In Exercises 1–4, use
critical thinking
to develop an alternative or correct conclusion.
For example, consider a media report that BMW cars cause people to be healthier. Here is an alternative conclusion: Owners of BMW cars tend to be wealthier than others, and greater wealth is associated with better health.
1. College Graduates Live Longer
Based on a study showing that college graduates tend to live longer than those who do not graduate from college, a researcher concludes that studying causes people to live longer.
2. Selling Songs
Data published in USA Today were used to show that there is a correlation between the number of times songs are played on radio stations and the numbers of times the songs are purchased. Conclusion: Increasing the times that songs are played on radio stations causes sales to increase.
3. Racial Profiling?
A study showed that in Orange County, more speeding tickets were issued to minorities than to whites. Conclusion: In Orange County, minorities speed more than whites.
4. Biased Test
In the judicial case United States v. City of Chicago, a minority group failed the Fire Captain Examination at a much higher rate than the majority group. Conclusion:
The exam is biased and causes members of the minority group to fail at a much higher rate.