PHI 210 Critical Thinking “WebText” 6.5 “Statistics and Fallacies”. latest Edition. 100% Score

PHI 210 Critical Thinking “WebText”

6.5 “Statistics and Fallacies”

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

Sharlene is supposed to poll people about their voting choices for her American Government class. She asks four random people on the street about their vote and then reports to her class that 75 percent of the city voted Republican. What is the MOST obvious problem with her statistic?

·          The sample size is too small.

·          The survey question is manipulative.

·          Background information is missing.

·          The statistics are based on guesswork.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

To find out if members of the community are opposed to soft drinks being sold in middle school cafeterias, Gregoire conducts a survey asking, “Do you support the practice of schools pushing the sales of substances known to lead to obesity and heart disease onto impressionable minors?” After analyzing the results, he concludes that 78 percent of people oppose the sale of soft drinks. What is the problem with his statistic?

·          The survey question is manipulative.

·          The sample size is too small.

·          The sample is biased.

·          Background information is missing.

RESPONSE BOARD QUESTION

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Imagine that you run across a statistic online claiming that men are 25 percent more likely to ski on dangerous slopes than women. Give examples of at least two pieces of information you would want to know about this statistic before you would accept it as fact.

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