Table Of ContentReasoning
skills
success
in 20 minutes
a Day
6720_Reasoning Skills Success[fin].indd 1 12/11/09 3:03:39 PM
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Reasoning
skills
success
in 20 minutes
a Day
3rd Edition
®
ne w yoRk
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Copyright © 2010 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reasoning skills success in 20 minutes a day.—3rd ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-57685-726-7
1. Reasoning (Psychology) I. LearningExpress (Oranization) II Title: Reasoning skills success in twenty minutes
a day.
BF442.R44 2010
153.4'3—dc22
2009030907
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
ISBN-13 978-1-57685-720-5
For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:
2 Rector Street
26th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Or visit us at:
www.learnatest.com
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contents
contRibutoRs ix
How to use tHis book xi
PRetest 1
lesson 1 cRitical tHinking anD Reasoning skills 15
What Are Critical Thinking and Reasoning Skills?
Definition: The Difference between Reason and Emotion
Justifying Your Decision
Why Critical Thinking and Reasoning Skills Are Important
In Short
lesson 2 PRoblem-solving stRategies 21
Definition: What Is a Problem?
Identifying the Problem
Breaking the Problem into Its Parts
Prioritizing Issues
Relevance of Issues
In Short
lesson 3 tHinking vs. knowing 27
Definition: Fact vs. Opinion
Why the Difference between Fact and Opinion Is Important
Tentative Truths
Fact vs. Opinion in Critical Reasoning
In Short
v
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–contents–
lesson 4 wHo makes tHe claim? 33
Definition: What is Credibility?
How to Determine Credibility
Recognizing Bias
Special Case: Eyeswitness Credibility
In Short
lesson 5 PaRtial claims anD Half-tRutHs 41
The Trouble with Incomplete Claims
Test and Studies
Averages
In Short
lesson 6 wHat’s in a woRD? 47
Euphemisms and Dysphemisms
Biased Questions
In Short
lesson 7 woRking witH aRguments 53
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Indentifying the Overall Conclusion
In Short
lesson 8 evaluating eviDence 61
Types of Evidence
Is the Evidence Credible?
Is the Evidence Reasonable?
In Short
lesson 9 Recognizing a gooD aRgument 67
Clear and Complete
Free of Excessive Subtle Persuasion
Credible and Reasonable Premises
Sufficient and Substantive Premises
Considering the Other Side
In Short
lesson 10 Putting it all togetHeR 73
Lesson 1: Critical Thinking and Reasoning Skills
Lesson 2: Problem-Solving Strategies
Lesson 3: Thinking vs. Knowing
Lesson 4: Who Makes the Claim?
Lesson 5: Partial Claims and Half-Truths
vi
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–contents–
Lesson 6: What’s in a Word?
Lesson 7: Working with Arguments
Lesson 8: Evaluating Evidence
Lesson 9: Recognizing a Good Argument
lesson 11 logical fallacies: aPPeals to emotion 77
Scare Tactics
Flattery
Peer Pressure
Pity
In Short
lesson 12 logical fallacies: tHe imPostoRs 83
No In-Betweens
Slippery Slope
Circular Reasoning
Two Wrongs Make a Right
In Short
lesson 13 logical fallacies: DistRacteRs anD DistoRteRs 89
Ad Hominem
Red Herring
Straw Man
In Short
lesson 14 wHy DiD it HaPPen? 97
Relevance
Testability
Circularity
Compatibility with Existing Knowledge
In Short
lesson 15 inDuctive Reasoning: PaRt i 105
The Science of Inductive Reasoning
Elementary, My Dear Watson
In Short
lesson 16 JumPing to conclusions 107
Hasty Generalizations
Biased Generalizations
Non Sequitur
In Short
vii
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–contents–
lesson 17 inDuctive Reasoning: PaRt ii 113
Determining Cause
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
The Chicken or the Egg?
In Short
lesson 18 numbeRs neveR lie 121
First Things First: Consider the Source
The Importance of Sample Size
Representative, Random, and Biased Samples
Comparing Apples and Oranges
In Short
lesson 19 PRoblem solving RevisiteD 129
Common Sense
Evaluating Evidence
Drawing Conclusions from Evidence
In Short
lesson 20 Putting it all togetHeR 135
Lesson 11: Logical Fallacies: Appeals to Emotion
Lesson 12: Logical Fallacies: The Imposters
Lesson 13: Logical Fallacies: Distracters and Distorters
Lesson 14: Why Did It Happen?
Lesson 15: Inductive Reasoning, Part I
Lesson 16: Jumping to Conclusions
Lesson 17: Inductive Reasoning, Part II
Lesson 18: Numbers Never Lie
Lesson 19: Problem Solving Revisited
Congratulations!
Posttest 141
aPPenDix How to PRePaRe foR a test 153
Two to Three Months before the Test
The Days before the Test
Test Day
Combating Test Anxiety
Time Strategies
Avoiding Errors
After the Test
viii
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contributors
Elizabeth Chesla is the author of TOEFL Exam Success, ACT Exam Success, GED Success, Reading Comprehension
Success, Write Better Essays, and many other writing and reading guides and test preparation books. She lives in
South Orange, New Jersey.
Tamra Orr is a full-time educational writer living in the Pacific Northwest. She has written several test prepara-
tion books and works for a dozen of the nation’s largest testing companies. She is the author of more than 70
books, mother of four, and wife of one.
ix
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