ARGUMENTS,CLAIMS AND ASSUMPTIONS

1. A claim in critical thinking refers to:

• An opinion stated clearly
• Evidence supporting a view
• A conclusion supported by reasons
• A rhetorical question

2. Which of the following is a factual claim?

• "The Earth revolves around the Sun"
• "I like chocolate"
• "Democracy is the best system"
• "You should study harder"

3. An argument is best defined as:

• A quarrel between two people
• A set of claims where some support another
• A political debate
• An unsupported opinion

4. The purpose of an argument is to:

• Confuse the audience
• Persuade using evidence and reasoning
• Express emotions
• Attack the opponent

5. Which of the following is an example of a value claim?

• "Water boils at 100°C"
• "Honesty is better than deceit"
• "Ghana is in West Africa"
• "The phone is on the table"

6. In critical thinking, an assumption is:

• Evidence used to prove a claim
• A hidden belief taken for granted
• A conclusion
• An emotional response

7. Which of these is NOT a component of an argument?

• Premises
• Conclusion
• Assumptions
• Compliments

8. "All humans are mortal. Socrates is a human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." This is:

• An opinion
• An assumption
• A deductive argument
• A value claim

9. Identifying assumptions is important because:

• It exposes hidden weaknesses
• It creates more arguments
• It strengthens emotional appeals
• It makes claims irrelevant

10. Which of the following is an unsupported claim?

• "Smoking causes cancer"
• "Exercise improves health"
• "The sky is blue"
• "Aliens live among us"