As You Prepare for the Mid-Term

As you prepare for this week's Online Mid-Term Exam, keep the following in mind: 

 

BASICS

There is no new reading this week.  We are not learning any new Critical Thinking concepts.  So, this week's study routine is a modification of our regular routine:

  1.  Review our past weeks' readings. Identify confusing concepts and ask questions about them.  
  2.  Review our past weeks' practice examples, including flashcards, tutorials, online handouts, and practice quizzes.  Identify confusing examples and ask questions about them. 
  3.  Review our past weeks' "As You Practice" notes. Identify confusing concepts and ask questions about them. 
  4.  Complete the week's recommended practice exam.  Identify confusing examples and ask questions about them
  5.  Repeat as helpful 
  6.  Complete the week's exam.  
  7.  Celebrate! 

 

MID-TERM EXAM

As you study for our upcoming exam, remember the following: 

  1.  It is an online exam.  
  2.  The link to the exam is listed on this week's module
  3.  The mid-term is a timed exam. Once you open the exam, you will have 2 hours to complete it. Precisely 120 minutes! 
  4.  Technically, the mid-term exam is open-book and open-notes.  However, it is recommended you take it when you are ready to demonstrate our skills without looking at the book or your notes. 
  5.  The final exam will have 50 multiple-choice questions.  Each question will provide a passage and ask you to demonstrate one of the following critical thinking skills: 
      1.  Recognizing conclusions
      2.  Recognizing premises 
      3.  Fallacies of Language 
      4.  Fallacies of Relevance 
      5.  Recognizing Fallacies 

 

ANALYZING CONCLUSIONS AND PREMISES

When asked to determine an argument's conclusion or premise, you will be expected to recognize an accurate quote or paraphrase.  

When determining an argument's conclusion or premise, you will be expected to apply these skills to examples containing indicator words and examples without indicator words. 

 

FALLACIES OF LANGUAGE

When asked to determine if an argument commits a fallacy of language, you will be expected to apply the following critical thinking concepts: 

  1.  Overgeneral 
  2.  Vague 
  3.  Weasel Word 
  4.  Vague Comparison 
  5.  Hyperbole 
  6.  Euphemism 
  7.  Ambiguity 

 

FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE

When asked to determine if an argument commits a fallacy of relevance, you will be expected to apply the following critical thinking concepts: 

  1.  Personal Attack 
  2.  Poisoning the Well 
  3.  Guilt by Association 
  4.  Attacking the Motive 
  5.  Look Who's Talking 
  6.  Two Wrongs Make a Right 
  7.  Appeal to Tradition 
  8.  Bandwagon Argument 
  9.  Appeal to Novelty 
  10.  Straw Man Misrepresentation 

 

RECOGNIZING FALLACIES

When asked to determine if an argument commits any fallacy, you will be expected to recognize any fallacy of language or fallacy of relevance.  

Review our Fallacies of Language, Fallacies of Relevance, and Recognizing Fallacies materials to fine-tune these skills.

If you have any questions about these concepts and skills, I encourage your ask questions or bring me confusing examples.  Ask about it during class, an office hour, or a message through our class web site. 

Sincerely, 

Michael