Insight follows immersion and a pause, and still must be tested before it counts

Answer

Insight arrives from rest alone and needs no prior effort or later checking

Answer

Incubation reliably replaces hard work, as the benzene dream proves

Answer

Original ideas are automatically correct once they feel sudden and whole

Question 11

A news headline says a food "doubles your risk" of a rare disease. What does the lesson say you most need to know before reacting?

Accepted Answer

The baseline absolute risk, since a large relative change can still be a tiny absolute one

Answer

Whether the journalist has a science degree

Answer

Nothing further; a doubling of risk is always serious

Answer

How many other newspapers ran the same headline

Question 12

Which response shows genuine critical thinking rather than reflexive doubt?

Accepted Answer

Following the weight of the evidence even when a motive exists, and reserving doubt for claims that cannot answer the questions

Answer

Rejecting a large clinical trial because its funder could profit from the result

Answer

Treating every claim as equally false until proven otherwise

Answer

Accepting a claim only if no one involved benefits in any way

Question 13

What best distinguishes constructive skepticism from cynicism?

Accepted Answer

Skepticism questions claims to understand and remains open to being convinced, while cynicism dismisses claims to avoid engaging.

Answer

Skepticism doubts everything equally, while cynicism accepts expert claims without question.

Answer

Skepticism is about winning arguments, while cynicism is about building agreement.

Answer

There is no real difference; both mean refusing to believe anything.

Question 14

According to Darwin's own account, why did he make a habit of immediately writing down observations that contradicted his conclusions?

Accepted Answer

Because he had noticed that facts against his views were more likely to be forgotten than agreeable ones.

Answer

Because he was required to by his publisher before releasing his work.

Answer

Because he wanted to prove his own theories were beyond any possible doubt.

Answer

Because recording data was mandatory for all scientists of his era.